These Five Stoic Practices Teach You to Live More Resiliently
Stoicism is really a mindset rather than a lifestyle.
Ever heard of Stoicism?
Stoicism is a phenomenon I learned about when I was just about the most stressed person on earth. I wasn’t comfortable in my skin, my studies weren’t going well and I almost had financial problems.
In short, something had to change.
It was also around that time that I started to immerse myself in spirituality, mindfulness, and thus Stoicism.
In this crazy world, it is sometimes necessary to take a break. Stoicism is one of the best techniques for achieving this.
Here are five Stoic lessons that can improve your life.
Don’t worry about the things you can’t control
Almost all good life lessons sound like cliches, and yet they work pretty darn well.
So does this one.
In Stoicism, the assumption is that there are several things you can care about. Things that are within your control are not.
After all, you do not influence them.
Still, it makes pretty good sense that we worry about all sorts of things. That’s how we’ve been conditioned over the last few decades. Stoicism is the ultimate remedy for that.
I do this an awful lot myself, especially in the current political climate, I can get enormously worked up about things that I have exactly 0 percent influence over, and so it’s pointless.
It only causes you problems in the form of stress and negative thoughts and feelings.
Try to avoid this.
For example, you can try when you get frustrated for any reason to ask yourself if you could have changed something about the outcome. If not, put it aside and calm down.
You can’t be flawless, and you don’t have to be
In the current zeitgeist, people feel that it is necessary to have certain concrete goals in life. You are not ambitious enough if you do not have goals.
Partly I disagree with this, and so do the Stoics.
A Stoic has goals in life, certain goals that may or may not be attainable. Preferably as ambitious as possible, but at the same time a true Stoic knows that it is impossible to achieve all of his or her goals.
This can sometimes be difficult when you are just beginning to practice Stoicism. Failure and disappointment in life can be difficult to deal with, but that’s where the previous point comes in handy.
After all, sometimes you have no control over your own failures; they just happen.
Try to accept it and move on.
Focus on another goal of yours, or just try again. No one is stopping you from trying multiple times to achieve your goals.
Dare to take risks, you will be rewarded
Why do you think successful people are so successful? Not because they stay on the couch with ideas they don’t dare to realize. Risk-taking is one of the key factors that make entrepreneurs and successful people who they are.
Now it’s not about what risks to take but rather that you drive a change in mindset so that you dare to take risks. Dare to dream and dare to do the things that people say you can’t do.
I am often underestimated in what I can do.
This is a motivation for me to prove that I can do that, and better. Stand in front of the mirror and shout to yourself that you can do it, that you are worth it, and that you are going to make it.
It’s all about mindset. Always.
This can help you in your personal life in terms of happiness, love, or spirituality but also in the business field in the form of wealth and career.
Change Your Mindset, Reset Your Body and Mind
It will make you feel uncomfortable at firstmedium.com
Start personal reflection and appreciating the things that really matter
Journaling is something that is becoming increasingly popular with novice and advanced mindfulness gurus, and rightly so because writing down your thoughts can provide great insight into the value you place on yourself.
Personal reflection is therefore very important with a Stoic lifestyle.
We talk ourselves into a depression these days, at the same time as others put pressure on us that we don’t need. Like the pressure in achieving results in your career or in your personal life.
Who cares if you haven’t had children by the time you are 25? Or haven’t gotten your driver’s license by age 30.
It is not a competition.
Learn to appreciate and know yourself and your own qualities. That’s what truly matters in life.
Be grateful for the things you have
Many people are greedy. So am I.
A few years ago when I had placed a bet on some darts matches a bet at the blackjack table I ended up with about $1200.
I wanted more.
So I started playing more blackjack. At one point I had $2000. This was still not enough and continued to play. I bet $200 and lost for the first time in a long time. I went on to win this money back and lost again.
Just until there was $0 left. I had nothing left at all.
The lesson I took away from this was that I got carried away with greed and I didn’t ever let it happen again. I swore off gambling and focused on making money through online content creation.
Making money was so much more satisfying than winning it.
Be satisfied with the things you have in life, even if sometimes they don’t seem like enough for you.
The moment you have nothing at all you will long for it.
Final thoughts: becoming more resilient isn’t always easy
As you might realize, Stoicism is really a mindset rather than a lifestyle. Although you could take these two things together and manage them as the same concept.
Life offers a lot of resistance and you will have to arm yourself against that if you want to survive a bit.
Without resistance, you will remain stagnant.
So get defiant and go against yourself to better yourself. Nothing gets better when it’s easy right?
When you go to the gym, you go through a veritable hell in the beginning. But after a while of intense training, you start to see results and it becomes enjoyable.
It works the same way with your mindset. Train it.