Marcus told himself to do each task as if it might be his last, with full attention and no fuss, not for applause, but because doing it well was its own reward. So much workplace stress isn't the work itself; it's the worry about how it'll land, who'll notice, whether it's enough. When you give your focus to the actual task, the email, the call, the thing on your list, and let go of managing other people's reactions, the work gets simpler and so does your mind. You can't control the credit. You can control the care you bring. Pour yourself into that, and the rest matters less.

Inspired by the old idea of virtue as the only good. Written by Ugo Charles.