People often imagine that life will truly begin once they reach a particular destination, achieve a goal or resolve a problem. Seneca, the Roman Stoic philosopher, warned against this habit more than two thousand years ago. In his essay On the Shortness of Life, he wrote that “the greatest obstacle to living is expectancy, which depends on tomorrow and wastes today.” His observation challenges the tendency to postpone happiness, ambition and meaningful experiences in the hope that the future will offer a better moment. Seneca's words suggest that the constant anticipation of what comes next can become a form of distraction, causing people to overlook the only part of life that is immediately within their reach, the present.
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