Real Good Is Simple

The Daily Stoic for April the 21st, “Real good is simple”.

“Here’s a way to think about what the masses regard as being ‘good’ things. If you would first start by setting your mind upon things that are unquestionably good—wisdom, self-control, justice, courage—with this preconception you’ll no longer be able to listen to the popular refrain that there are too many good things to experience in a lifetime.”
—MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 5.12

If there’s something I have learned these last years, it’s that leading a simpler life means happiness.

I am writing this daily stoic post in the train to Segulda, at the north of Latvia. Today it’s sunny and warm here in Latvia, and the temperatures are expected to reach 21 ºC. It was the perfect scenario for a friday getaway.

Real Good Is Simple

Yes, I will probably have to work this Saturday a bit to make up for today. But I don’t have a lot of work left, so it’s a nice compromise.

The fact is, the simpler your life is, the more free you are to do things like this.

Sometimes, society dictates us what “good”, “wealthy” or “entertaining” means. What you are supposed to do or own to consider yourself on top of the world. Curiously enough, most of the stuff that’s associated to those terms clutters your life or makes it more complicated.

That’s, at least, what I discovered when I decluttered my life and became a digital nomad.

What do I need today in my life? Not a lot of stuff. Some clothes inside my suitcase, my laptop, phone, and little else. I am in fact trying to transition from working on my laptop to using my iPad pro exclusively, both for blogging and developing.

Simplicity is addictive. Once you get used to having less stuff, and traveling light, you want to experience that feeling more and more.

So in that sense, the real “good” stuff for me is simplicity and freedom on themselves. As today’s stoic meditation mentions, that also leaves space for things like wisdom, self control and courage.

Conclusion

Today’s Daily Stoic, “Real good is simple”, discusses how, unlike what’s usually accepted in our society, good things are much simpler than having a fancy car, a big house and expensive suits.

In my view, simplicity is the ultimate guarantor of happiness. The less you have, the simpler your life is, and the happier and more free you ultimately are.