I stumbled upon the philosophy of Stoicism when I read Ryan Holiday’s The Obstacle Is the Way. The book is not just inspiring in a way that makes you get a new outlook; it provides with stories of leaders who have used the approach to overcome adversities. Since reading the book, I have been interested in Stoicism. DailyStoic is my go-to resource for articles and book suggestions. I also follow Ryan Holiday closely and have been reading his books to get an idea of how to be more Stoic.
The idea is to know that there are things outside of your control and to learn not just to accept them as they come but to love it. This idea is by no means an easy feat to achieve. But the concept is quite clear and straightforward to understand. Learning to take things as they come and to remain calm and centered when presented with difficulty can be a valuable skill to possess. I’m trying to incorporate some of these practices into my daily life, and I’m starting to notice some meaningful changes in my life. These are small changes. I often find myself falling back to old habits, but the trick is to keep trying. By consciously trying to change, I’m starting to notice benefits.
I’m not saying Stoicism is the only way to get over problems, but it has been of extreme help to me. Here are some ideas from the school of philosophy that I find useful
1. You do what is right according to your moral compass — the rest doesn’t matter.
2. What happens will happen, whether or not you like it — so, choose to like it.
3. Be kind and compassionate at all times.
I’ll leave you with a quote from Marcus Aurelius:
“You can hold your breath until you’re blue in the face and they’re going to keep on doing it.”
