Seneca: “But the way by which we are asked to climb is…

Anything worth climbing asks something of us. Better health requires repetition. A stronger relationship requires uncomfortable honesty. Meaningful work requires long stretches when progress is invisible. We sometimes treat difficulty as proof that we chose the wrong path, expecting important change to feel smooth and effortless. But a steep path is not necessarily a bad one; it may simply lead somewhere higher. Seneca also adds an important correction: the path is often less impossible than we imagine from below. We make the whole mountain unbearable by trying to carry it in our heads at once. Today, reduce the climb to its next foothold. Do the first ten minutes of the workout. Open the document and write one paragraph. Send the message you have been rehearsing for weeks. You do not need to feel certain about the summit. You need only take the next stable step with your eyes open.