Seneca, who was wealthy himself, kept insisting that real wealth is wanting little. The more your happiness depends on having more, the more fragile it becomes, because there's always a next thing and a fear of losing what you've got. Simplifying your wants isn't deprivation. It's loosening the grip of the endless ladder. When you need less to feel okay, you're harder to shake. This doesn't mean ignoring money worries, which are real. It means noticing how much of the pressure comes from comparison and craving rather than true need. Today, look at one thing you've been telling yourself you must have, and ask honestly whether your life is fine without it.

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