Stoic Protocols
A practical guide to the daily habits and repeated exercises that made the ancient Stoics who they were, tested in modern life.
Amor fati applied to nutrition?
It's been a while since I sent you an email. And for that, I'm sorry. First, for most of you, it was Stoic Study. A daily Stoic quote. I considered two other directions for the newsletter (Stoic Dads, and Life of Arete). Today I introduce you to Stoic Protocols. A practical guide to the daily habits and repeated exercises that made the ancient Stoics who they were, tested in modern life. I hope you enjoy, and if not, please use the unsubscribe link below. I definitely do not want to clutter...
Stillness Is The Key
"Stillness is what aims the archer's arrow. It inspires new ideas. It sharpens perspective and illuminates connections." - Ryan Holiday I haven't shared any quotes from someone that is of the living. But there's good reason to do it today.. Put down your phone and be present. Go for a walk in nature. Journal often. Spend quality time with those you care about. Hard to argue that constant distraction is a good thing... Ryan Holiday is an American author. He's written books on media...
The compounding interest of goodness
"We should strive to be good citizens and contribute to the well-being of society." - Cleanthes A couple of days ago I sent an email about happiness. Well, if you follow the advice in this quote from Cleanthes, you'll be happier! I love how it builds on itself. Let's break it down. Of course, we're breaking it down from my perspective. Probably not quite the same as someone 2000 years ago.. But anyway, here we go. We should strive to be good citizens. Ok, that could include: be a law-abiding...
What made Cleanthes happy?
"True happiness is found in contentment and detachment from material possessions." - Cleanthes Time and time again we hear a common message from the Stoics. Physical things won't make you happy. It has to come from within. You could be poor and have no physical possessions, yet be more happy than the wealthiest people. Sure, it feels good when you buy something for yourself. But how long till that wears off? But if you're happiness comes from something other than material possessions, it will...
Can you believe yourself?
"Nothing is more hostile to a firm grasp on knowledge than self-deception." - Zeno Self-deception. That's something none of us wants to think about. If a friend of yours tells you something that you find out was a lie, and they knew it was, you'd be upset. You might not want to spend anymore time with them because of it! But if you find out that you were lying to yourself, you can't end the friendship. And you start to wonder what other things could you be wrong about!? You begin to question...
Quick to anger?
"Difficulties show a person's character.." - Epictetus We learn the most about ourselves and others when faced with adversity. Maybe your dog chews up your favorite shoes. Or you have car trouble and are late for a job interview. Your kid is being obnoxious in public. There are many more examples. I'm sure you're thinking of some right now. The important thing to consider is that your character isn't defined. If you don't react well in difficult situations, you can improve! Pause. That's the...
It's not insane, you are!
"The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane" - Marcus Aurelius Wow! Read this, then read anything about politics... Let's not pick sides. Instead, let's "think". Consider the thoughts and beliefs of the minority, or just of those you disagree with. I'm sure you can find something in what they say that you somewhat believe too. If we do this, we will see that most of us are human. There's a middle ground where we can...
You can handle this - again
Here's today's ancient stoic quote: "Nothing happens to anybody which he is not fitted by nature to bear." - Marcus Aurelius You received the first version of this email about 30 minutes ago. It was empty. I changed my account with ConvertKit yesterday. The template I was using must only be available to users on the previous plan... So you got a blank email. But, like Marcus said, I am fitted by nature to bear this. Hahaha. In the original email, I brough up things like unexpected grief and...
Am I wise or foolish?
"It is the nature of the wise to resist pleasures, but the foolish to be a slave to them." - Epictetus Am I wise or foolish? I'd be afraid to ask you that if we were face to face! But in this context Epictetus wants us to consider our vices. Snacks Desserts Social media Television Fast cars New clothes Fancy vacations Some will make you fat, others will make you dumb. Many will make you poor. Sure, you are briefly happy, but achieving happiness that way isn't sustainable. You'll be happier...
Got to put in the work
"No man was ever wise by chance." - Seneca Do you remember when you were in school and there were some kids that were smart and everything was easy to them? Most of them likely went to college. Some of them were successful. What about the others? Just because you're smart doesn't mean you don't have to put in the work. Seneca tells us the wise man wasn't gifted with wisdom from the beginning. He learned to be wise. Take action. Do things. Gain wisdom. Sorry I missed yesterday! Hope you like...
A practical guide to the daily habits and repeated exercises that made the ancient Stoics who they were, tested in modern life.