5 Stoic Ideas That Will Set You Up For A Great Life
These thoughts will give you a better view of the world and your life
The Stoics are characterized above all by their emotional self-control, composure, and peace of mind, with which they strive for wisdom. A little more of these qualities would do most of us a world of good.
If you internalize the following 7 stoic ideas, you are well on your way.
About Gratitude For Your Life
“When you arise in the morning think of what a privilege it is to be alive, to think, to enjoy, to love…” — Marcus Aurelius
Getting up in the morning and being grateful to be alive is a powerful approach. You will not live forever and it is not a given that you are alive. See your life that way, be grateful for it and you will go through your day and your whole life much more positively. Harvard Health publication confirms this effect. Gratitude would make you happier because it would make you feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, deal with resistance better, and so on.
About Leading By Example
“Don’t go on discussing what a good person should be. Just be one.” — Marcus Aurelius
Be a role model. Embody your values and be someone you can be proud of.
About Chasing Your Goals
“First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.” — Epictetus
Changing your identity from the inside out is an incredibly effective approach to reaching your desired outcomes. Much more effective than the other way around. If you think of yourself as an undisciplined, unathletic person, it will be almost impossible to follow through with a diet or exercise plan. However, if you first change your image of yourself and see yourself as someone who cares about your health, it becomes much easier.
About Focusing On What You Can Control
“It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.” — Epictetus
Focus on what you can control. Focusing on what is not within your control will give you a feeling of helplessness.
Control everything you can control and in most cases you will have enough power over your life to move it in the direction you want.
About Living In The Moment
“The whole future lies in uncertainty: live immediately.”
This may be a hard pill to swallow, but it also frees us in a certain way: we are going to die. And we do not know when. You have neither the right nor the guarantee to live until 80 or 90 as you might imagine.
That’s why you should enjoy every moment. Especially the ones with your family and friends, because you never know how many of them you will have left.
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