4 Stoic Practices To Help You Thrive in a Chaotic World
Mental shifts that you can easily adopt
Since childhood, Epictetus was lame in one leg. In some stories, his physical impediment was a result of harsh beatings from his slavemaster.
Early in life, he came to Rome as a slave, and when he was 34, Epictetus was banished from Rome by Emperor Domitian.
Fortunately, his study with a great philosopher during his years as a teenager paved the way to much of Epictetus's philosophical principles. He eventually left Rome but continued teaching philosophy in Western Greece until he died at about 80.
Like Epictetus, history had seen many great philosophers of their time too. Stoicism continued for centuries and remained relevant even in modern society. Knowing some of the stoic practices he practiced can help us bring calm in the face of uncertainties.
1. You Have the Power to Control
“Happiness and freedom begin with a clear understanding of one principle: Some things are within our control, and some things are not.”
— Epictetus
Much of what happens in our lives is not up to us. You can think of it as fate or a web of invisible strings. Regardless, it’s an undeniable truth that we can only control what falls within our means.
I love going outdoors. Even on rainy days when it’s perfect for watching Netflix at home in my comfortable PJs, I’d much rather head outside to catch some air. I live in the city, so it’s a common sight to have streams of people on the streets no matter what day it is.
Getting from one place to another has always been a hassle. I’d jostle my way through, bump shoulders into a rushing by-passer, or slide between the cracks of opening in crowds. Whenever that happens, I’m annoyed.
It wasn’t until I remembered this quote by Epictetus that I was able to regain internal peace. By focusing on elements outside my control — how people move around — I’m going to continue being unhappy. If I focus on what I’m able to do, I’ll be able to move forward with tranquillity.
Now, I’d take a longer but spacious route instead of the usually crowded streets.
In life, we’re easily provoked at the slightest inconvenience. We tend to blame external events or other people for the cause of our unhappiness. If there were even a 15 minutes wait outside a restaurant, the natural response would be an outrage within us.
The cause of our happiness often stems from the way we respond to situations. Our emotions are within our locus of control. If we allow ourselves to be angered because someone said something negative, it’s because we let our emotions get the better of us. We could have disregarded their comments and move on.
Once we realise that we can alter how external circumstances affect us, we free ourselves from unhappiness and retain the power to be happy regardless of the lemons life throws at us.
2. Stay Grounded
“We suffer more in our imagination than in reality.”
— Seneca
I spent much of my youth constantly overthinking, back when I used to have bad skin complexion. It even got to a point where I’d put myself in a state of anxiety by predicting negative judgements of how I thought people would view me.
My habit of overthinking caused me to become very insecure. It made me unhappy, and I’d shut myself away from people. The truth is, nobody criticised about the way I look. I was feeding my mind with lies that I was comfortable hearing.
When we put ourselves into difficult situations, we’re forced to confront it. Once we step outside our comfort zone, we realise it isn’t as bad as it seemed. Much of what we’re telling ourselves is made up, and the reality is just as it is.
I think for many of us, there are things that we want to try. It could be starting a YouTube channel, changing a career, or moving to another city with no friends and family. We imagined the worst-case scenarios and let ourselves be tide over by our fears.
However, if we didn’t try, how sure are we that we’d fail? Humans aren’t fortune-tellers. We can’t forecast the future. The fears and anxiety crippling us occur in our minds.
Here’s a fun challenge to try: When you head out to grab a coffee or lunch, try asking for a discount.
When we seek discomfort and try the things we’re usually not comfortable doing, we prepare ourselves for future adversities because you’d think, “The worst had already happened, and I’ve experienced this before. It’s something I can face it again.”
3. Ego Is Our Enemy
“Throw out your conceited opinions, for it is impossible for a person to begin to learn what he thinks he already knows.”
— Epictetus
NBA all-star Shaquille O’Neal is no media neophyte, but he was the most physically dominant player of his generation. He’s starred in movies, done many post-game interviews, and made rap albums. Despite his stunning achievements, O’Neal decided to take a crash course in sports broadcasting journalism at Syracuse University.
He didn’t let his ego interfere with his desire to learn, nor did he think that he’s acquired enough knowledge that he needed to know. O’Neal diversified his skillsets by mastering new techniques.
For us, we often view learning as a process that ends once we graduate from college. However, it doesn’t teach us what we need to know in life, not especially when critical issues are fast-breaking, and they don’t come with a formalised set of instructions.
When we’re adults, it’s easy to feel like asking questions is silly. It could also be that we’re ignorant enough not to acknowledge our shortfalls. Our ego has prevented us from learning and failing because we often use failures to measure our self-worth.
It’s only in failing do we understand the challenges and barriers that need to be overcome. Today, there are plenty of solutions to the problems we seek in the age of information, but there’s an even greater challenge to sharpen our thinking.
In truth, there’s wisdom to be gained, whether in the past, present, or future.
An expert is one who knows more and more about less and less until he knows absolutely everything about nothing.
— Nicholas Butler
4. Nothing Lasts Forever
“Alexander the Great and his mule driver both died and the same thing happened to both.”
— Marcus Aurelius
At the end of the day, what we’ve achieved won’t matter. It’s not a self-deprecating thought to worry about. Rather, see it as a central tenet to guide you in the way of life.
We were born into the world and see ourselves as the main character of our story. This gives us an inflated sense of importance and entitlement.
In reality, everyone carries with them different depths of experiences. Even great minds like Steve Jobs and Mozart were eventually relegated in a post-movie credit.
Life doesn’t require you to chase after wealth, power, or status just because everyone else is doing it. There’s no need to pressure yourself to conform to irrational standards. One day, none of these things last. All we’ve accomplished in life would be disappear into thin air.
What really matters is to live on your own terms. Do the things that make you happy, not what people tell you to achieve to become happy.
Happiness is subjective. When we live that way, it’s only then we can honestly tell ourselves that we’ve lived a fulfilling life.
Thank you for reading!
