Stoicism's Three Practices for Resilience and Purposeful Living

Key Quotes

"One of the questions we ask ourselves when we're afraid of something, when we're thinking about it, we go, 'But what about me? What would I do if?' Marcus Aurelius says, 'You'll meet that with the same weapons you've met all your other problems.' So, remember that you've been scared before, and you're still here. Often, what our fear is really doing is underestimating or undercounting how good we actually are at what we do."

Ryan Holiday argues that fear often stems from underestimating one's own capabilities. He highlights Marcus Aurelius's perspective that individuals possess the same inner resources to face new challenges as they have used for past ones. This suggests that remembering past successes and inherent strengths can combat paralyzing fear.

"One of the reasons I think it's important to have a physical practice, one of the reasons it's good to seek out adversity and difficulty, is so when stuff happens, you're ready. Epictetus, one of the early Stoics, he's actually a slave, and he says, 'You want to get to a point where when stuff happens, you're able to say, 'This is what I trained for. You knew this could happen, and you did the work.''"

Ryan Holiday emphasizes the Stoic principle of continuous training as preparation for life's inevitable challenges. He explains that seeking out difficulty and engaging in physical or mental practice builds resilience. Epictetus's quote illustrates that preparedness allows one to face adversity with a sense of readiness rather than surprise or panic.

"And the third one would be this Stoic exercise of Memento Mori, which basically means remember you will die. I actually carry a coin in my pocket that says this. But I think when you realize that life is already short and fragile, if I'm spending my time cowering in fear or worrying, I'm acting as if I have a certain power over things that I don't."

Ryan Holiday introduces the Stoic practice of Memento Mori, or remembering one's mortality, as a way to reframe fear and worry. He suggests that acknowledging life's brevity and fragility shifts focus from uncontrollable anxieties to the present moment. This perspective encourages a more deliberate use of time, rather than succumbing to fear.

"So if you're spending that time worrying, stressing, watching the news all day, you're what you're actually doing is rejecting the life that you have in front of you. It's kind of like a longer eclipse. It's like there's an eclipse that's happening, we don't know what this is, but you can sit there and worry and fear for those five minutes of the eclipse or whatever, or you can look up and enjoy it and do something with your time and make the most of it and prepare and strategize and organize your time."

Ryan Holiday uses the analogy of an eclipse to illustrate the choice between succumbing to fear and actively engaging with life, even during uncertain times. He argues that excessive worrying and stress are forms of rejecting the present. Ryan Holiday advocates for making the most of available time by preparing and strategizing, rather than passively fearing the unknown.