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Anticipating calamities is not about ruining the present moment, but optimizing it. We’ll be less afraid of things which might never happen. The Stoics think the best path to freedom is by imagining what we fear as it’s going to happen and examining it in our mind—until we can view it with detachment. Whatever you’re going through, there’s advice from the Stoics that can help. Despite the philosophy’s age, its wisdom often feels surprisingly modern and fresh. It can help you build stamina and strength for your challenging life. It can help you become emotionally resilient so you’ll neither get jerked around by outside events nor will others be able to push your buttons. It can teach you to handle yourself and stay calm in the midst of a storm. It can help you make decisions and therefore drastically simplify everyday living. What is Stoicism? “If it is not right, do not do it, if it is not true, do not say it/' - Marcus Aurelius
The first lesson, then, is to never blame other people or outside events for whatever negative emotions we’re feeling. Take responsibility. For the Stoics, it’s clear that not events, but our opinions about those events are the cause of a troubled mind. This might show as suffering and unhappiness and arises when we believe the stories we tell ourselves. An impression comes as a thought into our heads and we accept it as the truth. “I’m in exile, this is terrible.” The situation itself (exile) does not make us unhappy, it may cause physical pain in certain situations, but it’s the story about the situation (it's terrible) that causes the trouble. Your judgments in form of thoughts, opinions, and interpretations make you unhappy. Good or bad can only be found in your judgments and actions, not in external events. The troubled mind conies from judging an event as undesirable or bad, often in the form of complaining. We give an event value by judging it as terrible for example, and forget that the event itself is neither good nor bad; it is empty and carries no meaning at all. We give it the meaning by judging, resenting, and wanting it to be different. This causes the emotional suffering. If you could let it be as it is, if you were able not to judge it good or bad but take it as it is (neutral, indifferent), then you wouldn't have a troubled mind. You are free of suffering, says Epictetus, if you don't care for the things which are not in your power. Duh, I'm so clumsy. Vs. The glass is broken. This is the worst day of my life! Vs. There’s dog shit on my shoe sole. It smells. Argh, such a jerk! I hate this guy. Vs. He erected the middle finger in my direction. The events themselves cany no meaning. It’s our judgments that make them either good or bad. I like how Ellie Goul ding sings in her song First Time, 'The middle finger was our peace sign.” When you think about it this way, “Argh, such a jerk!” can easily become a smile and, “Aww, such a Review your day: How organizations get better? By observing what works for them and what doesn’t. But this practice shouldn’t be limited only to big corporations. You can use this technique to your advantage. Just like the famous stoics – Marcus Aurelius and Seneca. At the end of the day, sit down and reflect on what happened. What did you do well? What not so well? How can you improve? Ask yourself these questions and you’ll flourish. Philosophy is all about applying its principles to the real world. Remember, we want to be warrior-philosophers and put into practice what we learn.
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What makes someone good at living? According to Epictetus, it’s neither wealth, nor high-office, nor being a commander. There must be something else. Just like someone who wants to be good at handwriting must practice and know a lot about handwriting, or someone who wants to be good in music must study music, someone who wants to be good at living, therefore, must have good knowledge of how to live. Makes sense, right? Seneca, another important Stoic philosopher we’ll get to know in Chapter 2, said that [the philosopher] is the one who knows the fundamental thing: how to live. But that’s also the beauty of it: since it’s such a sweet journey, walking the path is a reward in itself. You Must Only Do Your Best When you find yourself frustrated, don’t blame other people or outside events, but yourself and your unrealistic expectations. Turn your focus inward, remember, we must take responsibility.
