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If a child is friends with peers who do not strive for anything, we believe that he himself will not achieve anything in life. But for some reason we do not take into account that this applies to adults as well. If your friends tolerate an unloved job or lead an unhealthy lifestyle, you are also likely to make similar decisions. Think about your friends and colleagues: do they inspire and support you or, on the contrary, pull you down?
The same applies to what you read, watch, and think about. Our life eventually begins to resemble our environment, so choose it carefully.
According to Epictetus, the main task of a philosopher is to distinguish what he can control and what he cannot.
Usually we spend a huge amount of time on something that does not depend on us in any way. We can control our actions, thoughts, feelings. There are no other people, weather, external events. But the attitude to people, the weather and external events are quite amenable to our control. Having learned to distinguish this, you will stop being upset because of what is not in your power.
Without knowing this, you simply will not be able to build your schedule so that you feel comfortable. Remember the most pleasant days of your life. What were you doing? Ideally, your work, personal life, and home should help you live as many days as possible in this way.
Lead a lifestyle that allows you to be yourself, and does not force you to constantly pretend to be someone else.
Such a question was asked by the military strategist John Boyd to his potential assistants. Which way will you choose? Will you strive for success or will you focus on a higher goal? Will you fixate on your position, the number of fans, the amount of salary, or will you focus on really significant achievements? What have you chosen so far?
Different life problems cause us sadness, anxiety, fears. The only way to survive these problems is to try to keep such feelings under control. Therefore, the next time you notice that you are immersed in negative emotions, remind yourself of the high price you have to pay for them. After all, being distracted by them, you miss something important.
Do you even know what this case is? You can work tirelessly, to the point of exhaustion, and still not do your job. We often delve into small things, do someone else's work, or just procrastinate. All this creates a sense of employment, but does not bring us closer to what is important to us.
If you don't know what is important to you, you can't know if you devote enough time and effort to it. Whatever it is —family, money, work — you need to know and accept it. Only then will you stop comparing yourself with people who have completely different priorities. Only then will you be able to give up the race for "success" and achieve that state of calm that Seneca called "confidence that you are on the right track and do not lose your way by looking at the tracks of people crossing your road."
If you are creating, selling, or trying to attract people, you definitely need to know the answer to this question. You need to know your audience. Think: "What do these people want? What do they need? What can I offer them?" Don't rely on luck. Ask this question and try to find a clear answer.
Given the transience of life, does it even matter what I'm thinking, worrying, arguing about right now? Unfortunately, most often the answer is "no".
Do not forget to ask yourself this question so as not to waste time. Take the example of Marcus Aurelius and remind yourself that at this very moment you can die. Let it determine your actions, thoughts and words.
We are what we do. Therefore, when doing something, ask yourself: "Does this reflect what kind of person I want to be? How do I see myself?"
The way we do one thing speaks to how we do everything else, about who we are. Therefore, try to ask yourself with every action, every thought, every word, whether this corresponds to who you want to be.
