Focus on others!

 One man when he has done a good act, does not call out for others to come and see, but he goes on to another act, as a vine goes on to produce again the grapes in season.

This line from Marcus Aurelius' Meditations (Book 5, Section 6, in George Long's translation) captures the essence of true virtue: action performed for its own sake, without fanfare, expectation of praise, or tallying of debts. The emperor contrasts three types of people:

• One who immediately records the kindness as a favor owed to him.
• Another who doesn't demand repayment openly but privately keeps score, aware of his "debtor."
• The third—like the vine bearing grapes, the horse running its course, the dog pursuing the hunt, or the bee making honey—who acts naturally, unconsciously of the deed as a "favor," and simply continues onward without pause or self-congratulation.

Marcus urges himself (and us) to aim for that third way: pure, unselfconscious benevolence, flowing as naturally as seasons or nature's processes. No need for applause, no ledger of good deeds, no ego's whisper of "Look what I did." Just do the good, then move to the next, as the vine does not boast of its fruit but ripens more in due time.
In the spirit of Thoreau, as we've woven before:One man, when he has done a good deed, does not summon the village to witness it, nor carve his name upon the act as upon a gravestone of vanity. He passes on quietly to the next labor, as the vine, having borne its cluster, reaches forth for another season's ripening without a murmur of pride or a glance backward for thanks. The horse runs its course and rests; the bee stores its honey and seeks the next flower; the dog, having chased the game, returns to the hearth. So too the man who lives deliberately: he acts from the soul's quiet necessity, not for the world's ledger or the mirror's flattery.