The Stoic's Journal

When I was a teenager, I worked in a hotel restaurant. One night, water started pouring into the cloak room. I grabbed a mop and got to work. I didn’t ask questions, didn’t call for help, didn’t stop to wonder where the water was coming from. I just mopped—bucket after bucket, like I was going to win the fight by sheer effort. It didn’t stop. And neither did I. Eventually, the hotel manager came by. He looked at the growing puddle, looked at me, and said, “You can stop now.” I did. But not because the job was done—because someone made the decision for me. That moment sticks with me. Not because it was dramatic, but because it was true. I don’t know when to give up. Still don’t, really. And that trait—it’s helped me, hurt me, and shaped me. Looking back, I can almost hear Marcus Aurelius whispering: “You have power over your mind—not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” If I’d understood that as a young man, maybe I wouldn’t have tried to mop up life itself....

  What’s the Point? (And Why That Question Matters) At some point, we all ask it. What’s the point of all this—working, striving, chasing, worrying—if we all end up in the same place? The writer of Ecclesiastes doesn’t sugarcoat it: “The wise have eyes in their heads, while fools walk in the dark; but I came to realize that the same fate overtakes them both.” That hits hard. It’s a truth most people spend their lives trying to avoid. But if we’re brave enough to sit with it for a minute, there’s actually peace on the other side. Because if all roads lead to the same end—if we’re dust in the end, no matter our title, bank account, or followers—then maybe the real value is found in how we live, not in what we accumulate. That’s a Stoic idea, too. Marcus Aurelius said, “You could leave life right now. Let that determine what you do and say and think.” Same message. Different robe. The point isn’t to be morbid—it’s to be clear. You don’t have to chase everything. Y...

                                             Finding Me   It’s been a while since I’ve posted here—September, I think. Life got busy. Ideas needed time to breathe. But the truth is, I never stopped thinking about what The Stoic Journal is meant to be: a space to explore values, purpose, virtue, and all the things that matter more the older we get. This past week, something unexpected happened—people started buying my Finding Me series again. I hadn’t promoted it. I hadn’t posted anything. But something in those books is still connecting with people. That means a lot. So here I am again—ready to keep the conversation going, one post at a time. If you’ve read Finding Me , thank you. If you haven’t, it’s a short series about discovering your values, embracing purpose, and living a life that actually fits you. I’ll be posting more soon, both here an...