Marcus Aurelius: The natural properties, and privileges…

A human mind has a remarkable privilege: it can observe itself and redirect itself. A tree cannot decide to become more patient. A dog cannot examine its motives after an argument. We can. We can notice that we are becoming petty, distracted, resentful, or dishonest, and we can make a different choice. That is why character is never merely something that happens to us. Circumstances provide pressure, but the mind can arrange its response. It also receives the fruit of that response. When you act with integrity, the first benefit is not external praise; it is the quiet knowledge that you have made yourself more trustworthy. When you betray your standards, you live with that too. Today, use this unusual power of self-direction once. Catch an unhelpful pattern in motion and choose the next action as the person you want to become.