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In ancient Greece and Rome, when people had a problem, they didn’t go to a psychotherapist. They went to a Stoic philosopher – the three most prominent ones were Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus and Seneca. These men helped others adjust their mental approach to life through their wisdom.
I just finished a book, Breakfast with Seneca – A Stoic Guide to the Art of Living, by David Fideler. The first thing the author did was to make an important distinction: While a “stoic” (lowercase “s”) is a person who represses emotions, Stoicism (uppercase “S”) is a philosophy intended to enhance people’s opportunity to live a rich life.
I’ve included five essential Stoic teachings here:
- “Recognize what you can and cannot control.” Much like the serenity prayer, this helps us focus on areas of life we can affect through our efforts and ignore the rest.
- “You determine your reaction to a crisis.” Disturbing situations will happen to everyone. It’s how we react that either helps us address them effectively or go to pieces.
- “Ignore people dominated by their own negative emotions.” Negative people infect us with their mindset. I have eliminated all “negaholics” from my life; I hope you have as well.
- “Master yourself and aim to be virtuous.” The ultimate goal of Stoicism is to develop one’s character. Doing so allows peace of mind, gratitude, even joy, no matter the circumstances.
- “Learn to move on.” Stoics encourage us to let go of troublesome events in the past so we can live fully in the present.
