Weekly Quote: Embracing Perspective for Personal Growth with The Practicing Stoic
This quote from The Practicing Stoic reminds us that taking a broader view offers perspective, something of value that we all need more of.
Good or bad, whatever is happening right now won’t last forever. In fact, It probably will be over sooner than you expect. Time is indifferent to our joy and sorrow. It just moves ahead. Our best bet is to understand how we fit into the bigger picture.
Take some time today to pull back the camera for a wider view. Write in your journal and reflect on all of this, then use what you learn to become a better human.
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Weekly Quote: Marcus Aurelius on The Power of Choice
This week’s quote comes from Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. As you go through the week consider these words about how we can decide not to be harmed, and remember what Ward Farnsworth identifies as a first principle of practical Stoicism – we don’t react to events; we react to our judgments about them.
Weekly Quote: Seneca on Finding Courage Through Hardship
This week's quote from Seneca is included as part of the chapter on adversity in The Practicing Stoic by Ward Farnsworth.
Ward has written an excellent book on Stoicism that I have quoted multiple times. I read this book slowly for the first time, taking lots of notes and highlights for future reference, and I am already rereading chapters and passages that can help me make sense of something happening.
It's been a challenging year, although none of what's happened is particularly remarkable or unique to my family, and it's all been manageable despite being exhausting and occasionally overwhelming. I know everyone goes through tough times, and I've been trying to learn from these experiences. Here are a few things that I'm figuring out that might help you too:
I Cannot Control Every Situation
I'm getting better at understanding more quickly when a situation is beyond my control. One of our children, who is now fully recovered, got sick and ended up in the hospital for a few days. I couldn't fix that. I could only be a participant in a bigger plan for recovery and stability for the entire family.
I Can be More Patient
I think I am a pretty patient person, and I am working on getting more tuned in to what it means to be a patient son, father, and husband. Different roles in my life need other things from me. Patience is universal, but there are nuances that I'm picking up on.
Creating Through Adversity Shuts the Resistance Down
I believe that adversity can spark creativity. Unfortunately, I've had very little time to create or write over the last several weeks, but the ideas are still coming and are meaningful to me. I've been feeling The Resistance a lot recently. Its presence encourages me that I am on the right path. I'm not giving up. I'm doubling down.
Building Courage is Worth Doing
I'm building my courage through practice. Living a rich life means that adversity will happen, and while it can be difficult, I feel more prepared to face what is next because of what I have already gone through.
How I Face Hardship Matters
Whether it's at work or home, someone is watching. I may struggle with a situation, but I can strive to have a measured and thoughtful response when it all goes wrong, or something scary happens. Essentially, the definition of being courageous.
Recognizing my Good Fortune Builds Endurance
I am deeply fortunate to have a healthy and happy family. We are coming closer because of these experiences, which is another gift of endurance I will gladly take as part of this journey.
Weekly Quote: Ward Farnsworth, Author of The Practicing Stoic, on Living in the Present
This week’s quote comes from The Practicing Stoic: A Philosophical User’s Manual by Ward Farnsworth, a book I am slowly reading and very much enjoying. I’ve written about this book before and continue to gather insights into Stoicism and how it can help shape my personal and professional journey.
I’ve spent this week living firmly in the present with a house full of sick people (that includes me), and I haven’t had much time to write or do anything beyond survival. I’m happy to live in the present, yet I look forward to the family being well and our routine returning to normal soon.
Weekly Quote: Ward Farnsworth on the First Principle of Practical Stoicism
This week’s quote comes from The Practicing Stoic: A Philosophical Users Manual by Ward Farnsworth. I heard the author on a recent episode of The Daily Stoic podcast, and based on that conversation this book was an immediate purchase for me.
The judgments are up to us. This is a profound reminder. It’s easy to forget that while we have very little control over what happens in our lives, we have an enormous ability to control how we react to our interpretation of what has happened. In conversations with friends and colleagues, I’ve struggled to explain my understanding of this part clearly. Ward has done it better and more succinctly than I could.
I am enjoying the style of this book a lot. The various chapters include relevant quotes from the original Stoics and other, more modern philosophers. Perhaps unsurprisingly, using quotes and extrapolating on them really works for me. Who knew!
If you pick this book up, send me a note and tell me what you think.