This post is a bit of Wednesday Wisdom for subscribers who have taken a bolder step into possibility and their potential by investing in themselves.
In these posts, I share a favorite concept, approach, or mental model for getting clearer about who you really are so you can get closer to where and what you want.
Imagine a world where uncertainty and adversity reign. A world that’s torn apart by plague, turmoil, division, and violence.
And imagine in this world a man navigating these challenges with courage, self-control, philanthropy, and clear-eyed purpose who tries to help others do the same.
Do you know to which world and man I refer?
Of course, it’s the Roman Empire, 161 - 180 AD, ruled by emperor Marcus Aurelius.
Marcus was the last of the Five Good Emperors of the Roman Empire and the closest thing to a Philosopher King the Western World has ever known.
At night, after a long day of dealing with corrupt politicians, bloodthirsty enemies, financial ruin, natural disasters, an unfaithful wife, and a petulant son, Marcus would write reminders to himself about cultivating and maintaining a sense of stillness and thriving through life’s persistent challenges.
Over and over again, he would write entries like this in his journal.
“Everywhere, at each moment, you have the option:
to accept this event with humility
to treat this person as they should be treated
to approach this thought with care, so that nothing irrational creeps in”
In this entry, Marcus is reminding himself about the three disciplines of Stoicism.
Stoicism is an enduring ancient Hellenistic philosophy that asserts that virtue is all that’s required to experience greater joy and equanimity through all of life’s trials and triumphs.
Here are the three disciplines of Stoicism Marcus references in his journal entries.
Perception
Action
Will
Perception and action are part of what is known as “the Stoic fork,” as expressed by Epictetus, a Stoic teacher Marcus revered.
Put simply, you have agency over your thoughts and actions. Everything else is out of your absolute control.
The third discipline, will, refers to your ability to be mindful of your judgments about yourself, your situation, and others and respond to them with integrity and intention so that you can influence favorable outcomes.
At the beginning of the pandemic, I wrote a book titled, Onward: Where Certainty Ends Possibility Begins, where I repurposed Marcus’ quote and the three Stoic Disciplines as three questions you can answer to help you make better decisions that get you closer to what you want and who you seek to become.
Here are the questions.
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