Stoicism for a Better Life

A special COVID-19 release: 

I'm releasing two episodes to help with the current Pandemic situation and give some very pertinent Stoic practices to help you through these uncertain, anxious and though times.

Here's the final exercise for Season 1 of Stoicism for a Better Life, and boy is it a doozie! Let's walk through a logical mental exercise to narrow down what it is we can actually and tangibly do to live the best possible life we can.

Being tough, having self-control (say enough to be able to take cold showers) and depriving yourself of luxuries is NOT virtuous. Virtue is found in our effort, not in our self-punishment. However, often a virtuous mindset will lead to a simpler life. The motivation, however, remains the gauge for whether your act is virtuous or not.

We know for a fact that our time here is limited. Moreover, our loved ones' time here is limited. So spend time with them while you can.

The past is in the past, the future is uncertain. The only time when we can interact with the world is in our present moment, right here, right now. 

We live in a culture of consumerism. Buy, buy, buy...own, collect and have. But do we really need all that we own? Do you really need your stuff?

No matter where we are in life or what's happening around us, we only have one job: Be a good human being.

Although we can't really control our proto-emotions (your knee jerk reactions to stimuli), we really do have a choice to gain back control of our emotions and means. Even when something "bad" happens, we can always find something "good" to find in that situation to focus on. We can and should make a conscious and concerted effort to think more positively when possible. This is how we can shift our emotional spectrum to a healthier one.

We tend to busy ourselves thinking we will get more out of life. But one who enjoys life gets more from it then one who employs it (Lao Tzu). However, our time is very limited, so we don't want to be lethargic. We want to accomplish good things that are truly meaningful to us. So let us identify what these reasons are and make sure we are busy working towards them, as opposed to working towards the wrong reasons.

You've heard me say it time and time again: Virtue is not about perfection, but about trying your best. In order to try your best, however, you must make good decisions and judgments as often as possible. To that end, we must make an effort to use our time purposefully, in order to be the best we can be, as often as we can be.