Stoicism is full of wisdom on how best to handle the afflictions we face while at the same time, live a righteous life.
Stoicism is quite an old school of philosophy, but its guidance is as relevant today as it was when Marcus Aurelius sat down 2000 years ago to write what now is called "Meditations."
The stoics profess three key strategies to win the day, and they are as follows-
Foresee the Bad and Plan Action
"Begin each day by telling yourself: Today I shall be meeting with interference, ingratitude, insolence, disloyalty, ill-will, and selfishness — all of them due to the offenders' ignorance of what is good or evil." —
To be adequately prepared, we need to be able to anticipate what someone can or may do to disrupt our day. Prepare for the worst situation, and you will catch yourself unsurprised when you run into a problem.
Focus on what you DO control
"There are things which are within our power, and there are things which are beyond our power. Within our power are opinion, aim, desire, aversion, and, in a word, whatever affairs are our own. Beyond our power are body, property, reputation, office, and, in a word, whatever are not properly our own affairs."
Understand what we do and do not have control over in life. You cannot choose what life throws at you, but you can choose how you respond to it. No problem is terrible enough unless and until you let it tarnish and deteriorate your character and virtue.
Memento Mori: Life is Fleeting so Stay Present
"One thing hastens into being; another hastens out of it. Even while a thing is in the act of coming into existence, some part of it has already ceased to be."
“You could leave life right now. Let that determine what you do and say and think”, says Marcus Aurelius in his book “Meditations”. Understanding that time is finite, and the only way of gathering more time is by prioritizing tasks and properly executing to be as productive as possible.
By
Meghna Nalamothula