About nine years ago, I attended a vendor conference as an analyst. At the end of the conference, the analyst relations manager asked me if the event met my expectations. I thought about it and said, well I didn’t have any, in that way whatever my experience, it will be good. Fast forward to today and in my studies and readings. I come across this – and it makes total sense.

What is good is easy to obtain
Nature’s gifts our lives maintain
A life unbound by endless chase,
Freedom from pain is in its place

Born and wired for simple joys,
Each creature plays, each soul employs.
The absence of ache, a tranquil art,
A harmony dwelling in the heart.

Fear not the stock market’s sway,
Nor whether success will come your way.
For things uncertain, beyond control,
Can never disturb the steadfast soul.

Desires may grow, yet they betray,
And what we crave must find its way.
Not to austerity’s prosaic nest,
But to cherish little, and be at rest.

Feasts taste sweet but they’re not a need,
Contentment is a tempered creed.
Natural, simple, essential and pure,
Are desires that lasting peace ensure.

The sea may call, the view may gleam,
But tethered hearts lose life’s dream.
So free your mind, unchain your goal,
And welcome ataraxia—a fulfilled soul.

*Ataraxia, in classical philosophy, refers to a state of serene calmness, freedom from disturbance, and imperturbable tranquility of the mind. It is a central goal in several ancient Greek and Hellenistic philosophical schools, especially Epicureanism, Pyrrhonism, and Stoicism