Chapter 115
True Worth Beyond Surface Shine
1.I wish, my dear Lucilius, that you would not be too particular with regard to words and their arrangement; I have greater matters than these to commend to your care. You should seek what to write, rather than how to write it—and even that not for the purpose of writing but of feeling it, that you may thus make what you have felt more your own and, as it were, set a seal on it. 2. Whenever you notice a style that is too careful and too polished, you may be sure that the mind also is no less…
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Critical Thinking Exercise
Substance vs. Performance Audit
List three areas of your life where you spend time and energy. For each area, honestly assess: are you working on the actual thing (building real skills, relationships, health) or working on looking like you're working on it (posting about it, buying gear, talking about plans)? Then identify one concrete action you could take this week to focus more on substance.
Consider:
- •Be honest about where you might be fooling yourself with busy work that feels productive
- •Consider how social media and peer pressure might be pushing you toward performance over substance
- •Think about which activities actually make you feel accomplished versus which just make you look busy
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you chose substance over appearance and how it felt different from when you chose the opposite. What did you learn about yourself?
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