The Stoic Truth: Are You Sabotaging Your Own Success? | STOICISM INSIGHTS #stoicism
Welcome back to Stoicism Insights, your guide to unlocking the timeless wisdom of Stoic philosophy for a more fulfilling life. Today we're delving into a topic that's often overlooked: the negative habits that hinder our journey towards virtue and tranquility. Join me as we shine a light on these hidden obstacles and discover the keys to true personal growth.
There is a lot of talk in the historical community on the internet about how we should act and what habits we should have to become better and lead a virtuous life, but there is hardly any discussion about the habits we already have that are entirely negative for our lives. Epictetus said the following: there are two vices much darker and more serious than the rest: lack of persistence and lack of high mastery—persist and resist. Epictetus knew that the key to living rightly is to persist and resist.
To persist means never stopping to make an effort and act correctly, even when we don't feel like it. It means developing new ways of acting that make us better. Creating good habits is not easy, so we need to be persistent. The other key is to resist. Resistance means avoiding temptations and bad habits that destroy us.
In this video, I will talk about six habits that we all have in our daily lives that we should avoid if we want to live fully and happily. Before we begin, I would be immensely grateful if you leave a like on this video, as it helps me spread this philosophy to more people. If you don't want to miss any videos, subscribe and activate the channel's notification bell.
First, stop wasting your time. We complain that our days are few, but we act as if they were infinite. Seneca thought a lot about the duration of life and came to the conclusion that many of us do not truly live; we simply exist. We waste our time doing things that bring us nothing and postpone what we have to do.
When we are lazy, we act as if we will live forever and do not realize that time is the most valuable thing we have. Nothing guarantees that you will be alive tomorrow or that you will be in a position to do what you desire. In the words of Marcus Aurelius, "You could stop living right now." Let this thought determine what you do, say, and think. Let this reflection on time make you not waste it and value it as it deserves. The first step to living a good life is to start taking the time we have seriously.
Second, stop emotionally clinging to things. The Stoics believe that we need to learn to let go, not only physically but also emotionally. If you made a mistake in your life, do not torture yourself with it. Learn from it so as not to repeat it again. Guilt and regret do not help. This does not mean that it is wrong to feel these emotions. These emotions help us understand that we acted wrongly.
But once we understand that we acted wrongly and learn from the situation so as not to repeat the same mistake, we should not allow these emotions to continue tormenting us. We all make mistakes. Do not suffer excessively because of them, and always look for ways to grow from the error.
Third, stop procrastinating. Marcus Aurelius wrote in his Meditations the following: "You could do something good today, but you choose to do it tomorrow." Or, in the words of Seneca, "All fools have in common that they are always getting ready to begin." We prefer to say, "I'll do this tomorrow," instead of saying, "I'll never do this."
Although many times when we postpone something, we never get around to doing it. If you have something to do, do it now. What is the point of postponing something you have to do? Even if it makes you lazy, it is always better to do what you should do now. For several reasons: the first, as I mentioned before, is because our time is limited; and the second is that rest is more enjoyable when you fulfill your obligations.
When you postpone something out of laziness, you feel guilty and know that you should be doing something instead of resting. You do not enjoy the rest in the same way because deep down you know you do not deserve it. The worst part is that sooner or later you will have to fulfill that obligation, so you have gained absolutely nothing by postponing it. Few sensations surpass the satisfaction of a job well done, and doing it well implies doing it at the right moment, not later.
Fourth, stop being a slave. Seneca wrote the following: "He is a slave who does not show me someone who is not a slave." One is a slave to lust, another to greed, a third to ambition, and all are slaves to hope; all are slaves to fear. There is no more shameful slavery than voluntary servitude. Seneca was right when he said that we are all slaves to something.
Many times we are not even aware of it. We forget that to be truly free, we must have our minds fully under our control and thus be able to resist the temptations that arise in our lives. The best tool to achieve freedom and master our minds is discipline. For some, it will be harder than for others, but we must all remember daily who is in charge: us or our impulses. Or, in the words of Epictetus, "No man is free who is not a master of himself."
Fifth, stop settling for mediocrity. Strive for excellence. Every time you do something in your life, ask yourself, "Did I give my best?" If you look back on your life, you will realize that in many situations, you did not give your best. The question is, "Why are you doing something that does not deserve your best, and if it does, why didn't you give your best?"
Ask yourself this question in everything you do, and you must always give your best. We do not control whether we will succeed in our actions, whether we will win or lose, or whether we will be recognized for what we do, but it is in our control to try our best and give our best in what we do. Anything else that is not in our control should not matter to us. Why settle for doing something mediocre when you have the ability to do something extraordinary?
Sixth, do not let anxiety dominate you. In his Meditations, Marcus Aurelius wrote the following: "Today I escaped anxiety, or no, I discarded it because it was within me, in my own perceptions, not outside events." Anxiety does not help or improve you. It doesn't even help solve the problem.
It's just a thought that torments you, thinking about what might or might not happen in the future. Realize that no matter what happens in the future, no matter how much uncertainty hangs over your life, you have already overcome worse situations before. Understand that you have the tools to deal with whatever bad things may arise in the future. Distinguish between the things you cannot control and the things that are under your control, and think about the worst that could happen. In many cases, you will realize that the situation is less severe than you thought.
Do you have any habits in your life that you want to eliminate? I hope to receive your comments. I hope this video helps you get rid of habits that we all have in our daily lives, and that do.
As we conclude our exploration today, I urge you to reflect on the insights we've uncovered and how they can shape your path forward. Remember, awareness is the first step toward transformation, and by understanding these negative habits, you're already on the road to a more stoic life.
Don't forget to like, subscribe, and hit that notification bell to stay updated on all our stoicism insights. Until next time, stay stoic, stay inspired, and keep seeking wisdom. This is Stoicism Insights, signing off. Take care.