Stop drifting. You’re not going to re-read your Brief Comments, your Deeds of the Ancient Greeks and Romans, the commonplace books you saved for your old age. Sprint for the finish. Write off your hopes, and if your well-being matters to you, be your own savior while you can.
Meditations 3.14
Today’s meditation
The underlying Stoic issue here is the tendency to procrastinate and drift through life. In Meditations 3.14, Marcus Aurelius urges himself to "Stop drifting" and "Sprint for the finish." This reveals that living well requires a sense of urgency and focus.
The passage suggests that one should not delay or put off important tasks, hoping to get to them later. Instead, one should take immediate action and prioritize what truly matters. As Marcus Aurelius says, "Write off your hopes" - let go of unrealistic expectations and distractions, and focus on what you can control in the present moment.
To apply this insight today, someone could reflect on their own tendencies to procrastinate or get bogged down in non-essential activities. They might ask themselves: What is the most important task or goal that I need to focus on right now? What distractions or "hopes" can I let go of in order to make progress on this goal? By adopting a sense of urgency and prioritizing what truly matters, one can begin to "sprint for the finish" and make meaningful progress in their life.
As Marcus Aurelius says, "if your well-being matters to you, be your own savior while you can." This emphasizes the importance of taking personal responsibility for one's own life and well-being. Rather than waiting for external circumstances to change or hoping for someone else to save us, we must take action ourselves to create the life we want. What is one thing you can do today to take control of your own well-being?