Ready And At Home

The Daily Stoic for March 20th. “Ready and at home”

“I may wish to be free from torture, but if the time comes for me to endure it, I’ll wish to bear it courageously with bravery and honor. Wouldn’t I prefer not to fall into war? But if war does befall me, I’ll wish to carry nobly the wounds, starvation, and other necessities of war. Neither am I so crazy as to desire illness, but if I must suffer illness, I’ll wish to do nothing rash or dishonorable. The point is not to wish for these adversities, but for the virtue that makes adversities bearable.”
—SENECA, MORAL LETTERS, 67.4

Today’s meditation is certainly a wise one, specially for micropreneurs and digital nomads. While social media insists on depicting us in a tropical beach, enjoying a Margarita while typing random stuff on a macbook computer, that image is far from reality.

Our paths are not always easy. Sometimes our businesses don’t go as expected, or we find ourselves in a foreign hospital, not knowing the language, and wondering if a doctor will finally see us.

That’s the price we have to pay for being the owners of our lives and, in my mind, it’s a very small price.

Ready And At Home

The last few times I have talked to my friends from Spain, the news were not good.

Rents have increased significantly, to the point that some of them have been forced to leave their current homes and look for more affordable alternatives. One of my friends was fired, and another one had to close his company because of the high tax burden and low market confidence.

Every time I talk with them, I feel happy with the decisions I’ve taken.

However, we must be ready and at home. Managing your own company, looking for customers, taking care of the business… don’t let any guru tell you it’s going to be a bed of roses.

Since I started with Stoicism, I have to admit I have more resources and tools to go through hard times. I see the ups and downs as part of my life, and I am really happy and grateful for every day, even the hard ones.

Conclusion

Today’s Daily Stoic, “Ready And At Home”, talks about the need of being prepared for the bad times. Nobody wants to go through difficult situations, but we all must face them from time to time.

That’s specially true for solopreneurs -who are the only ones supporting their businesses- or when you travel the world as a digital nomad.