In our last +1, we chatted about Rule #1 of Stoicism.
Pop quiz!
Do YOU recall what Rule #1 of Stoicism is?
Well…
Do you?
🤷 🤓
As you may recall, Epictetus and his Stoic amigos tell us that if we want to live a good life, we’d be wise to focus on the things that are WITHIN our control and to let go of everything else.
That, in short, is Rule #1 of Stoicism.
Today I want to focus on this wisdom for a moment longer.
To MAKE SURE we get Rule #1 of Stoicism, let’s open up THE best-selling modern book on Stoicism—Ryan Holiday’s The Daily Stoic.
Note: If you’re looking for the PERFECT book to get going with Stoicism, that book is it. (Get a copy here. Check out our Notes here.)
Now…
Ryan’s Daily Stoic is a daily year-long guide of 366 daily meditations on Stoic wisdom.
Guess what Ryan features on DAY 1 of that little guidebook?
Yep.
Ryan reflects on the same passage we just chatted about in our last +1.
Here’s how he puts it: “The single most important practice in Stoic philosophy is differentiating between what we can change and what we can’t. What we have influence over and what we do not. A flight is delayed because of weather—no amount of yelling at an airline representative will end a storm. No amount of wishing will make you taller or shorter or born in a different country. No matter how hard you try, you can’t make someone like you. And on top of that, time spent hurling yourself at these immovable objects is time not spent on the things we can change.”
He continues by saying: “The recovery community practices something called the Serenity Prayer: ‘God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.’ Addicts cannot change the abuse suffered in childhood. They cannot undo the choices they have made or the hurt they have caused. But they can change the future—through the power they have in the present moment. As Epictetus said, they can control the choices they make right now.”
And, he concludes by saying: “The same is true for us today. If we can focus on making clear what parts of our day are within our control and what parts are not, we will not only be happier, we will have a distinct advantage over other people who fail to realize they are fighting an unwinnable battle.”
There ya go.
That’s Rule #1 of Stoicism.
Ultimately, the only things truly within our control are the choices we are making right.this.moment.
Which is why the focal point of Stoicism is beautifully captured in the Serenity Prayer: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
And…
That’s Today’s +1.
I repeat…
Some things are within our control.
Other things are not.
Let’s have fun keeping that in mind as we practice our philosophy.
All day.
Every day.
Especially…
TODAY.
P.S. Here’s the quote from Epictetus’s Discourses that Ryan is reflecting on in the passage above: “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. Where then do I look for good and evil? Not to uncontrollable externals, but within myself to the choices that are my own.”
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