Meet your doom today. Marcus Aurelius 3.14

We often plan to do great things. We begin projects with some large agenda that requires us to research at length and synthesize a lot of material over time. Marcus here warns himself to limit this impulse. Life presents us with challenges today, not waiting for us to finish decades of research. You must meet your problems now, relying on yourself as you are and refusing to put truly important matters off to tomorrow, which might not come. Act upon your values now, and every moment.

Μηκέτι πλανῶ· οὔτε γὰρ τὰ ὑπομνημάτιά σου μέλλεις ἀναγινώσκειν οὔτε τὰς τῶν ἀρχαίων Ῥωμαίων καὶ Ἑλλήνων πράξεις καὶ τὰς ἐκ τῶν συγγραμμάτων ἐκλογάς, ἃς εἰς τὸ γῆρας σαυτῷ ἀπετίθεσο. σπεῦδε οὖν εἰς τέλος καὶ τὰς κενὰς ἐλπίδας ἀφεὶς σαυτῷ βοήθει, εἴ τί σοι μέλει σαυτοῦ, ἕως ἔξεστιν.

Do not wander aimless any longer. For you are not destined to read again the notes you write for yourself, nor are you likely ever to peruse the great deeds of the ancient Romans and Greeks, or the passages of literature that you have stored away to entertain your old age. Hasten now to meet your purpose alone, casting away all empty hopes to help yourself as best you can, while you are still able.