Daily Stoicism| A 30-Day Challenge to Change Your Life
will you commit?
Why Stoicism?
It teaches reason, temperance, virtue, understanding — traits that modern people are still struggling with.
In simple words it wants you to act as the manager (in chairman position, “in-action”)of your mind. Body and spirit act as sub-ordinates.
It calls for more awareness. That´s why you´ll notice that almost every task in this challenge includes observing and/or writing the observed down.
Do you wanna be in control of your mind? (As far as you can)
About this challenge: If you wanna take this seriously, if you wanna commit, then don´t read the whole article, but only the task for the next day.
Many of these points may seem obvious, but it seems as if humanity even fails to act on these simple principles. That´s harsh but true.
You´ll also come across many quotes especially from Epictetus, Seneca, and Marcus Aurelius, because why paraphrase it when they say it the best.
1. Control What You Can — Let go of the Rest
This is the most important stoic lesson ever. No discussion. You can dedicate the whole 30 days to this point. You only have so much energy. Don´t waste it on nothingness.
Task: What annoys you throughout the day? How often do you think about the behavior/clothes/life of other people? What external forces do you badmouth? Observe.
“The chief task in life is simply this: to identify and separate matters so that I can say clearly to myself which are externals not under my control, and which have to do with the choices I actually control.” Epictetus
2. Live in the Now
Task: Set a timer for every hour. The alarm tells you when to stop what you are doing for one minute and just fill your senses with all your surroundings. Pause. Listen. Feel.
3. Don’t Judge Others
Judgment tells you a lot about yourself, it´s just a mirror. So you could as well skip the useless external criticism and directly think about your own faults.
Task: Write down a description of all the people that you interacted with today. You can criticise them. When you look at the written turn it around and project it on yourself. Most of it will be true for your person as well.
“Let philosophy scrape off your own faults, rather than be a way to rail against the faults of others” -Seneca
4. Be Grateful
If you ever heard about the Laws of the Universe you´ll know that we attract according to our vibe & our thoughts. Gratefullness=Abundance=More Abundance.
Task: Set a timer for every hour. When you hear the alarm think of all the things that happened this hour. Be grateful for the seemingly “good” and “bad”, try to find an advantage in everything.
“In all things, we should try to make ourselves be as grateful as possible.” -Seneca
5. Life Your Life
Task: Today, always choose the thing that makes you feel more alive/that excites you/motivates you. (don´t spare this task for the weekend)
“You are afraid of dying. But, come now, how is this life of yours anything but death?” Seneca
6. Know When to Stick (And When to Quit!)
This is all about forgiveness, letting go and freedom.
Task: Write down: What things in your life are like a chain, like a burden, or like shoelaces that make you trip? Free yourself from the chains, unburden the burden, and tie your shoes!
7. See The Bigger Picture
Think about how small your country is compared to the earth. That the earth is just a ball floating in an endless space. Nature is unbelievably smart. It creates the most incredible living beings. Take you, for example, you don´t have to think about how to walk, how to digest, how to speak.
Task: Sit down ten minutes and get all philosophical.
8. Identify Your Ego
The Ego was developed in our early childhood as a construct of our Self. But our ego isn´t us, it simply consists of beliefs about our identity and our surroundings. It always acts out of fear.
Task: Write down 10 things you´d really want to do, but your ego tells you can not.
9. Our perception is everything
Mindset is everything.
Task: Write down the beliefs that you hold about everything. Love/Money/Society/Politics/Nature and flip them. Like “Money is hard to get” to “Money comes easy”. Choose the one that serves you more.
What really frightens and dismays us is not external events themselves, but the way in which we think about them. It is not things that disturb us, but our interpretation of their significance.” -Epictetus
10. Love Your Fate
Task: Write down 3 completely unexpected things, that happened to you and how they led you on your path.
“Don’t seek for everything to happen as you wish it would, but rather wish that everything happens as it actually will — then your life will flow well” — Epictetus
11. Watch Your Words
Task: Before you speak/before you write a message, count to 3 and observe if your EGO is acting out, if you are acting out of anger or if it´s really you.
“Better to trip with the feet than with the tongue” — Zeno
12. Take a Walk
Task: Obviously. Take a 30-minute walk.
“We should take wandering outdoor walks, so that the mind might be nourished and refreshed by the open air and deep breathing.”- Seneca
13. Ask For Help
Task: Write down the qualities (professions/hobbies) your friends possess. Then write down how it might help you in your life. Ask.
