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

68/365: Marcus Aurelius on starting the day

What’s your first thought in the morning?

The to-do list? Meetings at work? Bills to pay?

The traditional mental loops we run in the morning are often in service of our economic pursuits. We fire the mind up and get after it, pressing start on the day.

What if we built a little buffer? A little time to remember what gifts we presently have, that are not contingent on doing more or working more.

It’s the continuous process of taking stock that allows us to savor the wealth we have along the way.