Most of us are stressed, and some of us are overworked. Choosing empty productivity over mental peace. Some of us are battling addictions, and others are surrounded by unhealthy relationships. We are searching for inner peace, tranquility, and steadiness in our fast-paced lives.

What is the best way to live?

How can I deal with the difficult situations I face?

How should I handle the success and power that I hold?

Most people are constantly battling these questions in their heads.

Fortunately, Stoicism has got all the answers.

Stoicism was a school of philosophy founded in Athens in the early 3rd century BC.

These four virtues (self-control, courage, justice, wisdom) are responsible for our happiness. It is our perceptions - rather than anything external- that cause the most trouble.

The complete stoic philosophy is divided into three major frameworks:

1. The Discipline of Perception: It simply means how we perceive the world around us, it is our failure to perceive things in a clear light that brings a lot of mental misery.

2. The Discipline of Action: It is the actions you take to become the person you want to be, words are just that: words, the discipline of action means choosing the right thing to do no matter how difficult it seems at a time.

3. The Discipline of Will: The willingness or the acceptance that there are a lot of things outside of our control and we can’t change or control them. A lot of our anxiety comes from trying to control things that are meant to be accepted as they are.

So keeping these three disciplines in mind, here are six stoic lessons that will help people live a peaceful life.

Lesson 1: Control and Choice

The world is divided into two different things, the ones we have control over and the ones we have no control over what’s so ever. 

Most people spend their lives stressing, fearing, worrying, and yelling about things or situations they cannot control. Every moment spent worrying, and yelling, over things they can't control, according to the Stoics, is the time taken away from things they can handle.

When confronted with a difficult situation, we must ask ourselves, "What is within our control?"

Accept it if it is beyond our control; if it is within our control, take action. We'll be content in either case.

Lesson 2: Only Bad Dreams

The stoics believed that many of the things that upset us are a figment of our imagination. The anticipation of pain causes more pain than the actual pain. So stop anticipating and imagining events that may never happen.

Continued in part 2 ➡️