Don’t be ashamed of needing help. You have a duty to fulfill just like a soldier on the wall of battle. So what if you are injured and can’t climb up without another soldier’s help?” — Marcus Aurelius
14. Trust Yourself
Your instincts are always the truth. Even though everyone walks this way, do not be afraid to turn around. The world needs just that.
Task: Meditate for 30 minutes and get in touch with your instincts.
15. Remember You Are Going to Die
Task: Create your bucket list.
“Let each thing you would do, say or intend be like that of a dying person”- Marcus Aurelius
16. Review Your Day
Task: Buy a journal. Write in it about today´s matters.
(even if I can´t guarantee it, I´m hoping you´ll see this book again and keep up the journalling. It´s so beneficial)
17. Watch the Wise
Task: Choose a mentor. Remember your childhood heroes, favorite actors, or revolutionists. Write down quotes and then adjust your future actions accordingly. If you wanna go real hard, hire a coach.
18.You Can’t Have It All — Learn to Prioritize
Task: Make a list of 5 things intangible/tangible/people/things, that are really important to you.
“Don’t set your heart on so many things” — Epictetus.
18. Seize The Day
Task: Write down 3 things you wanna get done today. Do them.
“As each day arises, welcome it as the very best day of all, and make it your own possession. We must seize what flees.”- Seneca
19. Remember That You Can’t Be Broken
Task: Option 1: Think of one thing you always wanted to do but never did because of fear: Do it! Option 2: Go for a 40-minute run
“You can bind up my leg, but not even Zeus has the power to break my freedom of choice.” — Epictetus
20. Be Kind
Because there exists no situation which rewards a hateful reaction more than one coming from a place of kindness.
Task: Speak to a plant. Smile at a stranger. Be extra friendly to your cashier.
21. Receive compliments and critique the same way
It´s not about what others say, it´s how we let it change the view of ourselves. If someone says your nose is too big and the next day another one says it´s your best feature, do you change accordingly?
Task: Do you determine your worth by the compliments/critique of others?
22. Cultivate Empathy
Compassion. Understanding. Sympathy. Call it what you want. It´s what every human needs and it´s gonna win you friends.
Task: Ask someone “How are you?” today, and listen carefully.
23. Be Prepared for the Unexpected
Task: Do something completely out of the norm today. Hug your manager. Jump in the river with clothes on. Call someone you haven´t spoken to in 10 years.
“The art of living is more like wrestling than dancing, because an artful life requires being prepared to meet and withstand sudden and unexpected attacks.” — Marcus Aurelius
24. Food is the Best Test Of Self-Control
What are we doing every day? Eating. Use it as a post-it note, a reminder.
Task: Eat no sugar today. Eat something healthy instead (fruits and veggies).
“That God who made man provided him food and drink for the sake of preserving his life and not for giving him pleasure, one can see very well from this: when food is performing its real function, it does not produce pleasure for man, that is in the process of digestion and assimilation.”-Musonius Rufus
25. Failure is Natural, Regret is Foolish
Don’t be surprised by failure, expect it, embrace it, and seek after obstacles in your life which seem uncomfortable. It is here where your character will be tested and most importantly molded and developed.
Task: Buy “The Obstacle is the Way” by Ryan Holiday. It changed my life. Alternatively, write down all your failures and how they made you the person you are today.
26. Focus on the Small Things
Do this and you´ll lift your mood significantly.
Task: Food, a friendly cashier, a nice outfit. Focus on them and again: be grateful.
27. Master the Three Domains of Time
You can learn from the past. You can strive for a better future, but you can only act and actively change the present.
Task: With a pencil: Write down 2 things out of the past, that are still holding you back and 2 things that you are scared of in the future. Erase them.
Life is very short and anxious for those who forget the past, neglect the present, and fear the future”- Seneca
28. Spread Love
You can act from a place of love or fear. Guess which one serves you more.
Task: Write a message to your spouse/your parent/an old friend for no reason. Just say some nice words.
29. Laugh about Your Fears
Fear is an illusion, but it´s still an integral part of our life. Overcoming fear is the biggest factor for personal growth.
Task: Write down ten irrational fears of yours and commit to fighting them.
Today I escaped anxiety. Or no, I discarded it, because it was within me, in my own perceptions not outside.” — Marcus Aurelius
30. Choose a Mantra
What we think about the most is who we are.
Task: Choose your favorite quote from this article and make it your mantra for the rest of this year.
Don’t explain your philosophy. Embody it.” Epictetus
