Welcome to The Stoic Ledger, a daily money meditation from one of the Stoic sages.

28/365: Epictetus on potential problems

Many worry excessively about potential problems, imagining worst-case scenarios that may never occur.

Recessions that never occur.

Losses that never occur.

This anxiety distracts us from rationally managing and appreciating what’s all around us.

Epictetus reminds us that our worried concoctions aren’t real — they stem from the imagination. But even if the actual negative outcome were to materialize — we’d adapt. It’s what we do.

Peace of mind is a choice in the present moment, where things exist exactly as they are — not some false reality.

What future anxieties are robbing you of peace right now?