Marcus Aurelius: Skill at defeating an opponent does not…

Improvement can become another form of vanity when we confuse performance with character. We may become fitter, sharper, more productive, or more accomplished while remaining impatient at home, dismissive with coworkers, and unable to accept correction. Competence is valuable, but it answers only one question: what can we do? Virtue asks the more important question: how do we use what we can do? Today, take stock of an ability you are proud of. Then ask whether it is making you more useful, humble, and dependable to the people closest to you. If not, let it serve a better purpose. Share what you know, make time for someone who needs you, or accept being a beginner in a moral area. Being impressive is not the same as being good, and the latter deserves the greater effort.