Day-in and day-out, you have to ensure your thoughts are focused.

💂 And by focused I mean constantly staying on guard to make sure that they’re not unaligned with what you are striving to achieve virtuously.

💬 Marcus Aurelius asked himself in a hypothetical scenario: “What if someone came up to me and asked ‘what are you thinking about?’ How would I answer?“ and the following passage was his response:

📚 Quote of the Week 📚

Similar to what Epictetus said previously, we must take care of the thoughts in our mind throughout the day as if we would take care of not stepping on a nail when we’re walking.

Our actions are fed by the thoughts we think, which is why Marcus Aurelius advised himself against it; having poor thoughts will lead to improper actions.

💰 Having selfish thoughts will make you act selfishly.

😔 Having envious thoughts will make you act envious.

😳 Having shameful thoughts will make you shameful and isolated.

Not standing guard against these thoughts is a sure-fire way to lead to a path of self-destruction.

💡 Every time you find yourself having these thoughts, be cautious of why and tread carefully. Rationalize why having these thoughts are in no way beneficial to your character and attempt to forego them if possible.

Stay focused. Stay constantly aligned with your path of virtue. Consistency is key.

Cheers,

Adam