How Stoicism Changed My Life

I WAS DOWN BAAAAD!

I was in a deep rut, the kind that most of us have experienced.

I didn’t want to get out of bed, I was eating like shit, and I wasn’t locked in on my day-to-day habits.

I was wasting away — my heart was beating but I was dead inside.

I fell so deep that I just knew I had to force myself out.

As I lay in bed, I decided to tap into the power of the internet.

I NEEDED SOMETHING! I HAD TO SPARK CHANGE SOMEHOW!

So, I pulled up YouTube and scrolled until I found this guy talking about Marcus Aurelius and Stoicism. I had heard of this before but had yet to dive into it — I always disliked history and philosophy, as I felt like it was pointless in the modern world.

So, in the middle of the worst rut of my life — I clicked on Ryan Holiday's YouTube video “9 Stoic Rules for a Better Life from Marcus Aurelius”

This was how I felt in Dec 2021.

The rest is history.

As we reach the end of Dec 2023, I am grateful for finding Stoicism and even more grateful for the younger version of myself for taking the first steps towards where I am now.

In this weeks Corridors of Curiosity letter, I will discuss how Stoicism changed my life and how I plan on utilizing the lessons for the rest of my days.

What is Stoicism?

Stoicism is the ancient philosophy that thrived during the Greek and Roman empires.

The main purpose of stoicism is to give us tools for the pursuit of wisdom, self-mastery, and building up our fortitude.

Three of the most popular Stoics are Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, and Epictetus.

Today, there are lots of great authors and creatives who write about the lessons from Stoic Philosophy — my favorites are Robin Waterfield and Ryan Holiday (who is the man behind “Daily Stoic”)

Simply put — Stoicism is a school of thought and action that heavily relies on the power of human virtue and values.

Stoicism isn’t just something you read about, it’s something you can infuse into your life. I really enjoy the real life application that this philosophy encourages.

Reading

Once I absorbed hours of Ryan Holiday’s YouTube content, I figured it would be best for me to stop watching so many videos and invest some of that time into reading books.

For me, it was obvious that I had very shitty focus and reading skills.

I could not focus enough to read a couple of sentences and I couldn’t retain anything.

This did nothing besides piss me off and push me away from the books, but I could not due to the new standard I was holding myself to.

Bro — I could barely sit still for 10 minutes! What a struggle fest those first couple of weeks were!

Naturally, when the human mind comes to face a difficult task — it looks for the easy way out.

I refused to take the easy way out of reading, so I embraced the discomfort of starting a new habit.

The first books I read were The Obstacle is The Way by Ryan Holiday and Atomic Habits by James Clear — within a couple of weeks, I was well on my way to a lifelong reading habit.

These books unlocked my love for learning and reading.

Without the initial exposure to Stoicism, I would folded on my quest to become a reader.

I finished all of Ryan’s books within 6 months — soaking up the lessons from my favorite author was a tremendous part of getting out of my slump.

I started with 10 minutes a day. Don’t have the time? Subtract 10 minutes from your screen time. Read things you enjoy — and do not get caught up in the comparison game. Read for yourself so you can improve yourself.

Journaling

The practice of journaling was extremely important to the Stoics.

One of the most important pieces of Stoicism is Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations — which are his journals that we wrote during his life and tenure as “The Last Great Roman Emperor”

There are so many lessons we can learn from the private thoughts of Marcus as he reflects on the ups and downs of his own life. (Meditations is one of the best books of all time, but it wasn’t meant to even be read in the first place! Meditations is the collection of journals from Marcus Aurelius’ life, often credited with being the most important Stoic reading. I am currently enjoying Robin Waterfield’s translation!)

Journaling is one of my most critical habits because it helps me quiet and get out of my mind.

When I write my thoughts on the page, I can work with them and offer myself advice on how to deal with life’s problems.

It gives me a space to spill something real — instead of relying on other people, I can simply open my journal and let loose on the pages.

As I have written through my journals, I have found immense value in this daily process. The most important principle is to just write down what is on your mind, you can always tweak and improve the process once you get some consistency flowing.

Memento Mori

“You could leave life right now. Let that determine what you do and say and think.” - Marcus Aurelius.

Memento Mori translates to “Remember, you will die.”

Now, this is not meant to be depressing or morbid. We remember that we will die so we can shift our focus to living in the present moment.

A personal example: My dog Kenna is getting older. She is now 12 years old and the white hairs that have been multiplying on her face serve as a constant reminder that she is getting older and is closer to death.

It is normal to feel sadness when thinking about my dog’s death, but I remember Memento Mori and my focus shifts to enjoying the moments I have left with my dog.

I keep death at the forefront of my mind so I can continue living in a virtuous manner.

Death doesn't make life pointless, rather it makes life purposeful. So when we meditate on the fact that every being will die, we can continue treating the present moment as the gift it is.

Memento Mori has helped me handle the reality of death. Memento Mori opened up my perspective and forced me to focus on my priorities. Memento Mori inspired me to run my plays with calm urgency — letting go of the self-limiting beliefs on my journey.

Use Memento Mori as a reminder to chase your dreams every day.

Because after all, you will die.

The Four Cardinal Virtues

As I continued consuming Stoic content and reading books, I found that a central tenet of Stoicism is to live with virtue.

Specifically, 4 virtues are central to this philosophy: Courage, Temperance (Self-Discipline), Justice, and Wisdom.

Courage pertains to whether or not you are willing to face your fears. Do you have THE CAJONES!? Life will always test us, are we willing to stand up and take on the challenges?

Temperance refers to the ability to practice moderation and discipline. Big-time skill in our modern world. It is very easy to fall into the patterns of over-indulgence and instant gratification habits, that is why this virtue is so important.

Justice is about doing the right things, in the right amounts, in the right ways. This is the most important of the virtues, as Marcus Aurelius says “Justice is the source of all other virtues.” Justice is like a moral stoplight that reminds us to choose right instead of wrong.

Wisdom ties all of these together — gaining knowledge and experience as you navigate the world. Wisdom is essential when distinguishing between the vast amounts of information and the right information to learn and absorb. Slow down, be deliberate, and be aware of the wisdom you are taking in.

Closing Thoughts

While Stoicism is one of the many philosophies from the ancient world, it is the one that has inspired the most amount of change in my life.

I am not a legendary Stoic — nor have I read all of the books.

I simply love the guidelines put forth by the world's greatest Stoics.

Stoicism is the essence of Controlling your Controllables.

Until next time, I hope you decide to explore deeper into a philosophy of your choice and continue to cultivate calm urgency in your life.

Thanks for your time.

Embrace the Chase