5 Reasons Why Is Stoicism An Excellent Philosophy To Live By
Today we think that we live in a hectic world. We worry about things that are not under our control and that cause great frustration and anxiety. This philosophy helps us to differentiate between what is in our control and what isn’t, and to devote the energy and time to purposeful tasks.
Why is Stoicism an amazing philosophy in modern society? Below are five examples of why should we all live by Stoic principles.
1. You Will Learn How to Step Out of Your Comfort Zone
Modern Stoics know that life is unpredictable. We know how to enjoy life when it’s good, and we accept the successes that we anticipate would come. Embracing the “shit” means making the most of your situation. One way the Stoics trained themselves to do this was by engaging in what is called voluntary discomfort.
A modern method of voluntary discomfort is to start each morning with a cold shower. Of course, it is not at all pleasant, but contemporary studies on the health benefits of taking cold showers are more than convincing.
We can accept discomfort in other ways as well. Fasting, sleeping on the floor, living on 5 dollars a day for a week, etc. The harder we try, the more we raise our threshold to tolerate discomfort.
Also See: 5 Books You Should Read To Understand Stoicism Fully
2. You’ll Learn to Reflect on What The Day Will Bring You
They say that the blow that hurts the most is the one you don’t see coming. That’s why Stoics said that every day, we should take a moment to recognize the potential for something unexpected or unpleasant to come our way. We may have a flat tire on the way to work. We may underperform at work. All of these events are within the realm of possibility.
By visualizing what can go wrong, we are preparing our minds for the inevitable. We are objectively observing our day and approaching it with a sense of realism. Nature sometimes brings us misfortune. And that’s okay.
3. You’ll Realize Life Goes on After Failure
You can spend many years just watching your project get criticized or even ignored. Then you’ll get that feeling that arises when something, in which you have invested a part of yourself, fails miserably. However, the process of recovering from a fiasco is an invaluable practice, it’s a new way of looking at things. Only these lessons will help you in the future to not make the same mistakes. No failure, no growth.
4. You’ll Learn To Embrace The Beauty of Sharing
If you think about some of the happiest times in your life, those memories likely involve people who matter to you. Maybe it’s the night you asked the love of your life to marry you, or the day you secured your dream job and celebrated it with friends and family. No matter the occasion, one thing is for sure: the best things in life are meant to be shared.
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