As long as you are alive there will always be time to have a shot at betterment. That time is right now.

Only the present is under our control

My piece last month was focused on one of the key applications of the Dichotomy of Control. I demonstrated how the Dichotomy divides the axis of time into three parts which are separate and not equal: the past, the present, the future. They are not equal for all sorts of reasons, the most stoic of which is that only the present is under our control. From this follows the Stoic advice to immerse ourselves in the present moment fully and with no mental reservations.

This reasoning applies to all our activities, mundane and metaphysical, but perhaps most importantly it refers to work. There are many types of work in human life, including work we must do, the work we pretend to be doing and which we intend to do, and finally the work we are actually doing. Whatever the particulars are, all our work has one in thing common. It all happens in the same moment in time. It only happens now, in this present moment.

Don’t get distracted

This is the common recommendation of all coaches, self-development authors, and entrepreneurial writers of every hue. Don’t get distracted. Avoid overt multitasking. Focus on the present work and on what you can get done at this very moment. This is the only way to get any results. Not through daydreaming about the past, not through mooning over the future, but through the task at hand.

This approach is hardly surprising, of course. It is still important though and the Stoic perspective provides it with meaningful backing. It’s not just a random piece of wisdom. Instead, it follows directly from the Dichotomy of Control which in turn rests on the deep metaphysical assumptions about human condition and agency.

‘Work’ is not just your job

In Stoicism the concept of work is not limited to a job which pays, i.e., to what we do to earn a living. It is certainly relevant here (stoic applications have been proven to boost productivity indeed) but more importantly it refers to the more subtle and intimate sense of the term ‘work’. It refers to what we do to turn ourselves into better persons. Or better Stoics, if you will.

This process is daily, perennially unpaid, and never-ending work in which we are always on our own. Also, it needs to be mindful and purposeful. As Seneca puts it, money may come to us by an unexpected inheritance, while fame can be brought by a random twist of fortune (particularly true in the social media culture). Yet virtue never comes to us unless we earn it. And there is only one way to do so – by continuous work on selfimprovement.

Our work is never in vain

The perk of it is that it is never in vain. In this trade we can never be alienated from the outcome of our work. After all, I work on myself so who is there to strip me from what I have earned? Contrary to other walks of life, here I will never be separated from the gains I have gotten. Moreover, as long as I put a proper Stoic lens to it, I will always be able to make some actual progress. The key is quite simple. I needn’t aim at achieving some lofty level of moral perfection. Instead, I need to humbly focus on bettering myself just a bit. This is fail-safe since there is always room to try to become a little better.

Now is the time

And when is the time for it? There will be no surprises here. The time is always available. Regardless of the circumstances, no matter what one’s condition, as long as you are alive there will always be time to have a shot at betterment. That time is right now.

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Piotr Stankiewicz, Ph.D., has authored Manual of Reformed Stoicism and other books. He can be reached at mikolaj.piotr@gmail.com

 

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