When's the right time to make change? Whether it's leaving a job or changing your life, this letter is all about facing some hard truths. When and how can we change for the better? Why do we cling on and refuse to develop? And what are the myriad ways we're unconsciously enslaving ourselves to lives that we hate? Want to make a change, but it's not quite the right time? Well, it's time to wake up – it's never going to be the Right Time, but you can prepare yourself to embrace the inescapable uncertainty to your best advantage. 'At least I've got health insurance' is just one of many excuses that can lock us in a soulless stasis, willingly enslaved to the whims of others and material possessions. Seneca grabs us by the scruff of the neck in this letter and demands that we look at our current position and recognise where we're stuck. We outline some powerful tools and tactics to identify when to make change, especially the change you've been hiding from the most. How can we spot an opportunity? Part of the problem is thinking that we're looking for the opportunity – as though there can ever be a perfectly controllable, predictable outcome. Instead, we need to be able to flow with the needs of the times and steer as best we can. That requires preparation, but not procrastination. We must always act within the confines and needs of the moment, but not end up caught with our philosophical trousers down. So it's time to master the art of what Dre charmingly calls 'Littlefingering'! With change there will be loss. There's no getting away from that; we must find a way to accept it. The ancient motif of the snake shedding its skin helps us understand this: it doesn't need that old skin, so leaves it behind, but something is still lost. We humans seem determined to take the dead skin with us, however. But we don't need to. All the same, society itself has been developing to prevent us from changing our lives – locking us into a paycheck-to-paycheck existence – ossifying not only the system itself, but, more importantly, our own lives and sense of possibility. We dig into these issues and suggest how to overcome them. Plus Jon discusses his unexpected new sideline as a pornstar and Dre shares some personal stories of taking the wrong opportunity and not pulling the escape cord quickly enough. Hit us up with your own stories and situations and we'll analyse some of them on the show! Also Including: Mastering the art of Littlefingering Staying the course without losing your mind Narcissists and how to avoid them Our broken education systems Becoming a phoenix (rather than a true monster: the bureaucrat) Find Out More: Hit us up on our brand new Instagram! The disturbing and illuminating article on Narcissism we mentioned The full text for free on WikiSource Ryan Holiday's superb and accessible book on Stoicism:The Obstacle is the Way Be Silly. Be Kind. Be Weird.

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