Most of us feel overwhelmed by the anxiety of the future, and the regret of the past. We are living in something that has already happened, imagining dozens of other possibilities that might have changed what was already done and we are living in a possibility of an upcoming event, stressing about things that aren’t in our control. But we forget one of the most important things in life - living in the present moment. Well, that’s why the phrase “Carpe Diem” is so known in the entire world.
Nevertheless the stoics are offering us a solution to this problem. Stoicism is a way of life that has been practiced for thousands of years. And even though we are not living in Ancient Greece, the stoics lessons are priceless. So how can we achieve peace, success and live in the present moment? The Stoic way might be the answer. As Marcus Aurelius, the Roman Emperor and stoic philosopher famously said: “The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts”, this quote highlights the profound impact our mindset has on our lives. Thousands of years ago, the stoics discovered an interesting approach to life that can empower us even in today’s complex society, by embracing principles such as: cultivating virtue, facing adversity head on and practicing detachment.
One way to cope with today’s world complex society is by mastering our thoughts and emotions. Seneca once said “We suffer more from imagination than from reality”. The main idea is that you can’t change the past, nor influence the future because they are not in your control. The only thing that is in your control, right now, is the present moment. Because, after all, life is not about what could have happened in the past, nor what it can be in the future, but what it is - in the present and what you can do now.
Moreover, a great idea to become more calm and achieve peace of mind is by controlling your emotions. That doesn’t mean to be numb with an emotionless face, but it means to control your anger, your frustration, your rage, and to not let those emotions take the best out of you. In other words, whenever you feel angry or frustrated, try to calm yourself and not give it in to anger, cause maybe because of that anger you’ll say things that you may regret later or even break something, such as a window, a desk and later you’ll have to pay for them so I don’t think this will give you peace of mind.
Another important stoic lesson is to treat success and failure the same. Marcus Aurelius had an interesting metaphor about this. He said that all men are like rocks. He would throw the rock in the air and say he neither gains anything going up, nor loses going down. It remains the same rock. Whether the day starts with a positive or a negative situation, you’re still the same person. In fact, negative situations in life usually teach us many things. Failure exists for a sole reason - to teach you something priceless. Failure is the natural teacher of life because it happens naturally to everybody on Earth. So don’t fear failure and don’t try to avoid it, because it is inevitable, so try to learn something from it and become better.
Bibliography:
https://dailystoic.com/5-stoic-strategies-to-create-happiness/ 5 Stoic Practices to Create Happiness
Marcus aurelius : meditations.
Comments