Living in accordance with nature.
The following is a collection of Stoic thoughts and anecdotes I’ve been aggregating over the years. I use this as part of my daily morning routine to prepare for the day. I keep this in my Bear app and have been meaning to back it up in the off-chance I lose access to Bear; Mirror is the ideal home for my collection. Now that I have some free time on my hands, there is no better time than the present to tackle this—my Reserve Clause.
“Begin the morning by saying to yourself, I shall meet with the busybody, the ungrateful, arrogant, deceitful, envious, unsocial. All these things happen to them because of their ignorance of what is good and evil. But I who have seen that the nature of the good is beautiful, and that the bad is ugly, and that the nature of he who does wrong is akin to me, not only of the same blood or seed, but that it participates in the same intelligence and the same portion of the divinity, I can neither be injured by any of them, for no one can fix on me what is ugly, nor can I be angry with my kinsman, nor hate him, For we are made for cooperation, like feet, like hands, like eyelids, like the rows of the upper and lower teeth. To act against one another then is contrary to nature and it is acting against one another to become frustrated and to turn away..” – Marcus Aurelius
A Stoic believes they don’t control the world around them, only how they respond —and must always respond with courage, temperance, Wisdom, and Justice.
Four virtues
[ ] Wisdom
[ ] Justice
[ ] Courage
[ ] Discipline
Suspended judgment.
Why am I doing this? Will I regret it?
Strive for Equanimity.
“In your actions, don't procrastinate. In your conversations, don't confuse. In your thoughts, don't wander. In your soul, don't be passive or aggressive. In your life, don't be all about business.” - Marcus Aurelius
12 Rules for (a Stoic) Life
1/ Live as if you died but were resuscitated, and every minute was a gift. Memento Mori, which is translated from Latin, means “Remember that you will die.”
2/ Every person you meet is an opportunity for kindness.
3/ Don’t read for show; read to be better.
4/ Be forgiving of others, but don’t demand forgiveness for yourself. Hold yourself to a very high standard, and don’t make excuses when you fail to meet it.
5/ Try to hold as few opinions as possible.
6/ Pick a “ Cato ” and judge each difficult decision with: “What Would ____ Do?”
7/ Practice good spending habits (keep in touch with poverty).
8/ Always consider the worst-case scenario.
9/ Keep a list of what you’ve learned from other people (and remember to thank them often).
10/ Get up early every day—as early as you can.
11/ Take cold showers.
12/ If it is not right, do not do it; if it is not true, do not say it.
[1] Train Your Perceptions
[2] Turn The Other Cheek
[3] View Obstacles as Opportunities
[4] Love Your Fate
[5] Compare Your Life To Eternity
Amor Fati, which is translated from Latin, means love of one’s fate
Memento Mori, which is translated from Latin, means “Remember that you will die.”
Stoicism is the OS for life.
See things for what they are.
Do what we can.
Endure and bare what must.
What blocks your path is now a path.
“The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.” The Obstacle Is the Way - Ryan Holiday
Focus on what I control.
Dive deep into what I control and modify my aversion to be the best person, courage to be kind, temperance to avoid negative responses, and Wisdom to live another day.
View the situation, and analyze and empathize as though I was an outsider giving feedback.
Equanimity - mental calmness, composure, and evenness of temper, especially in a difficult situation.
My thoughts, not the outcome, are under my control.
When you experience a distressing or problematic thought, pause, and tell yourself: “This is just a thought and not at all the thing it claims to represent.” Remind yourself that it is not things that upset you but your judgments about things. Try to postpone responding to them for at least an hour, waiting until your feelings have settled down and you are able to view things more calmly and objectively before deciding what action to take.
The Three Disciplines
1/ “The Discipline of Desire,” which has to do with acceptance of our fate.
2/ “The Discipline of Action,” which has to do with philanthropy or love of mankind.
3/ “The Discipline of Assent,” which has to do with mindfulness of our judgments.
You only control yourself.
Nothing that happens can hurt you.
Change is natural.
Amor Fati
Memento mori
Practice:
• Wisdom - the ability to differentiate between what’s truly good and bad.
• Justice - the capacity to treat people fairly and kindly.
• Courage - proficiency in acting well despite fear or aversion to externals.
• Temperance - skill in reducing desire for external things that aren’t in your complete control.
Control your perceptions.
Direct your actions properly.
Willingly accept what’s outside your control.
Randomly choose two people and silently wish for them to be happy.
Search Inside Yourself: The Unexpected Path to Achieving Success, Happiness (and World Peace) - Chade-Meng Tan
Read and do this every day so I can become a better person. ~ Premeditatio Malorum.
The post 5 Timeless Life Lessons From Marcus Aurelius appeared first on Daily Stoic.
#stoic