Make Stoicism A Habit

If there is order in the universe the man who is ignorant of its purpose is a stranger and a runaway. The man who has all that is sufficient in himself is the opposite. The man who has it together and is confident of his purpose can live a fulfilling life.

The worst thing that can happen to you is to fail to live the way you are destined to live. For instance, failing to become who you were created to be, failing to have some sort of impact in other people’s lives, or failing to fulfill living a life of virtue..

Many people discover how much they have wasted their lives when they reach the end of the road or when they are a few minutes away from taking their last breath. To avoid being one of those people who, when all is said and done, wish they at least tried to live their lives with purpose

Meditations 4.28. A black heart is an unmanly heart. When we behave irrationally we act like children or animals. This is why we must examine our impressions so irrational thoughts and beliefs do not get to us.

Being an irrational person can have any number of effects on you personally. Although irrational behaviors may satisfy our primal natures, it rarely does any good for our interpersonal relationships or status within our social structures.

There is an assumption that as a species, we generally behave rationally. This isn’t always the case. Emotions are the general basis for our externally expressed actions. We are faced with a given stimulus, our endocrine system reacts, and depending on our ability to regulate our emotions, we behave either rationally or irrationally. Since behavior is emotion based, without a degree of control or regulation over our emotions, we can’t behave rationally.

Meditations 4.27 states Either an ordered Universe or a medley heaped together mechanically but still an order; With Stoicism there is the belief that everything is subject to fate and therefore determined.  But everything is also interconnected.

Marcus further writes or can order subsist in you and disorder in the Whole! The whole meaning ua all of us the whole of mankind. This is where the debate comes in with Stoicism. Is fate determined for us or can we direct our own fate in life. Do we have a purpose or can we discover our own purpose.    

You follow order and routine for certain improvements in life. If you want a healthy body, you exercise, and you eat well. If you want to relieve stress, you take the necessary steps to deal with it. 

What about your spiritual wellness? Stoicism teaches us about control of emotions, recognition of thoughts, and examining our perspective. Spiritual wellness comes with a lot of benefits when you are spiritually well you nurture self-trust, generosity, relationships, and tranquility. But spirituality means different things to different people. 

Do you ever feel like your life is running on autopilot? Do you feel detached from experiences in your daily life because too much is going on or you are distracted? Being present and being mindful are vital practices for health and wellness. Mindfulness and presence exercises are a great way to reduce stress and stay connected to the experience that you are having.

What Is Being Present?

Being in the present moment and being focused on the now means that you are fully aware of the moment, and of what is happening. You are mentally there. Not disconnected by distraction. 

Marcus Aurelius states life is short. the present must be turned to profit with reasonableness and right. Be sober without effort.

Tranquility. It is what we seek through the study of Stoic philosophy. But tranquility comes from within not from external factors. It requires focus on individual improvement and not to be distracted by things beyond our power.

When your mind is continuously focused on negative thoughts or when you spend all day stressed out, it affects your mindset and your choices. And when you are Tranquil and have joy in your life, this also influences how you think and act. And when you focus on cultivating tranquility and finding joy in your life, you will enjoy robust emotional and mental health as well as protecting your well-being.

Everything harmonizes with me, which is harmonious to thee, O Universe. Nothing for me is too early nor too late, which is in due time for thee. We do not know what fate has in store for us. But our fate is not relevant. It is our present purpose that is important.

It is the present moment that matters. This is where we have control. This is where we make decisions in life. The world continues to move. Things to not cease in movement. We must understand this to live a life of purpose. We do not have to wait for happiness. We do not have to wonder if a life of meaning is just around the corner.

Your existence here on earth is not a mistake, you were born for a purpose. “Pursuing your purpose” is not something that is farfetched and beyond reach but a mission that can be fulfilled. It’s actually an instrument for a better, joyous, and exciting life that too few people attempt to use.

To the Stoics, the cosmos is a single pantheistic god, one which is rational and creative, and which is the basis of everything which exists. The world is one, and must arise from one principle. The active substance of the world is characterized as a 'breath', or pneuma. Meditations 4.21 asks if the atmosphere has room for them from time eternal . Where is our place in the universe especially with the immortal soul?

Meditations Four Nineteen and Twenty show two diverse concepts. Meditations Four nineteen looks at the foolishness of achieving and having continued fame. One is all in a flutter over his subsequent fame. Fame can burnout like a lamp that is snuffed out. Meditations Four Twenty takes a different approach where what is good in life needs no praise or extra attention. Does anything beautiful in life need more praise than what they actually are? In no case does what is praised become better or worse. You do not need the praise of others to find happiness. Happiness and living a full life can be found in what is before us.

Meditations Book 4 Chapter 18 shows that If you are to be good, your prime concern is with your own conduct and thoughts, not with your neighbor. This will give the quiet and tranquility to live a good life. Run toward your goal and be balanced. Do not worry about making comparisons of others.