#2,174 in Literature & fiction books
Use arrows to jump to the previous/next product
Reddit mentions of On the Shortness of Life: Life Is Long if You Know How to Use It (Penguin Great Ideas)
Sentiment score: 2
Reddit mentions: 2
We found 2 Reddit mentions of On the Shortness of Life: Life Is Long if You Know How to Use It (Penguin Great Ideas). Here are the top ones.
or
Specs:
| Release date | September 2005 |
MOTD #45: "You squander time as if you drew from a full and abundant supply, though all the while that day which you bestow on some person or thing is perhaps your last."
(Previous) // (Next One)
If you haven't read Seneca's On the Shortness of Life, I would highly recommend you read it... like right now. It's quite short, if you have an hour, read it or listen to it. Here are a bunch of links, you have no excuses:
Want to read more books on Stoicism? check out these lists: r/Stoicism’s the Stoic Reading List | Ryan Holliday’s Lists 1& 2| Goodreads
If you have a favorite part of Meditations or want to see any other stoic passage in future posts, please feel free to message me or comment anytime. Anyways, have a nice day/night where ever you happen to be… All the best, Chris.
The thing here that sticks out to me is that not once did you mention any specific thing that you enjoy doing or have a passion for.
Your goal was to make money and prove your dad wrong. That is not a sustainable way to direct your energy. I think it's very lucky that you were able to identify your problem as rooted in your dad and not money per se.
A lot of people pursue money as it's own means and own end and it ends up never being enough and it destroys them. You have to fail, sometimes spectacularly, to learn that kind of lesson and here you are, still young and in the prime place to learn from that mistake so don't feel bad.
I think you really need to sit back and try to figure out what really drives you. Why did you start an online company for example? There are a lot of ways to make money.
Why go that route specifically, and what did you sell? Were you drawn to that for some intrinsic reason other than you thought you'd make the most money that way or did you stumble on something that spoke to you and you were able to drive that to success because of passion? Generally, people aren't able to reach that level unless they're somehow interested in that field.
the short but powerful guide to finding your passion
coaching the artist within - this is geared towards artists but it starts out with trying to get you to find what you're passionate about and then lessons on mastering anxiety, mental blocks and fear of failure. It also sounds like you want to be self directed rather than on a career path which is similar to the 'artist life'.
Drive: The Surprising Truth about what Motivates us
Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength
Meditations
On the Shortness of Life
The Wisdom of Insecurity
The Art of Nonconformity:Set Your Own Rules, Live the Life You Want, and Change the World
Things Might go Terribly, Horribly Wrong: A Guide to Life Liberated from Anxiety
Here are a few things to get you started. They don't have 'the answer' per se, but I think they'll go a long way in helping you reframe your idea of motivation, discipline, and how to deal with fear of failure. And get you started on the right path.
I will also add: do not be afraid to find a good therapist (preferably one trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) especially if you are still under 26 and are on your Mom's insurance.
I am not suggesting you have an illness from the DSM-V per se. However, I think any time you're unhappy and are struggling to reach goals, at a certain point that is a 'mental health issue' you need help with and a therapist is the ideal 'coach' to get you through it with tested and verified methods (and likely in a finite amount of meetings.)