Day 6: Internal vs External Goals
Process over results
"No man is free who is not master of himself."
Today's Lesson
Most of our goals are external: get the promotion, earn a certain income, find a partner, achieve recognition. These outcomes depend on factors beyond our control. The Stoics teach us to reframe our goals in internal terms - focusing on our own excellence rather than external results.
Instead of "get the promotion," the internal goal becomes "do my best work and develop my skills." Instead of "be liked by everyone," it becomes "be the kind of person I respect." Instead of "win the competition," it becomes "compete with full effort and integrity." The shift is subtle but transformative.
Internal goals are always achievable because they depend only on us. This doesn't mean we abandon ambition - rather, we direct our ambition toward what we can actually control. Paradoxically, this often leads to better external results, because we're no longer handicapped by fear of failure or desperate attachment to outcomes.
Today's Journal Prompt
Take three of your current goals and rewrite them as internal goals. For each one, ask: "What would the internal version of this goal look like? What is the action or quality I can control?" Notice how this changes your relationship to these aspirations.
Tonight's Practice
Review your day through the lens of internal goals. Ask yourself: "Did I give my best effort today, regardless of results? Did I act according to my values? Did I focus on what I could control?" This evening review shifts your measure of success from external to internal.
About Epictetus
Epictetus exemplified the power of internal goals. Born a slave, he had no control over his external circumstances - not even his own body. According to legend, his master once twisted his leg so severely it was permanently damaged. Epictetus is said to have calmly warned him the leg would break, and when it did, simply said, "I told you so." His freedom was entirely internal. When he gained his freedom and became a teacher, his philosophy centered on this core insight: our only true possession is our own will and judgment. Everything else is "on loan."