Marcus Aurelius: The form of the Athenians' prayer did…

The Athenians asked for rain for all their fields, not just their own plot. It is a model for how we should want things: broadly, fairly, and without trying to rig every outcome for ourselves. A wish that only benefits you can easily become selfishness disguised as prayer or ambition.

When your team succeeds, do you want it because the work will genuinely help people, or only because you want credit? When you hope for a policy, a promotion, or a change in the economy, can you include the people who will be affected differently from you?

We cannot control outcomes, but we can improve the quality of our wishes and efforts. Seek what is good for the whole community where possible. If you ask for relief, ask for relief that does not merely shift the burden onto someone else. Today, widen the circle in your thinking. Your interests are real, but they are not the only interests that count.