The wise man looks to the purpose of all actions, not their consequences; beginnings are in our power but Fortune judges the outcome, and I do not grant her a verdict upon me In short, Stoicism not only shows you the way but also hands you the key to the good life. All you need to do is walk the path, turn the key, and enter. So, Stoic teacher Epictetus asks, How long are you going to wait?How long are you going to wait before you demand the best of yourself? You’re no longer a child but a full-grown person, and yet you procrastinate, Epictetus reminds himself. You will not notice that you are making no progress but you will live and die as someone quite ordinary. From now on, he warns himself, and all of us, to live like a mature human being and never set aside what you think is best to do. And whenever you encounter anything difficult, remember that the contest is now, you are at the Olympics, you cannot wait any longer. Getting angry at a situation doesn’t have an impact on the situation. It doesn’t change it, it doesn’t improve it. Often times, what angers us doesn’t really harm us, and our anger will outlast the damage done to us. We’re not born for pleasure. Just look at the plants, birds, ants, spiders, and bees—they go about their individual tasks. Do you hear them moan and complain? Nope, they do what they do, as best as they can. Day in, day out. But we human beings are not willing to do our jobs? We feel lazy. Unmotivated. Sluggish. There is certainly time to sleep and rest, but there’s a limit to that. That’s very true and something that most of us can improve on. Especially the more passive-aggressive ones. You can read more on 8 Keys to Eliminating Passive-Aggressiveness, Assertiveness: How to Stand Up For Yourself, and People Skills. Real-Life Applications
Be prepared for sudden slaps. All these hits and blows life throws at us are opportunities for practice. Each slap contains the chance to stay calm and strengthen who you want to be, but also the risk to go ballistic and become more of who you don’t want to be. It’s just training. Smile and move on. Life isn’t supposed to be easy, life is supposed to be challenging to make sure you actually grow.” Jonas Salzgeber Lesson #2: Take Advantage of The Gap Between Stimulus and Reaction I sought to organize this book and present the ancient wisdom in an accessible, digestible, and highly functional way. In the first part, you’ll learn about the promise of the philosophy, its history, main philosophers, and about the core principles presented as the Stoic Happiness Triangle. Study that triangle and you’re able to explain the philosophy to a five-year-old. The second part is all about hitting the waves; it’s crammed with practical advice and exercises for everyday living. If you want to get an overview of Stoicism, from its history to its most life-changing ideas, this is your book.
Summary in 100 words or less
Disclaimer Please note that this book is for entertainment purposes only. The views expressed are those of the author alone, and should not be taken as expert instruction or commands. The reader is responsible for his or her actions. The modern positive philosophy is basically confirming (and repeating) what the old Stoics applied thousands of years ago As a former mentor of mine once told me, it’s a “mountain without a peak”. Such as, it’s a life endeavor. You get better and better yet never really reach a finish line. I believe this is an important message in a world of self-help that sometimes seems to perversely yell to people that “you can change anything”.
highest self This promise of eud aim onia entails that we’re armed with all we need to deal with whatever challenge we’re facing in life. How else can we stay happy even when life gets tough? Because life is pretty easy when things are going well, it only gets arduous when things seem to turn against us, when we’re facing difficulties and struggles. This brings us to the second promise of Stoicism: Philosophy trains us to be able to take on every obstacle in life with the right m indset so that life keeps on going s moothly. You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. That’s why we should choose our friends carefully. They have the power to pull you either down or up to their level. You either get better, thanks to the people you spend time with, or you get worse because of them. Something happens (stimulus) and then we react to it (response). Oftentimes, this response happens automatically, unconsciously, and without us thinking about it.” Jonas Salzgeber Stoics knew this fact. That’s why they were careless of outside stimuli and always directed their thoughts inwards. Finding inner peace and focusing their thoughts on things they can change, not such that are outside of their scope. Lesson #4: Focus on The Process, Not The Outcome Positive psychology, by accident or by influence, is also helping the spread of Stoicism by confirming with “recent” studies what Stoics have been saying and practicing millennia ago -Salzgeber says a good start on positive psychology is “ The Happiness Advantage” by Shawn Achor-.Aurelius, emperor of the legendary Roman Empire. He is the most wellknown of all the Stoic philosophers and his Meditations, a series of 12 short books which he wrote entirely to himself (like a diary) as his own guidance and self-improvement, is considered one of the greatest works of philosophy of all time. As a teenager, it's said Marcus not only enjoyed activities such as wrestling, boxing, and hunting, but also philosophy. He studied with different philosophers, one of which lent him a copy of Epictetus’ Discourses, which became the single most important influence on him. When he was sixteen, Emperor Hadrian adopted Marcus’ maternal uncle Antoninus, who in turn adopted Marcus (his real father died when he was younger). When Marcus entered palace life, his political power didn’t go to his head (he didn't let it), neither as a co-emperor of his adoptive father nor as an emperor himself after Antoninus’ death. For one thing, he exercised great restraint in his use of power and money. Furthermore, despite his interest in Stoic philosophy, he chose not to use his power to preach Stoicism and lecture his fellow Romans on the benefits of its practices. He was ail exceptionally good emperor and ruled from 161 CE to his death in 180 CE and counts as the Zast of a succession of rulers known as the Five Good Emperors. The author starts it off by saying that school doesn’t teach you how to live, and by the time he ends it he does a great job of filling in for our educational system :). Review
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