Stoicism has changed my life and my mindset on many levels and I would like to do a summary of Six crucial Stoic wisdom I constantly keep in mind at any given time. The Stoic philosophers like Seneca, Epictetus, Zeno, and Marcus Aurelius had undergone extreme distress and they hadn't broken during those times, but the situations transformed them into their best selves.
1. Beating Procrastination:
I had been an all-time procrastinator, especially for things that push me out of my comfort zone. If an action makes you feel vulnerable, that's one of the signs that that action pushes you out of your comfort zone. An action that takes you out of your safe cocoon creates meaningful experiences. Stoicism helped me quit procrastination and pushed me towards taking action over words. I want to say Procrastination is also spelled as Paralysis. It is imperative to come out of this state of inertia, take action immediately, and realize that there is no tomorrow. They say,
"Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be, be one"
2. Being in the present:
Being mindful is my theme for the year 2022. Being present in the moment, living it without regrets, without daydreams, and with the fullest of my conscious attention even though seems effortless, is so overlooked that we do not realize that most of us do not live in the moment. We either ruminate on the past or roll on the future. We lose the given moment to mindless scrolling through social media, we take the present for granted while we forget to think that 'the death 'is hanging over our heads. The moment that passed belongs to death.
"Begin at once to live and count each separate day as separate life"
3. Appreciating little and big things:
Being grateful for all the big and little things in life helps me with reflecting on the path I came across thus far, the amount of growth I have been through, and most of all, to stop complaining and find more reasons to be happy. Appreciating what our lives and the World have equipped us with significantly changes the way we face each day. I maintain a gratitude journal and a reflections notebook to count on the gifts I have been bestowed to live this life. Marcus says,
" When you arise in the morning, think what a precious privilege it is to be alive, to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love"
4. The obstacle is the way:
What stands in the way, becomes the way. With every situation I face in life, good or bad, each incident shapes me for the better. In spite of the worries, the panic, and the flea mentality that arise with the situation, evolving into the best version of myself is what I tend to focus on with an obstacle. At any given time, with any given obstacle, try to turn your focus on what the hindrance is trying to groom us into, how we can evolve from the given situation, and what is this trying to teach us, and these should help us to not only overcome the obstacle but to find ourselves.
" The impediment to action advances the action, what stands in the way, becomes the way"
5. Taking ownership of my actions and their repercussions:
I take this primary Stoic saying very seriously- 'Focus on what you can control'. If something is in my control, I give 100%, if that is not in my control, that thing gets 0% of my attention. What I have control over is my actions to what happens, and my reactions to what happens. So, I am learning to not blame the situation and the external factors for my response. Anger, jealousy, grief, and resentment are the responses I have control over to choose.
"Just keep in mind: The more we value things outside of our control, the less control we have"
6. Preparing for the worst-case scenario:
Premeditatio Malorum- Pre-meditation of evils is one of the most pronounced Stoic practices. Negative Visualization as it translates refers to visualizing the absolute worst outcome of fear or an incident. I tend to regularly explore the depths of fears and that helps me understand the impacts that the worst-case scenario holds, so I can be better prepared for it. "I did not expect this would happen!" is one of the naive things one could exclaim during adversity!
"The man who has anticipated the coming of troubles takes away their power when they arrive"
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