Sometimes it can feel like it is never enough in life. Whether it comes to money, dating, jobs, it can feel like we’re constantly chasing what’s ever left of the pie.
And with how things are going in the world, it feels like it’s only going to get worse…That is, until we make a philosophical change.
I was able to make that change when I came across an important aphorism written over 350 years ago.
This aphorism, which came from the book The Pocket Oracle and Art of Prudence by
Baltasar Gracián, said: Have double of life’s necessities.
Then he goes on to explain how you should always have double of the things you need in life, in order to protect you from the challenges you may face.
I put on my philosophical-wannabe beret and got thinking. How much of our problems would have been solved if we had just doubled the resource?
If I had doubled my resources in my life, I would have never come off as desperate in my many pursuits.
Back when I was single, when I was talking to a girl, I should have made it a policy to talk to many girls. So if things did not work out, it wouldn’t hurt as much, since I have some other ones on the go (coincidentally, my best dating days were when I was talking to two girls at the same time).
Or when I was eager to find a job after school, I should have developed my network outside my immediate friends and family. This way I could have provided myself with more options and more opportunities.
Or, if I had started working on a side hustle a while ago, I wouldn’t have been frustrated in finding a job after getting laid off in a recession.
Looking back, I can see how I made myself vulnerable in all aspects of my life by only relying on one source.
When you have more than one, you cease to be desperate or vulnerable. Because no matter what happens, you will be okay.
So wherever you are in life, make it a life policy to have double of life’s necessities.