Great Morning Team!
As I was scrolling through my social feed last week, a quote caught my eye by Stoic Philosopher, Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor from 161-180 that led me down a rabbit hole. Of course, true to social media, quotes are at times not accurate and/or modernized to catch attention. The quote I read on social stated: “The amount of good things in your life depends on your ability to notice them.” It was a perplexing statement that made me stop, think and research. I learned the actual quote by Aurelius was “The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts: therefore, guard accordingly and take care that you entertain no notions unsuitable to virtue and reasonable nature.” This quote is taken from Aurelius’ personal writings, titled, “Meditations.” It reflects the Stoic belief that our well-being is determined by how we manage and or reframe our internal perspective: judgments, perceptions and thoughts, and being resilient to actual events and circumstances; finding inner peace by distinguishing what we can control (our thoughts and reactions) and what we cannot control (external events). It emphasizes that we must take personal responsibility for our mindset to act with wisdom, courage, justice and temperance rather than reacting to things that occur beyond our control.
Reflecting on this, it sounded like a blend of what it means to have a growth mindset to be able to reframe our thoughts, and embracing our Core Value, Proud Owners. How many times have we heard, “Control what you can control?” Imagine if we could reframe our thinking to let go of what we cannot control? Apparently, the ancient Greek’s and Roman’s were on to something. I suppose it was this philosophy that enabled warriors to get through so many wars, battles, illness and more, taking ownership of their mindset to survive and thrive.
According to Wikipedia, the Core Tenets of Stoicism are:
The Dichotomy of Control: Stoics teach that we should focus our energy only on what is within our power—our own actions, thoughts, and beliefs. External events, other people’s behavior, and the past are outside our control and should be accepted with equanimity.
Virtue is the Only Good: Stoicism holds that moral virtue (wisdom, justice, courage, and temperance) is both necessary and sufficient for a good life, while external things like wealth, health, or status are “indifferents”.
Living in Accordance with Nature: Stoics believe the universe is governed by reason (logos). Living well means using human reason to align with the rational structure of the universe.
Processing Emotions: Contrary to the belief that Stoics are emotionless, the philosophy aims to manage destructive emotions (pathos) by understanding and reframing them, fostering positive emotions like joy and tranquility.
If you are curious in learning more about this fascinating philosophy, and perhaps want to gain some insight by testing out some practices for greater joy, resiliency and courage, have a look at https://dailystoic.com/ and share your thoughts in the comments section below.
Wishing you all a Better We, Better Week! 😊
Lori Beth
