10 TIPS TO REACH THE ULTIMATE HAPPINESS LEVEL | Marcus Aurelius | STOICISM

10 TIPS TO REACH THE ULTIMATE HAPPINESS LEVEL | Marcus Aurelius

What made Marcus Aurelius so exceptional? He was one of the five noble emperors who truly cared for their people. He was also a loyal student of Stoic philosophy and found time to write a series of personal works known today as Meditations. In these writings, the Roman emperor shared many valuable lessons on how to live a joyful life. In this video, we will explore ten of the most important insights from the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius.

But before we begin, I want to ask you to stay with me until the end. You are here because you want to improve yourself. The last five insights are critical, but you must watch the first ones to understand them as they lay the groundwork for the later ones. I hope to see you there.

1. Build your own character.

Marcus Aurelius said that the mind has no needs except those it creates. We live in a materialistic society. We are constantly exposed to ads that tell us what we need to buy. We also see the lives of the rich and famous in the media. When we seek happiness through material things, we will never be satisfied. There will always be something else we want, something bigger, faster, or more expensive.

By depending on external things for our happiness, we give up our control over them. The truth is that nothing material is really ours. It can be taken away from us at any moment. What happens when we lose our identity based on how big our house is? The idea here is that instead of chasing material wealth, we should focus on developing our character.

Our character is the most valuable asset we possess. It defines who we are and how we live. It is the only thing that cannot be taken away from us, no matter what happens. We may lose our home, car, or business, but we can never lose our character. Our character can make us rise or fall in life and leave a lasting legacy. Therefore, we should strive to develop a character that is compassionate, sincere, and diligent. We should also learn to treat others with respect and kindness.

2. Don't base your happiness on others' opinions.

We should not base our happiness on the opinions of others. You can't please everyone with billions of people. Trying to get likes on social media or matches on dating apps can make us feel dependent on external validation. However, this is not a reliable source of happiness.

The key is to start by changing our own mindset. By building a strong relationship with ourselves, we should seek happiness from within. We should realize that people dislike us not because we aren't funny, kind, or smart. There will always be people who disagree with us or criticize us, no matter what we do or say. Therefore, we should live our lives in the most authentic way possible.

We should not pretend to agree with someone's political views if we don't or tolerate hurtful comments from our friends. As the French novelist André Gide said, it is better to be hated for who you are than loved for who you are not.

3. Focus on what you can control.

The only things we can control in life are our thoughts and actions. Everything else is beyond our reach. Therefore, we should focus only on what we can control and ignore the rest. This is what Marcus Aurelius advises us. If the cucumber is bitter, throw it away. If there are thorns in the path, go around them. That's all you need to know, nothing more.

Sometimes, we waste time and energy on things that we have no power over. Emotions like anger can be useful if they motivate us to act against injustice, but often they are useless. For example, when we are stuck in traffic, we can choose to be calm and listen to the radio, or we can choose to be angry and honk. We can't change the situation either way. We cannot control other people's words, actions, or thoughts. Therefore, we should not pay too much attention to them and focus on our own lives instead.

4. Transform anger into motivation and creativity.

One way to deal with anger is to channel it into something positive. Anger is a powerful emotion that can overwhelm us and make us act impulsively. When we explode in rage, we often regret our actions later and cause harm to ourselves and others.

But what if we could use our anger for good? What if we could turn it into a source of motivation and creativity? We must recognize our anger and its effects before it escalates. We need to reflect on how anger affects our lives and relationships, as well as how we can choose a different response when we feel angry.

Instead of letting anger consume us, we can harness its energy and intensity to create something useful and beneficial for ourselves and others. We can channel our anger into constructive and innovative projects that express our feelings in a positive way.

5. Change your negative thoughts.

Another way to cope with negative emotions is to change our negative thoughts. The Roman emperor and philosopher Marcus Aurelius said, you have power over your mind, not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength. He meant that our thoughts affect our feelings. Our negative emotions are often the result of our negative interpretations of reality.

For example, imagine two friends, John and Bill, who were invited to the same birthday party. John is very social and looks forward to the party. He sees it as a wonderful chance to meet new people and have fun. Bill is very shy and dreads the party. He believes he will be alone and awkward, and no one will like him. The same situation can elicit very different emotions depending on how we perceive it.

We need to understand that our anxiety, worry, or anger are not caused by our circumstances, but by our thoughts about them. Therefore, we have the ability to empower ourselves and control our emotions by changing our thoughts. We can challenge our negative assumptions and replace them with more realistic and positive ones.

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6. Be prepared for challenges

Be ready for anything and bounce back from challenges. Marcus Aurelius teaches us that living well is more like wrestling than dancing because it requires us to be alert and prepared for the unexpected and the unforeseen and not to be easily knocked down.

The key to happiness is resilience in the face of difficulties and setbacks. It's interesting that those who succeed and thrive in their lives see challenges differently and are prepared for any outcome. For them, life is about adapting to changes and finding the positive side of what is going wrong.

When you don't let failure stop you, you can take small steps and move forward despite your fears and resistance. See life from a positive perspective and consider the constant flow of time. As Marcus Aurelius wisely says, time is powerful and this too shall pass.

7. Be extremely grateful for what you have

Marcus Aurelius says that we should recognize and appreciate the virtues that we possess as well as remember how much we would miss them if we did not have them. Often, we forget about all the amazing things and people in our lives and focus only on what we lack.

Marcus Aurelius advises us to imagine how our lives would be different if we didn't have all the wonderful people and situations that we have and how much we would long for them. This is a simple but very effective practice to cultivate a deep sense of gratitude for all that is going well in our lives.

We overlook life's simple pleasures, such as being alive, having close family and friends, and the ability to love and enjoy as we concentrate too much on what we lack and what is going wrong. Being thankful and appreciative of what you have makes you feel positive and increases your happiness levels.

8. Be tolerant and avoid judgment

Marcus Aurelius reminds us that we are all interconnected and interdependent. We can either help or bear with each other. We cannot isolate ourselves from the web of life nor can we live a meaningful life in solitude.

When we look at others with empathy, we can let go of or reduce our opinions about them. We should be willing to share and teach, but not to impose our expectations on others. We are only responsible for ourselves, not for the actions and outcomes of others. Trying to change others to suit our preferences will only lead to frustration.

9. Find peace within yourself

Marcus Aurelius says that he did not escape from anxiety but discarded it because it was in his own perceptions, not outside. We often forget that everything we experience happens in our minds. Our emotions shape our experiences, and we choose how to react to them based on these emotions.

Everything we go through comes from within, and when we realize this, we see that we have more control over how we feel than we thought. If we can manage our emotions, we can master a significant part of happiness.

10. Live in the present and be aware of your mortality

Marcus Aurelius advises us not to pretend that we have a thousand years to live, but to be good while we are alive and able because death is always near. He urges us to focus on what is essential and meaningful, not waste our time on trivial things.

Many people live as if they are immortal, postponing their dreams and desires for the future. The main lesson here, according to Marcus Aurelius, is that we should value the precious time we have and start living our lives now. Stop living for tomorrow and begin living for today.

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