If you wanted, you could make life seem bland. All you’d have to do is stop being curious. Stop wondering how couches are made, why wind exists, how someone would react if you told them you’re a penguin.

Of course, if you wanted to make your life exciting and interesting, you’d do the opposite. You’d wonder endlessly. You’d always be curious.

Curiosity is one of the few things that’s a simple yes/no choice. Nobody can stop you from being curious. It doesn’t take much effort to be curious. And yet, being curious is intensely rewarding.

I was at an aquarium the other day, and the aquarist asked the crowd if they had any questions. I asked as many questions as the rest of the crowd combined. I was surprised and disappointed that so many people had so few questions about the incredible creatures in the water.

“What we do in life, echoes in eternity.”

– Marcus Aurelius

Many have heard of this quote. It’s epic. It’s in my favorite movie, Gladiator. But have you ever stopped to wonder why he didn’t say one of these instead?

What we think echoes in eternity.

What we feel echoes in eternity.

The phrase “penny wise pound foolish” was coined by Oxford scholar Robert Burton in 1621. To be penny wise and pound foolish means to focus so intently on saving small amounts of money that you miss out on bigger opportunities. Since the phrase has survived hundreds of years, I think its meaning has broadened to mean anything that sacrifices long-term gain for short-term gain.

Here are a few penny wise and pound foolish mistakes to avoid.

Don’t buy a cheap mattress or office chair.

I’m writing this at Panera Bread. There’s a background of human chatter, which I find to be hilarious when you don’t focus on any one conversation. It’s funny to me how so many people have so much to say at all times.

I’m probably late to this party by 20 years, and I hate to admit it, but I think I’m… a coffee shop writer. It started out as a casual, fun idea that I’d come here after playing basketball to write a bit. But then I noticed that my focus improved by about 200% here compared to my home.

Have you noticed that there are very few cats at Panera Bread?

Clarity is important for taking action. You can’t “do stuff,” you can only do specific things. Clarity turns blurry possibilities into clear objectives. There are many times, however, in which the clarity we desire is not obtainable from our current location. So we must leap.