The below are 35 lessons for living, learning, thriving, and otherwise positioning oneself to derive the utmost quality from the time we’ve been granted. May what’s meant to resonate, resonate.
Your future self does not benefit from you suffering for your suffering now. Focus on becoming the person that you'll be glad you focused on becoming when the suffering concludes.
Clarity clarifies. When you're clear on the current state, and on the fundamental criteria of the future state, a path can come into view.
The “contrarian” opinion might be exactly what someone needs to hear. When given the opportunity, voice it (especially and primarily in casual conversation. Do not agree just to agree). Bonus: The messenger matters. You can say the right thing, but depending on the listener, you may not be the right person saying it. (As this can be difficult to detect with precision, keep expressing.)
Money is a tool to create preferred experiences and accelerate outcomes. Use it.
How to feel like you're winning: Put yourself in more situations that align to your strengths. The more often you feel like you're winning, the more likely it is, that you actually are, or will.
Read moreAn abridged version of this piece was originally published in THE STOIC magazine.
“Work with the material you are given.” -Epictetus
The makeup of your life to-date is the sum of the material you’ve been given. Your experiences, your setbacks, who your family is or isn’t, your abilities—the lot we’ve been assigned is out of our control, but what we do with and how we respond to it is. What you’ve just read is arguably the bedrock of Stoicism, and this piece is precisely about what gets us to that sought-after Stoic response—acceptance.
To understand what acceptance is and looks like, we must understand what it is not. Acceptance is not apathy, laziness, or idle helplessness. It’s not the status quo or refusing to push yourself. Acceptance is simply coming to terms with what is real (read: irrefutably, irrevocably true). It has nothing to do with whether you’re happy about said reality, and has everything to do with a peaceful acknowledgement of that thing—that concrete thing—being true.
Acceptance is saying, I care deeply and while this is not preferred, I acknowledge that this is my reality—my responsibility lies in how I bear it. Acceptance is not repeatedly getting angry over something existing. Acceptance transcends that cycle, empowering us to decide what to do given the circumstance.
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