Wouldn’t it be great if you had all the time in the world? In a way you do. As Marcus Aurelius puts it: "Even if you were destined to live three thousand years, or ten times that long, nevertheless remember that no one loses any life other than the one he lives, or lives any life other than the life he loses. It follows that the longest and the shortest lives are brought to the same state.

How often do you consider the etymology of a word?  Etymology is the study of the origins of words, and it can be a very revealing exercise.  Take the following words from the DAI Success Philosophy for instance.  We start with the Prime Directive.  The word Prime comes from the Latin word prim which means first.  The word Directive has its roots in two Latin words. It comes from Medieval Latin directivus, from direct-. As well as the past-participle stem of Latin dirigere “to set straight”. The modern view of Directive is "pointing out the proper direction." It is also known as "a general instruction on how to proceed or act."

How far would you say you are from your desired place in life?  In life, the gap between your current and desired states might be big or small. It might be the difference between $1 or $1 Trillion, 1 lbs or 100 lbs, 0 or infinite presence with your family.  You may feel the gap between where you are now and where you want to be is more of a chasm than a gap and that’s ok.  As I’d shared in a previous Reflection, focusing on the gap is pessimism. It's not about how big the gap is, how long it takes to cross, or the setbacks you face.  It’s about the opportunity we all have to close those gaps.

WARNING: While I do my best to keep this to a limit of 500 words (786), this one is a bit longer. My hope is that each extra word adds value and clarity. If you read yesterday’s Reflection (076) you know the gap analysis is one of the most powerful tools you have.  It’s simple in theory, but simple doesn’t always mean easy. As I’ve reflected on why that is, I believe it’s because most people lack a systematic way of going about it.  In its simplest form, a gap analysis consists of the following (and I’ll use a tangible example we all can relate to): 

How often are you performing a gap analysis? A gap analysis may be the single most powerful tool you have available to you today. And yes, that includes every piece of AI, smart phone, laptop, desktop, etc. Why? Because it engages the most powerful supercomputer on the planet. Your brain!

Have you ever read The Tao of Seneca?  It’s a collection of Seneca’s writings that Tim Ferriss offers for free on his site.  If you don’t have it feel free to grab yourself a copy here. I’ve got the audible version and I enjoy listening to it on my morning walks. This morning, I was listening to Letter 89 - On The Parts of Philosophy.  Here are a couple of excerpts I felt were relevant to reflect on today: