3 Stoic Principles To Live By
“Some things are up to us and some things are not.”
One of the most important things to remember as a Stoic is that some things are up to us and other things are not. This is an area that many people never realize throughout life. They end up mad or angry at things that are just completely out of their control.
We cannot control the weather, how much money we make, or who our parents were. We can control what we eat, where we go, and what we do with our time though.
The Stoics would remind us that if something is not in our power then it’s better for us to accept whatever happens. If someone cuts you off on the road or you get stuck in traffic on your way home from work – don’t worry about those things because they aren’t under your control! For further reading, check out these 15 daily stoic exercises.
You’ve only got so much control over your feelings.
It’s important to remember that you’ve only got so much control over your feelings. In fact, you can’t even control how you feel about something in the first place. For example, if someone tells me they don’t like my shirt and I take it personally, that is my fault because I chose to take it as an insult. It’s not their job to make sure that I’m comfortable with what they say—it’s my job to realize that not everyone is going to like me or approve of everything I do. It doesn’t mean they dislike me; it just means they have different tastes than me!
So next time someone tries to make you angry or upset by saying something negative about something related directly back into yourself? Don’t worry about it! Just focus on yourself instead: Are there things within your own control? Can these things improve? Even if other people think badly about us most of the time (which is usually not our fault), those opinions are still theirs alone—not ours! We shouldn’t try too hard when we’re trying so hard anyway–just let things flow naturally from moment to moment without worrying too much about them beforehand.”
When you focus on what’s within your control, you step back from the things that aren’t.
Because of the way that Stoicism is taught, many people get the wrong idea about it. They think that it’s about being bitter and angry at the world for not giving you what you want, when in fact Stoicism is all about accepting the things which are out of our control.
It’s true: there are many things that are out of our control—the weather, other people’s actions, and behaviors, etc.—but there are also a lot of things we can control or change. So while it may be tempting to focus on what we cannot change or alter (what others say or do), it’s better if we focus on what can be changed (our own behaviors).
Focus on what you can do and let the rest go. This is one of the most important stoic principles to live by.
Nothing is more beneficial than being able to master your emotions. If a problem arises and you can’t change it, there’s no point in getting upset about it. Instead of wasting energy on anger or frustration, focus on what you can do to change the situation for the better.
This will lead to greater peace of mind and allow you to enjoy life more fully. You’ll be less likely to dwell on past mistakes when they haven’t been helpful in fixing the problem at hand.