2 Stoic Lessons That Will Change The Way You Live Your Life
Development Of An Internal Locus Of Control
The Locus of control is the degree to which people believe that they have control over the outcome of situations that arise within their lives. The concept of the Locus Of Control was developed by Julian B. Rotter in 1954, and has since become a key aspect of personality psychology, spanning huge realms of psychological research such as that of “Social Influence”.
An example of someone who epitomised the meaning of being a true Stoic was Epictetus, who famously stated
“Man is disturbed not by things, but by the views he takes of them”
Being born a slave it is easy to say that Epictetus would have no reason to believe that he had any sort of control surrounding things that happen or may have happened to him, however Epictetus believed that although his physical body appeared to be possessed by someone else, he would always own his opinions and thoughts and he did not allow his lack of physical control to prevent him from gaining complete control of his mind, aversions and perception of the world around him.
In todays modern climate it is so easy to submit to frustration and anxiety as we are so used to being comfortable. Whenever life strays from these comforts we truly notice our inability to respond to such occurrences. Minor inconveniences such as the internet taking just that little bit longer to load can become the catalyst to a dormant fire within us that when provoked sends our minds into turmoil.
The importance of this is that we need to be aware that it is not these inconveniences themselves that elicit such extreme reactions, but in fact our chosen emotional response to these “problems”. The responsibility ultimately lies with us as individuals to not allow external situations negatively impact our internal state of mind. Soon we then realise that we do have the ability to be happy regardless of the circumstances that we find ourselves in and that our state of mind and our experiences in life can if needed, be completely separated from one another.
“You have power over your mind not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength”
— Marcus Aurelius
Live Everyday As If It Is Your Last
A Roman Stoic philosopher by the name of Seneca once said
“You live as if you were destined to live forever, no thought of your frailty ever enters your head, of how much time has already gone by you take no heed. You squander time as if you drew from a full and abundant supply, though all the while that day which you bestow on some person or thing is perhaps your last.”
Death does not make life pointless, it in fact is what makes life truly worth living. The world will continue to spin when we are gone and those left behind will keep living their lives as you once did. Too many people nowadays adopt the attitude either arrogantly or ignorantly that we are going to live forever. Our lives could end abruptly at any point and so with this lingering uncertainty we should strive to lead our lives everyday as if they could be our last.
With this attitude you can not only take comfort in the fact that you are doing everything in your power to lead a meaningful existence but also make sure none of your time is wasted, failing to address the finite nature of our lives.
But What Does This Lifestyle Involve?
Taking Risks
If there a desires you are yet to fulfil such as jumping out of a plane, posting that video or writing that book, then take these opportunities no matter how big or small they may seem, they will ultimately pay off.
Living In The Present
When you’re out following your dreams and achieving your goals, don’t dwell on the argument you had yesterday or what you may have done wrong in weeks gone by. Make sure you live in the moment and let the past stay in the past. This will lead to you leading a more productive and stress free life.
It is ideas such as this are what differentiate Stoicism from other more mainstream branches of philosophy as it produces people who do rather than people who think.
