For most of my life I kept thinking I was looking for financial independence, knowing full well I’d continue to work if I hit it. But this posed a problem: why

For most of my life I kept thinking I was looking for financial independence, knowing full well I’d continue to work if I hit it. But this posed a problem: why work hard toward that if the day-to-day wouldn’t change much? Eventually I reconciled this when I encountered Epictetus: I was actually looking for a mental freedom to find my own meaning, identity, and grow my capacity to choose the good on a daily basis. It was less about the total dollar amount and more about the perception of my own agency. In fact, I’d much rather grow the meta-skills that let me flourish in life across multiple dimensions than have a bunch of cash land on my doorstep. This is either wise or the type of thing you tell yourself when you haven't had outsized success. But, I also realize the former is 100% more resilient even if it is much harder. From here, the fog has started to lift, and I can continue the work of uncovering my resilient core of personality.