Do external things distract you? Then make time for yourself to learn something worthwhile, stop letting yourself be pulled in all directions. But make sure you guard against the other kind of confusion. People who labor all their lives but have no purpose to direct every thought and impulse toward are wasting their time – even when hard at work.
– Marcus Aurelius (Meditations {Book 2:7})
This is an interesting quote.
Even way back in those times, we were being told not to keep up with the Jones’.
Why do we say yes to so many things?
Does chasing something that is “external” really bring us happiness?
And, do we really need to keep up with the Joneses?

Cameron Blewett is an independent writer and publisher. He helps professionals and organisations turn complex ideas into clear, authoritative writing through Dark Quill Agency. His work spans projects including GreyBeardedVegan.blog, ItsAllAbout.coffee and VeganStoic.com.
Have you seen these recent posts?
- The People Who Changed You Didn’t Try To
- The Lost Art of Listening
- Comfort Is the Cage
- Hard Conversations Build Strong People
- You Don’t Need to Post It to Prove It
- We Don’t Need Another Hero
- The Myth of Overnight Success (and Why You’re Not Behind)
- What Are We Even Arguing About?
- A Morning Without a Phone
- Silence Is a Statement
- The Myth of Work-Life Balance
- Real Change Doesn’t Go Viral

Cameron Blewett is an independent writer and publisher. He helps professionals and organisations turn complex ideas into clear, authoritative writing through Dark Quill Agency. His work spans projects including GreyBeardedVegan.blog, ItsAllAbout.coffee and VeganStoic.com.