1:38pm Tuesday
Saint Paul
Hey, thanks for joining me on my birthday!
Every year… for a few years at least… I reread Seneca’s Letter to a Stoic, number 26, and reflect on the fact that we’re all getting older.
Turns out, this year is no different—I got older again.
In letter 26, Seneca is estimated to be about age 65.
Today, I turn 45.
So he has a few more years on me.
And when he writes,
“I feel that age has done no damage to my mind,”
I can very much agree.
In fact, as I age, I can see things more clearly than ever.
Or, at least, it feels that way. (Could be confirmation bias.)
What’s more striking, however, is his line
“When we can never prove whether we really know a thing, we must always be learning it.”
That, my friend, is the role of a marketer.
Because—while I’ve been studying the psychology of direct response copywriting for nearly a decade—the truth of marketing is that…
We’re only taking educated guesses as to what will really work.
Some promotions work right out the gate.
Many more require testing to fine-tune.
And some are abject failures that it’s best to let go of.
Which is how it should be!
We’re here in this life to learn from our past, which shapes us into who we are today.
But, all this is talk, Seneca reminds us:
“Put aside the studies which you have pursued throughout your life; Death will deliver the final judgment in your case. This is what I mean: your debates and learned talks, your maxims gathered from the teachings of the wise, your cultured conversation, – all these afford no proof of the real strength of your soul. Even the most timid man can deliver a bold speech. What you have done in the past will be manifest only at the time when you draw your last breath.”
I do hope I have more time—and you do, too—before that moment.
In the mean time, I’m working to improve the strength of my soul with quiet reflection, with prayer and worship, with music, with laughter, with courage…
Daily, I aim to live life on my terms.
Because no matter what road I choose, some will support me… and others will not.
As Seneca says,
“Put aside the opinion of the world; it is always wavering and always takes both sides.”
So to myself, I must remain vigilant to pick the choices that will lead to a better future for myself and my family… and my “migration to heaven.”
And, as I sign off, I’ll take one more quote from Seneca’s Letter 26:
“This is what I say to myself, but I would have you think that I have said it to you also.”
Happy my-birthday to you!
Jeffrey