Week 428 (brendan@brendanbarca.com)

Here's your weekly dose of Fuel Your Mind Friday where I share business building ideas, lifestyle design hacks, and inspirational content to help you thrive in your work and find purpose in your life.

---

PSA: My wife and I have another blog called The Daily Buddhist that comes out every Wednesday. Subscribe here OR follow us on IG!

---

ALEXANDER THE GREAT AND HIS MULE DRIVER

​

"Alexander the Great and his mule driver both died and the same thing happened to both." - Marcus Aurelius

​

Often times death is the elephant in the room that no one likes to address. Even when it occurs, we tend to sweep it under the rug. But stoic practitioners, like the late Roman emperor, Marcus Aurelius, used stoicism and meditations on death to make it through the most difficult of life's chapters.

In the quote above, Marcus compares Alexander the Great, perhaps the most successful military commander of all time, to his mule driver. Marcus points to the fact that, despite the accolades and fame of the former, both met the same fate. Both ended up in the ground. Ashes to ashes. Dust to dust.

In fact, Alexander the Great didn't die in a glorious fashion as one might expect, but died mysteriously at the age of 32 far from home. For all we know, his mule driver could've died of old age, peacefully in his sleep.

This is an important reminder for us too. It doesn't matter if you're a billionaire, a rap star or a U.S. senator. It doesn't matter if you're a business owner, sales rep, or vagabond. We will all meet the same fate as Alexander and his mule driver.

This doesn't mean we shouldn't try to do great things. But it does mean we can stop putting so much weight and pressure on ourselves. We need to simply be present, do good, and spread love. What else is there?

Momento mori is Latin for "remember that you have to die." Modern day stoics use it to remind themselves of their own mortality. It helps them stay sober to life's realities and make better decisions knowing that someday the end will come.

Today, will you choose to wake up to this reality or sweep it back under the rug? The choice is yours.

Momento mori.

​

...

Thanks for subscribing,

- Brendan

​Let's connect on LinkedIn!

​brendanbarca.com​

...

​

PSA: My wife and I have another blog called The Daily Buddhist that comes out every Wednesday. 🙏 Subscribe here 🙏