You may have never heard of stoicism, but if you learn and implement this philosophy, it can change your life. Stoicism teaches you to control what you can control and helps you develop a positive mindset.
Every one of us is striving to be happy. While there are many things you can do every day to help promote a state of happiness, one of the most important thing you should do is learn the philosophy of stoicism and apply it in your life.
This practice develops a mindset focused on happiness, values, and a positive growth mindset. And who couldn’t use that?
What is Stoicism?
Stoicism is an ancient philosophy formed in the early third century BC. While this philosophy has been around for a long time, it has recently gained popularity among the most successful people.
The ancient Stoics such as Zeno, Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, and Epictetus have teachings that have been around for centuries. Furthermore, these ideas and practices were passed on through generations.
Any time an idea or philosophy withstands the test of time, you know that it has some sort of merit. Stoicism is no exception.
The basic tenant of stoicism boils down to a simple phrase: “control what you can control”. The stoics believed that the only things you should focus on are those that are within your control.
There are many things in life that we have no control over. For example, bad traffic, stock market crashes, wars, and natural disasters are things that are not in our control.
As much as we would love to control these things we have no power over them. Since we have no power over them, we should not put valuable time or effort into trying to change them.
When you focus on what is within your circle of control you unleash a freedom that you have never felt before.
Try it for a day! Try only focusing on what you can control for one single day and notice the difference in how you feel.
You will quickly notice the power of stoicism in your both your daily outlook and overall attitude.
Why Does Controlling Your Mindset Matter?
Your mindset controls everything about you. The power of positivity is real. And if you want to accomplish your goals in life you need to control your mindset.
How many times have you become upset about something that was outside of your control? How many hours have you spent worrying and trying to change things that will never change?
Unfortunately, time is wasted. You will never get this time back, and it could’ve been used for something productive.
Through the power of stoicism, you could have refocused on what you can control and doubled down on that.
Stoicism focuses on your attitude, your beliefs, and helping you be present in the moment. These are things we all struggle with.
In our day-to-day lives time seems to fly by. We get up, go to work, come home, and do it all over again.
This endless cycle can wear on you. But you can stop this!
Take back your time by focusing on what you can control. Although there are some things that you can’t control at work, focus your energy on the areas that you can control to become happier within your job.
Want to see a huge difference in a short amount of time? Focus on the positive impacts that this mindset can have on your personal relationships. Control what you can control and focus on being happy in all aspects of life.
Stoicism teaches you that if you are not getting the results that you want, you can make the change and fix it. It puts you in the driver seat for making decisions and empowers you in your own life.
How to Practice Stoicism?
Putting Stoicism into practice isn’t as difficult as what you would think. Start by taking time to write down the things that you can control, and then write down the things that you cannot control.
This is a great first step to practicing Stoicism. Once you have recognized what is within your control and what is out of your control you can now focus on putting effort into those things that you can have influence over.
The next time something comes up that is outside of your control don’t let it bother you. Don’t read more into it, don’t focus on it, and do not let it consume your time.
When you are no longer focusing on things that are outside of your control, you have time to focus on the things that matter.
Another great way to practice Stoicism is to read about it. The best expert in this space is Ryan Holiday.
His books such as The Daily Stoic, Ego is the Enemy, and The Obstacle is the Way are phenomenal resources to get you started.
Furthermore, these books dive into reflections and quotes from the original Stoics. Read these books and they will help you understand Stoicism and how to put it into practice.
Time to Practice!
Now is the time for you to practice. When you put the practice of Stoicism in place you will notice the positive results.
If you want to learn more details about the philosophy be sure to do more investigation and read more about the ancient practice. In the mean time, focus on what you can control and you will be shocked at the increased level of peace that you feel.
This is your first step towards a journey that will truly change your life if you let it. Focus on the virtues that stoicism teaches – wisdom, courage, justice and self-discipline and you will be a better person.
By focusing on what is good and doing what is right you will then have a clear conscience to tackle whatever you want in life.
You become a person of virtue. A person who is content with what they have even when striving to reach the next level.
You’ve got this! Become the best version of you!
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