Stoicism: Become Your Best Self
Stoicism is a philosophy that has played a huge role in my personal development. Here's how it can play a huge role in yours too...
Happy New Week Everyone,
Today I want to touch on Stoicism and the positive role it’s played in my life.
Stoicism is a philosophy of life that maximises positive emotions, reduces negative emotions, and helps you become your best self.
The core of stoicism is that we don't have much control over what happens to us but we control how it affects us.
Stoicism has been about as early as the 3rd century, BC and can be applied to situations today the same way it was applied thousands of years ago.
Stoicism is broken down into four main virtues; wisdom, justice, courage, and moderation.
Practical wisdom is the ability to navigate complex situations in a logical, informed, and calm manner. Temperance is the exercise of self-restraint and moderation in all aspects of life. Justice involves treating everyone with fairness even when they have done us wrong. Courage is about facing daily challenges with clarity and integrity.
Stoicism helps with anxiety. To be calm you have to tell yourself the harsh truth but keep in mind that everything will be okay because we are all stronger than we think. We must learn to take comfort in letting go of things we can not control. True happiness is enjoying the present moment; anxiety can be produced due to thoughts about the past, present, or future. It’s important to willingly accept the past and refuse to let it have any hold over you today.
A quote that helps me handle anxiety is by Seneca who says “He suffers more than necessary, who suffers before necessary”. When we stress about a situation, we are stressing twice as much as we need to, we’re stressed about what we think may happen then when it actually happens we’re stressed about the stressful situation. Why put ourselves through it twice? There’s no point stressing about something that hasn’t even happened yet.
My favourite stoic teachings
Treat every problem as an opportunity…
You never stop learning…
Have a grateful heart...
Bad things happen – don't be surprised, be prepared...
Don't fear death – use it to give your life value…
Almost nothing material is needed to have a happy life; it is all within…
Learning to live with less will create space in your life. Physically and mentally…
Place your happiness on your intrinsic value as a human, not material things you can buy…
I really hope today’s newsletter helps someone and shows how one small reframing of your mind can change everything. It’s a process, keep on rewiring how you think. Take control of your beliefs, perspectives, and life.
Have a great week all!
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