Using Stoic Wisdom In Everyday Life

Awareness is the secret

Stoicism is a wonderful philosophy that can explain day-to-day situations; give us understanding, out of which we gain the power. It all sounds so logical when reading the wisdom, but it can often happen that you don’t know how to apply it to your own life.

Reading is just the first part — the other is the practice. In this article, we will focus on the latter; putting you on a road to mastery.

Becoming An Expert

If you want to become great at anything, you need to follow the learning and practicing what you’ve learned. Learning without practicing is just entertainment; it will always leave your mind sooner or later. You’ll gain just a fraction of the benefits — if any at all.

Practise is a repetition of positive actions. In his amazing book Innercise, John Assaraf claims that repetition fires the same neurons in our brains over and over, making us react quicker and better in similar situations.

Repetition leads to mastery. Everything you’re good at in your life is so because you’ve repeated the right action many times. But how can you become a master of Stoicism if you don’t know how to practice at all?

Mind Exercises

When we hear exercise, we often think about the physical ones. It is true; they exist — but mental ones exist too, and their effect can be way more powerful. That’s what Stoicism is all about — recognizing the situations and adjusting your reactions according to its wisdom.

The level of your inner awareness is the key. You should observe your thoughts and feelings more often. Your attention should slowly shift from the external to the internal world. Become the observer of yourself; detach yourself from the ego.

Observe any negative thoughts and emotions that arise. Don’t run from them; look them straight in the eyes. They are the opportunities for practice. Stoics want you to feel fulfilled and have great reasons for not arising negativity.

Real-Life Example

I remember when I first learned about Stoicism; amazed by the philosophy, I practiced it on the small things. I didn’t want to get upset by the traffic nor by other's comments. This philosophy helped me a lot with that. But sometimes it’s just harder to stay Stoic. However, it’s still possible.

On one beautiful sunny day, I was climbing a nearby mountain with my bike. The sky was blue; the forest was green; it looked like heaven. My day started perfectly and nothing could ruin it, right?

But somewhere in the middle of my journey, my rear derailleur broke and got stuck inside my rear wheel. It was a rapid movement, so I fell off my bike; luckily, I wasn’t going so fast so I didn’t hurt myself. I remember raging thoughts; arising immediately. “I can’t get to the top now. The bike is broken. How will I return home now? Everything was so perfect.”

A few seconds later, Epictetuses wisdom came into my mind:

“Demand not that things happen as you wish, but wish them to happen as they do, and you will go on well.”

I realized I can make the most out of this situation. I breathed deeply, observing the wonderful nature around me. I was feeling grateful that this happened while I was climbing. If it occurred on a ride down with high speed, I wouldn’t have such a nice time.

I ordered a cab and got home safely. Then, I picked my other bike and climbed the mountain again. I recognized this as an opportunity to have a harder workout. And in the end — everything was perfect. My day didn’t have to be ruined; I was the only one who could do it.

We realize that our negative emotions and thoughts continue to exist because we support them. We accept them as a part of ourselves, making them even stronger. By observing them and applying the Stoic wisdom, they can vanish at a quite early stage. The more we practice, the less they will appear.

Originally posted on NewsBreak here.