"Treat what you don't have as nonexistent. Look at what you have, the things you value most, and think of how much you'd crave them if you didn't have them."

Joseph Heller, the author of Catch-22, was once at a party on Shelter Island. The host was a billionaire hedge fund manager. Kurt Vonnegut was also there. He poked Heller in the ribs. He pointed out that their host had made more money in a single day than Heller had earned from the entire history of his novel.

Heller looked at Vonnegut. He didn't blink. "Yes," Heller said. "But I have something he will never have." Vonnegut asked what that could possibly be. Heller replied, "I have enough."

We live on a treadmill of desire. We get the car, and we're happy for a month. Then we get used to the car. We want a faster car. The baseline moves. We never actually arrive at "happiness" because we keep moving the finish line.

Marcus Aurelius offers a mental hack to break this treadmill. He tells us to reverse the flow of desire. Most people look at what they don't have and wish they had it. Marcus tells us to look at what we do have and imagine we lost it.

Look at your partner. Imagine they're gone. Imagine the funeral. Feel that hollow ache in your chest. Now, look at them again. They're sitting right there. The annoyance of their messy habits vanishes. You suddenly crave exactly what you already possess.

Heller understood this. He didn't need the billionaire's money because he realized his own life was already full. He stepped off the treadmill.

Errors & Corrections

• Don't look at the gap. We naturally focus on the gap between where we are and where we want to be. This creates anxiety. Focus on the ground you are standing on. It's solid.
• Don't take things for granted. Familiarity breeds contempt. You hate your old car until it breaks down. Then you would pay anything to have that "old piece of junk" running again. Appreciate the asset while it works.
• Don't move the goalpost. Define "enough" today. Write it down. If you don't define the finish line, you'll run until you die.

Applications to Modern Life

Work

You're jealous of a coworker's promotion. You feel small. Stop. Look at your current job. Imagine you were fired yesterday. Imagine the panic of unemployment. Now look at your job again. It pays the bills. It gives you challenges. By imagining the loss, you recover your enthusiasm for the work you have.

Leadership

A company always wants "more." More growth. More users. A Stoic leader defines "enough." They focus on profitability and sustainability instead of reckless expansion. They build a fortress, not a house of cards.

Athleticism & Sport

You're angry that you can't run a sub-3-hour marathon. You feel slow. Look at your legs. Imagine you're injured. Imagine you can't walk. Suddenly, being able to run a 4-hour marathon feels like a miracle. You learn to love the movement, not just the clock.

Politics

You're angry about the state of the nation. You focus on the flaws. But imagine living in a war zone. Imagine living without a bill of rights. When you visualize the alternative, you realize that the boring machinery of democracy is actually a luxury. You fight to improve it, but you don't despise it.

Social Media

You scroll through Instagram. You see the mansions and the six-pack abs. You feel inadequate. Put the phone down. Look at your living room. It's warm. It's safe. You have water in the tap. Treat the influencers as "nonexistent." They're just pixels. Your reality is the only thing that counts.

Interpersonal Relationships

You've been married for ten years. The spark is dim. You focus on your partner's annoying laugh. Marcus says to stop. Imagine they died in a car crash tonight. Really imagine it. Now look at them. That laugh isn't annoying anymore. It's the most precious sound in the world.

Maxims

• Enough is a decision, not a number.
• Want what you already have.
• The gap is a trap.

In-depth Concepts

Arketon (Sufficient)

The Stoics believed in the concept of Arketon. It means "sufficient" or "enough." It's the point where needs are met. Anything beyond Arketon is just noise. It doesn't add to your happiness. It just adds to your anxiety.

Negative Visualization

This exercise is a specific form of Premeditatio Malorum (premeditation of evils). You aren't being a pessimist. You're refreshing your gratitude. You reset your "hedonic adaptation" so you can enjoy your life again.