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Welcome to the Daily Stoke. For each day, we read a short passage designed to help you cultivate the strength, insight, wisdom necessary for living good life.

Each one of these passages is based on the 2000 year old philosophy that has guided some of history's greatest men and women. For more, you can visit us at DailyStoic.com.

How much white space do you have? Most of us internalize the wrong lesson. We think success equals busy. We think that being busy is a sign of a good leader of an important person.

Of course, this is not true. A full calendar is the sign of someone who agrees to a lot of things. No more, no less.

Which is why the philosopher in us needs to always remember that the goal of life is not to do as much as possible, but to do what matters.

Marcus Aurelius struggled with this himself. Just as you struggle, he had to constantly review his commitments and his impulses and ask, is this essential? Is this really what I am trading my life for?

Am I afraid of death because I won't be able to do this anymore?

Seneca and Marcus both talk about the need for carving out space and time in our lives for study, for reflection, for philosophy.

They knew that we needed white space in our calendar. We needed stillness. If we were ever going to think and be our best.

And without this stillness, we become reactive. We become overwhelmed. Our compass becomes uncalibrated. We lose track, the voice inside.

Being busy is not success. In fact, it's usually the opposite. Autonomy, white space, the ability to be deliberate, to choose your shots. That's success, that's power. Stillness, that's where happiness and insight and truth comes from.

So make room for it, prioritize, fight for it.

And look as a writer, obviously stillness is essential to what I do as a father at something I'm always looking for more of.

And stillness isn't being off by yourself. To me, all my best, most still moments were with my family.

So the idea of that, this concept of stillness, which pervades Marcus Aurelius' work, was the inspiration for my book Stillness is the key.

I debuted at number one on the New York Times bestseller list, heard from all different people around the world who have loved it.

I think you would like it if you're looking for a book especially right now as a social distancing as the world is this crazy, topsy, tervy place.

I think it's a book for you. Check it out. Stillness is the key. Anywhere books are sold. Let me know what you think.

Hey, prime members, you can listen to the Daily Stoke early and add free on Amazon music. Download the Amazon music app today, or you can listen early and add free with Wondering Plus in Apple podcasts.