Imagine a father who accepts a promotion to improve his social standing, but the new hours mean he's never home for his children.

There's nothing wrong with earning more money. It's a preferred indifferent. But there is something wrong with earning more money at all costs, and there's something worse about recognising the damage and choosing not to correct it.

This is the Stoic test, applied to every decision we make. Not "is this thing good or bad?" (because most external things are neither) but "what does my pursuit of this thing, in this context, say about who I am?"

Money can be preferred or dispreferred depending on the situation.

Health, reputation, career success: same.

The Stoics insisted we evaluate these things case by case, with attention to context and our roles. There's no blanket rule that says wealth is always worth pursuing, or that comfort is always worth having.

The question is always: at what cost to our character?

Most of us don't ask this often enough. We chase preferred indifferents on autopilot and then wonder why we feel hollow when we catch them. The catching isn’t meant to be the point; the manner of the chase is.

Today's suggestion: Pick one thing we're currently pursuing (a goal, a purchase, a career move) and ask: "What does my pursuit of this say about my character?" Not whether it's a good thing to want, but whether the way we're going after it reflects who we want to be.