Seneca noticed that it's not poverty that makes us feel poor, but endless wanting, and that the man who has enough but always craves more is the truly needy one. Our wants stretch to fill whatever we have, so the chase never ends. The Stoic move isn't to want nothing. It's to ask honestly what is enough, and to let that be enough. A simpler set of wants is easier to satisfy, and it leaves you freer, less owned by the next purchase, the next milestone. You're not failing by wanting less. You may be the rare person who has found the bottom of the well and stopped digging.

Inspired by the old idea of voluntary discomfort. Written by Ugo Charles.