November 29, 2025
There’s something bold, almost defiant, about Epictetus telling us to “devote the rest of your life to making progress.” It feels like a command delivered through time, as if he knew the human mind would always try to negotiate its way out of growth. And if I’m being honest, when I first read it this morning, my initial reaction was, “Okay, sure, but can I at least finish this cup of coffee and get the kids to school first?”
But the more I sat with it, the more I realized the heart of the message isn’t about speed, intensity, or perfection. It’s about direction.
Progress is rarely loud. It doesn’t announce itself or arrive with trumpets. Most of the time, progress looks like the stuff no one sees. The decision you make quietly at the kitchen counter. The one habit you tweak. The one thought you choose not to spiral into. Progress is built in tiny, unglamorous steps that don’t feel like much in the moment.
But over time? Those steps stack. And eventually, you look back and realize you’re standing somewhere you couldn’t have reached by accident.
The thing I appreciate most about this quote is that it removes the pressure to be perfect. It says nothing about mastering your life. Epictetus doesn’t command us to become paragons of discipline or models of flawless self-control. Instead, he invites us into the simplest question: Are you making progress? Not compared to anyone else—just compared to who you were yesterday.
And that framing is freeing. It means that some days, progress is a deep, philosophical breakthrough. Other days, progress is getting out of bed when you really didn’t want to. Some days, it’s choosing honesty over avoidance. Other days, it’s choosing rest because the version of you who pushed through exhaustion for years needs to learn a healthier pattern.
One of the biggest traps we fall into is believing that progress has to feel heroic to count. But if life has taught me anything, it’s that the tiny adjustments are what create the biggest shifts. The quiet moment where you pause instead of snapping. The decision to try again instead of giving up. The willingness to sit in silence long enough to hear what your mind is trying to tell you.
And here’s the irony: the people who seem like they’ve made the biggest leaps, the ones who appear disciplined, intentional, grounded, didn’t get there through giant leaps at all. They just kept stacking tiny decisions until the compound interest kicked in.
So how do we “devote the rest of our lives to making progress” in a world that constantly demands our attention, energy, and sanity?
I think the answer is embarrassingly simple:
Start where you are. Then move one inch forward. Then do it again tomorrow.
If that inch looks like cleaning your room, great. If it looks like writing a paragraph, fantastic. If it’s texting someone you’ve avoided, excellent. If it’s choosing a healthier thought pattern, that’s progress too. And if all you did today was not regress, guess what? That counts.
Progress is a promise to yourself that you’re not done becoming who you’re capable of being. It’s the refusal to let comfort or fear set the ceiling for your life. It’s the steady belief that you can always shape your next chapter, even if the last one wasn’t your favorite.
Today’s thought reminds me that I don’t need to overhaul my life. I just need to keep moving. Even if the movement is small. Even if the path is unclear. Even if I’m tired, overwhelmed, or trying to juggle a life where tiny people constantly need snacks.
Progress is possible. And more importantly, progress is happening, even when it doesn’t feel like it.
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