Trying – ElPropósito3 min de lectura

The essence of change

Some mornings, body and mind whisper the same temptation: let’s stay in bed a little longer. The warm sheets, the false sense that ten more minutes will make a difference, that those ten minutes will leave me better rested, and so on. Mind you, St. Josemaría was already writing about the heroic minute, just as Marcus Aurelius did.

And yet, in the middle of that daily struggle, one powerful truth comes through loud and clear: try. Precisely because it isn’t easy. Because getting burned doesn’t mean we’re going to die. Because trying is the most dignified way to live this life.

Marcus Aurelius put it this way: "Never shirk the proper fulfillment of your duty, whether you are freezing or hot, drowsy or well rested, scorned or praised. Even dying is one of life’s important assignments." The message is clear: make the best use of what you have to do well whatever is in front of you. It’s the simple, daily decision to try.

In another meditation, the philosopher emperor confronts us with the question that comes at dawn: "Was I made to huddle under the blankets, or to get up and do the work of a human being?" The answer stings because it’s so obvious. We were put in this world to strive, and being pampered was never part of the deal. Trying is the natural way to live, far beyond an occasional act of bravery.

Epictetus, quoting Socrates, makes it personal: "Just as one man delights in improving his farm and another his horse, I delight in attending to my own improvement day by day." That’s the key. Trying is no punishment. It’s the greatest joy of a soul that has decided to grow. Every small action, every honest conversation, every clearly directed thought is a seed we plant in ourselves.

Musonius Rufus also reminds us that "the good king is, from the start, a philosopher, and the true philosopher lives with the nobility of a king." So trying goes beyond attitude. It’s the mark of someone who governs their own life with dignity and wisdom. That responsibility can’t be handed off. We own it.

That’s why Marcus Aurelius leaves us these precise rules: "In your actions, don’t procrastinate. In your conversations, don’t confuse. In your thoughts, don’t wander. In your soul, be neither passive nor aggressive. And in your life, don’t be all about business."

Simple is rarely easy. But trying, that brave, repeated and sometimes painful effort, is the only thing that keeps us alive in the deepest sense. Getting burned doesn’t mean dying. Think of building a campfire while worrying you might get burned. It means you’re in the game. And as long as you’re in it, it’s worth trying with everything you’ve got.

Which area of your life are you putting off trying in today? What would happen if, despite the fear or the fatigue, you decided to give it one more try, fully present?

Warm regards and all the best,

Rodrigo Baccaro

Author: Rodrigo Baccaro

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