Stoicism

Wisdom

Wisdom is worth more than wealth or reputation. Genuine happiness is a product of wisdom and self-discipline.

Thoughts

Your thoughts affect everything. If you have any negative thoughts that hinder you, remove them.

Think and act in the way that you wish to be. Never be flustered, apathetic, etc.

Constantly think about how to improve.

Present

Live in the present—not the future or past. Often, we are living in the past or present. We are constantly planning the future and analyzing the past. Make time to be present and in this moment. Appreciate everything.

Live each moment like it’s your last. Think of the future as a surplus of time; live it like a gift.

You don’t need to be secluded on a mountain to find quiet, peaceful solitude. You can find it in yourself whenever you want. Practice this regularly throughout the day.

Fate

Accept your fate and respond with courage and self-discipline. Don’t fight against what’s happened; accept it and move forward.

Change is inevitable; flow with it. Accept innovation.

If you would view your current problem as trivial in 20 years, then view it as trivial now.

Without obstacles, you’ll never reach your full potential. Think of Hercules without his enemies.

Purpose

True delight comes from doing what you were made for. Find your purpose in life and spend your time pursuing it.

If you had all the time and money, what would you do?

Make your purpose beneficial to society.

Know that you can achieve your purpose. If it’s proper and possible for you to do, you can do it. You have the power to be the best version of yourself.

Choices

In any scenario, you can choose how to act. Always regain self-control. Whenever you notice you’re off-balance, correct yourself. The more you bring yourself back to self-control, the more your discipline grows.

When you take action, do it with all your heart. Don’t do something begrudgingly.

Pain

You can choose if you let pain affect you or not. You feel pain not because of pain itself but because of your perception of the pain. Change your perception of the pain, and it’ll go away. Don’t let something outside of you control you. Choose your response to pain.

Empathy

Understand other people’s viewpoints. Don’t just live from your own eyes. Try to find the absolute truth. Never seek anything less than the truth. Self-delusion and ignorance are harmful.

Universal bond

There is a bond that unites everything. Everything is dependent on everything else. There’s so much to be grateful for.

For example, when you drive think about who made the car, the roads, the cities, etc.

Ideal sage

Imagine your “ideal sage.” This is someone with the ideal virtues you would have. Then, live with those virtues today.

Don’t care about how others think about you. Don’t let their negativity affect you. Most people have a negative view of themselves, so why would you care about their negative view of you?

Questions to ask

At the end of the day, ask,

1. What did I do well?
2. What did I do poorly?
3. How could I improve on what I did poorly?

I do this every day, and have been for over a year. It’s a great tool to constantly improve.