What is Stoicism?
Stoicism is a philosophy emerged from 3rd Century BC in Greece and Rome. The philosophy is focussed on grooming the 4 pillars of virtue: Wisdom, Courage, Justice and Moderation. While you can read about the Stoicism here, this post is to outline 5 Stoic questions to ask ourselves to lead the best possible life. This post is inspired by Ryan Holiday's Daily Stoic preachings.
1. Is this under my control?:
The Stoics channel their energy on things that they can control. We should have a clear distinction between the things that are under our control and those that are not. Our mind is in our control which determines our responses to outside stimulus. So, externalities are not the problem but our reaction to it can be. So, choose what you focus on, anytime you face a situation.
You have Power over your mind- Not outside events. Realize this and you will find strength- Marcus Aurelius.
2. Is this necessary?:
Questioning ourselves at every moment, "Is this necessary?" eliminates us wasting our resources, time included on things that are not essential. That is because most of the times, most of what we do may not be because it is essential but because of a hardwired habit which doesn't do any good.
"Because most of what we say and do is not essential, ask yourself at every moment, 'Is this necessary?'- Marcus Aurelius"
3. Can I do this better?
We do several tasks mindlessly and some, just enough to get it over with. With every task that we do, we should ask ourselves, is there any way that I can do this task better? This constant checking can ensure that we stay sharp at what we do. This helps us in improving the quality of our work. Improvement day by day even though seems little to begin with has very big impact on our lives.
Don't you see how much you have to offer- beyond excuses like "can't"? - And yet you still settle for less!- Marcus Aurelius.
4. What can be the worst outcome?
With every action, negative visualization is one thing that a Stoic does. When you know what could happen when nothing goes as per the plan, you wouldn't be devastated with the worst outcome. 'I didn't think this would happen!' is the phrase of broken heart. Being prepared for the wipe out is important so we don't get anxious and move forward.
"The point is to not wish for adversities, but for the virtue that makes adversities bearable" - Seneca.
5. Does this actually matter?
To practice asking this question on a daily basis, we should first determine what actually matters to us. There can be a lot of things we do in a day and many of them may not matter. When we ask this question initially to actions we do, we might get a lot of YES answers, but look closely and you would know if that is a genuine yes or some part of life that just cling onto a person or a past or a habit.
Everything you hear is an opinion not a fact, everything you see is perception not the truth- Marcus Aurelius.
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