I had another amazing moment, listening to the Daily Stoic Podcast this morning, on the episode titled “Don’t Be a Fool,” and this is what I want to share more light on, going by what I heard and what I have learnt. You know there are many ways to spot a fool and I do not mean that as an insult. They speak recklessly; they make unforced errors, and worst of all, they repeat the same mistakes without learning from them, but according to the Daily Stoic Podcast by Ryan Holiday, and according to the Stoics, there is one particular kind of foolishness that can be subtle but very devastating: The habit of always getting ready to live instead of actually living.
And I am sure we have heard it and even said to ourselves before and for many all the time: “Someday, I will…” “When I am older, I hope to…” “I am not ready right now, but…” These words sound harmless, and worse it sounds even wise sometimes, but they reveal a dangerous assumption; that we will always have more time. But the Stoics, especially Seneca, warn us against this mistake, because the truth is simple: Life is not later. Life is now!
The Trap of “Someday” Thinking
You know foolishness does not always look like chaos or loud mistakes, in fact I am of the opinion that too often than not it looks like endless preparation, like waiting for the stars to align before we take action.
We convince ourselves that one day we will be ready to pursue our dreams, start that project, mend that relationship, or finally live the way we want to, but life is not something you can rehearse for at least not for everything; it is happening, minute by minute, whether we are prepared or not and the best way to get better is to take consistent actions and follow through, while of course we learn as we go at it. The “someday” mindset is a thief; it steals today by trading it for a tomorrow that may never come, and as Seneca said, the fool is always preparing to live instead of actually living.
Seneca’s Warning: Life Is Already Here
Seneca, quoting Epicurus, puts it bluntly: “The fool, with all his other faults, has this also; he is always getting ready to live.”
Let’s think about that for a moment. To always be preparing, planning, waiting, is to miss the very thing you are preparing for, life itself. Marcus Aurelius echoed the same truth in Meditations: “You could leave life right now. Let that determine what you do and say and think.” The Stoics were not trying to depress us with thoughts of mortality; they were trying to shake us awake. Life is not a dress up rehearsal; there is no “later;” there is only now.
Act Now: Wisdom Is Found in Today
They say the wise do not wait for perfect timing; they live today as fully as they can, and that certainly does not mean acting recklessly or without foresight. It means refusing to delay the things that matter most: Love! Work! Gratitude! Purpose! And Virtue!
Ask yourself: What am I postponing? What excuses am I making? What am I always “getting ready” to do, but never beginning?
The truth is, there will never be a perfect moment; there will only ever be this moment. The only foolishness greater than wasting today is believing you will have endless tomorrows to make up for it.
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Conclusion
Again, the fool’s mistake is thinking that life is something to prepare for, but the wise person knows that life is happening right now. So stop waiting! Stop getting ready! Stop putting off what matters most!
Do not say “someday.” Do not wait until you feel ready, because life will not wait and you do not have forever. The time to live is today! The time to act is NOW!