How much wants do you have?
It is not a secret that I am a huge fan of the stoics. Stoicism, in fact, is the only philosophical school founded by an entrepreneur.
It was Zeno of Citium, an entrepreneur, who founded the first Stoic school of philosophy in the 3rd century BC.
Zeno was a very wealthy merchant. Inspired by the Cynics, he laid great emphasis on goodness and peace of mind gained from living a life of virtue in accordance with nature.
I’m not gonna teach you about Stoicism today, but it’s worth looking at. All the great leaders before you have done so.
What I am going to tell you is the fastest way to become happy and how to avoid becoming unhappy.
Therefore, I need to quote a line from Seneca, one of the famous Stoics:
“True Happiness, is to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence on the future”
I like it. I hope you do too. It’s very true.
In order to be able to enjoy the present, you need to feel fulfilled and not be anxious. And therefore, I want you to reconsider your wants.
If you let too many wants in your life, they will make you anxious. You’re destined to be unhappy if you’re anxious all the time.
You’re an entrepreneur. That means you are a goal-driven person. You want to achieve a lot of things in life. So, you have a lot of wants.
Great, that’s perfect.
But just a small word of warning on your wants. You can become very wealthy and successful, but if you let your wants take over control, you’ll feel miserable and poor.
Very little people understand the power of a person who can control his or her wants. In fact, it’s one of the single most important skills a (wo)man can master in life. Controlling your wants is key to obtain the happy life.
Now don’t get me wrong here. I’m not saying: let go of all your wants, sell everything and go live in a forest cabin for the rest of your life.
I’m saying: be ambitious, stretch yourself, have beautiful and worthy goals. But stay in control of your wants. You control them, do NOT let them control you.
Now, that is powerful, isn’t it?
To freedom.
