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🎯Virtue-aligned work
Reflecting on Stoic virtues to set long-term career goals
Bradley Murray
June 03, 2025
Recently, I read that one in four young adults can’t find a job in the career they want to pursue, and nearly two-thirds are still unsure about the direction they’re heading.
Many feel unsupported or isolated in determining their career path.
Work is a substantial part of life. The problem with being in the wrong career is that you end up feeling dissatisfied a lot of the time.
It's hard to hear advice like 'just find your passion.' Options are more limited than ever, and competition is at an all-time high.
Even so, when you’re trying to find what will motivate you in your work life, it is important to take control of what is within your control.
This starts with learning to identify personal values. Then you can set a long-term goal for yourself to seek careers that align with your values.
Consider it from the point of view of Stoicism.
Stoics believe that the ultimate purpose of life is to cultivate virtue, and in particular we should value the virtues of wisdom, courage, justice, and temperance.
To reflect on your values using a Stoic framework, try out Exercise 9, “Journaling Virtues,” from Stoic Wisdom. Here’s a summary of the exercise:
Begin by choosing one Stoic virtue—wisdom, courage, justice, or temperance—that relates to your current goals or challenges. Define this virtue in your own terms to clarify its personal significance. Reflect on experiences from the past week or month, noting moments where you practiced this virtue and areas where it could have guided you more effectively. Analyze these situations to identify improvements. Finally, set a specific commitment to apply this virtue in the upcoming week. Use these reflections to grow incrementally, fostering self-awareness and a stronger connection to Stoic principles.
As you become more aware of the ways that are most natural for you to embody virtues in your life, you’ll be able to see more clearly how you’d like to embody the virtues in an ideal work day.
What could be more fulfilling than to embark on a career path which allows you to make every day one that is aligned with your values?
🌟 PRACTICAL HAPPINESS
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🌍 ABOUT
I’m Bradley, founder of PhilosophiesOfLife.org. Find on Instagram.