Bryan Dijkhuizen

4 Things You Stop Doing Once You Start Applying Stoic Philosophy

Do you what Stoicism is?

“It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.”

Marcus Aurelius

The Stoics determined their life to live based on knowledge.

I’ve been studying Stoicism for a while now and tried to practice some of the wonderful practices from the ancient Roman era.

One of the books that inspired me to do so is “Meditations” by Marcus Aurelius.

Before Stoicism, my life was more stressed and chaotic.

Here are four things that you stop doing once you applied the stoic philosophy.


Stop Worrying About The Things We Can’t Control

It even sounds useless.

“Why worry about the things we can’t control?”

Once you’re a real Stoic, you stop doing this. Because worrying about the things that happened to you over which you have no control is only going to result in more frustration.

There are certain things in life you can control. You should take a look at which they are.

For example:

  • Your career.
  • Your love life.
  • The people you surround yourself with.
  • Your workout.
  • The way you live your life.

The things you don’t control:

  • The way people see you.
  • The way people respond to you.

As you can tell, it’s mostly the things that other people do that can make you frustrated — other people aren’t worth it worrying about.


Stop Worrying About The Past & Future

Both the past and future are irrelevant to your life now.

“Life is very short and anxious for those who forget the past, neglect the present, and fear the future.” — Seneca

As your life is very short, you need to get the best out of it. That’s what I believe and that’s also what the Stoic philosophy believes.

To achieve this:

  • You need to stop worrying about the past.
  • You need to stop worrying about the future.
  • Live in the now.

This ties in perfectly with the idea of not worrying about the things you can’t control because you can’t control the past or the future. Eventually, you can shape your future but not change it upfront.

You have to live in the now and that’s the only thing that matters.


Stop Going The Way Of Least Resistance

Have you ever seen someone thrive going the conventional route?

“Don’t demand or expect that events happen as you would wish them to. Accept events as they actually happen. That way peace is possible.”

Epictetus

Big results often come are big sacrifices and that’s also what the Stoics believe. To achieve something new you have to get uncomfortable, beat the standard, and go through your personal hell.

The big challenges of mankind have only made it better.

But also, if things don’t go the way you want them to go, try to transform them into something that energizes you instead of putting you on the ground.

Get up and fight for a better life.


Neglecting Personal Vulnerability

Often, people see Stoicism as a philosophy where we don’t want to look ourselves in the eyes.

“Trying not to worry about the things you can’t control is selfish.”

If you think this is true, you have no idea what true happiness is.

The Stoic way of living is a constant reflection and finding out about the wisest knowledge. I want to get as good as possible without modifying things that are outside of my control.

That’s why Stoicism is so efficient.

If you neglect your vulnerability and don’t dare to look yourself in the eyes, you won’t grow.

It’s that self-growth when getting vulnerable that works exponentially.


Final Thoughts

Our society is constantly frustrated.

I see it all the time when I walk around. People that are on their phones, talking, calling, and seemingly stressed out.

What can we do to avoid getting ‘infected’ by these frustrations and negativity?

  • Use meditation to calm yourself down in situations that you know can get out of hand.
  • Reflecting on your own behavior from the past; if you can recall that information when you’re getting frustrated you can perhaps turn it into calmness.
  • Don’t worry about the past or future; your life is now and if you want to achieve happiness, wealth, or wisdom you need to act now.

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