I’m burned out at work. How can I journal with this quote to reconnect with motivation?

Use the quote to shift from tasks to meaning—the “vast and endless sea.” Try a short entry: 1) Name your sea: Write one sentence about what your work ultimately serves (people helped, problems solved, craft you’re mastering). 2) Bridge tasks to meaning: Take today’s top 3 tasks and add “so that…” to link each to your sea. 3) Savor the vision: Describe what a good day looks like when you’re sailing toward that sea—sights, feelings, momentum. 4) Close with one aligned micro-step you can do today in under 10 minutes. In the Stoic app, capture this as your daily reflection to keep your why front and center when energy dips.

I manage a team and tend to micromanage. How can journaling help me inspire instead, like the quote suggests?

Journal to clarify a vision people can yearn for. Try this weekly page: 1) Vision in 3 lines: What future are we building that’s worth caring about? 2) Values in action: List 3 behaviors (yours first) that embody that vision this week. 3) Story bank: Note one real customer or user moment that shows why the work matters. 4) Let-go list: Identify 2 controls you’ll release because they don’t move us toward the sea. 5) One invitation: Draft one question you’ll ask the team that sparks ownership (e.g., “What would make this feel meaningful to you?”). Use Stoic to revisit this before 1:1s or standups to stay anchored in inspiration over instructions.

I overplan and freeze from perfectionism. How can I journal to trade control for genuine desire, as the quote implies?

Try a five-minute “yearning shift” entry: 1) Name the project. 2) Write 5 Whys until you hit a personally exciting reason—the sea you truly want. 3) Energy audit: List what parts give energy vs drain it; circle one energizing piece to start with. 4) Longing over fear: Finish the sentence 3 times—“I want this because…” 5) Minimum sail: Define the smallest visible action that expresses your longing today (send one inquiry, sketch a draft, outline 3 bullets). Save this in Stoic and check in tomorrow: Did that tiny action increase your pull toward the work?

QUOTE

If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.

Published on

Nov 20, 2022

Written by

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

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More quotes from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

QUOTE

If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.

QUOTE

If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.

QUOTE

If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.

If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.

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