Trigger Warning!!! With No Apologies…
…Is It Time To Man Up?
Our Forefathers Knew About These ideas. Do You?
How Stoicism Can Help. Without Being A Jerk.
Are you stuck in a rut in your life? Is there something in your life that could be better or is completely missing? Here are some ideas that can help you get your life back on track.
Generally speaking, the definition of stoicism is that of a person having the ability to endure some pain and hardship in their life, without whining about it, complaining about it or showing an overly outward display of negative emotion.
The Philosophy of Stoicism is so much more. Once upon a time, Stoicism was embraced and promoted by many of the most influential Greeks in human history.
Unfortunately, the ideas and notions prescribed within the Philosophy of Stoicism seem to have waned in recent years. BAM humbly suggests that it may be time to have the ideas behind Stoicism make a comeback into a mans life. A touch of Stoicism just might be what the world needs more of right now. Especially for today’s “modern man”, a little Greek philosophy just might be what you need to get unstuck and out of your rut so that you can meaningfully move onward and upward!
Using These Ideas From The Stoic Philosophy You Can Overcome The Challenges That You Face In This Man’s Life:
1. Concern Yourself With The Things That You Can Control.
The weather, how other people act and the fact that your mother was mean to you when you were growing up are all out of your control. Focus your time, efforts and energies, both mental and physical on those things that you can have impact on and maybe even change.
2. As Much As Possible Be In The Now. Be Present With Your Thoughts And Actions.
Stoics were about getting out of your head. We should not need to tell you that we are living in a time of far too many distractions. The “Connected Life” has detached us from who we are inside. In our minds we are constantly reliving our past and imagining the future (Thoughts related to planning our future can be productive). Stoics were, well, stoical about managing reality in the moment, right here and right now.
3. The Obstacle Is The Path.
If you are moving forward, obstacles will come up and should not be avoided. Obstacles are meant to be confronted and managed. For any path that you take to success, obstacles will usually lie smack dab and right in middle of the most direct path to the goal. Therefore, be satisfied that you have reached an(other) obstacle. It signifies the potential that you are about to make a leap up and ahead.
4. Keep Your Expectations Reasonable.
The great stoics of the past understood that it was foolish and even silly to be startled, upset or thrown-off by anything. Being attentive, aware and reasonable should be the mindset that you are in. These traits will allow you to keep your expectations in check. Without these traits, becoming stressed and frustrated is often the result. For example, if you just started playing the piano today, it is highly unlikely that you’ll be a concert pianist by next year.
5. What Do You Think? Stop Caring What Other People Think.
We know who we are and what we are capable of. Even so, we do have our doubts. From our own doubts, it is very easy for us to care more about the opinions of others than we do of our own opinions about ourselves. Stop acting based on the opinions of others and stop comparing your self to other people. Work, act and strive to improve and then impress yourself and end the worrying about everyone else being impressed with you, or not.
6. Get Things Done.
Meaning comes from acting and doing. Stoics believed in being productive and extending your self – growing – rather then taking it easy and being comfortable. Figure out, rationally and logically what needs to be done and get on getting those things done. With the previous ideas in mind, keep your emotions in check and
“TCOB” – “Takin’ Care Of (Your) Business”.
Time is limited. Stoics were very much aware of this fact and did their best to avoiding wasting time to take care of their business that was important to them in that moment.
7. Be Virtuous.
The highest attainable goal for a Stoic was to live a virtuous life. Stoics always kept this goal in mind for all of the of the circumstances that they may have faced. The Stoic Man needs to stick to his values, especially when life becomes most challenging.
Look For The BAM Virtues Report Coming Soon.
8. Realize That You Are The Sole Source Of Your Emotions.
“You made me angry!” No. For the Stoic, people and events are not the cause of your emotions. This notion applies to both positive and negative emotions. We have said it before, many times, the choice is yours on how you choose how to react to a given circumstance. The one and only true freedom that we men have, that all people have is the freedom to exercise our choice on how we react to a given situation. Knowing this fact does not make it any easier, but it is the goal. If you are pissed off about something then it is only from your choice to be pissed off about it. Likewise, if you are happy about something then it is from your choice to be happy about it..
9. Failure Isn’t Final.
Make sure that you have no doubt about it, if you are working towards something worthwhile, there will be failures. If there are not, then you’re not working hard enough or you need to set your aim higher. For the stoic, a failure or setback is just one other challenge to overcome. A failure does not take anything away from the man that is striving for a higher goal. However, if the stoic man gives up after a failure, resigning from the task will reflect badly on the stoic man. Failures are just steps, and as with most things in life, take things one step at a time,
10. Be Grateful.
The Stoic does not look at others and say to himself, and whine, “Why can’t I be more like them?” “Why can’t I have what they have?” The stoic appreciates what he does have as he is well aware of the fact that it could be worse – It can always be worse. And it can always be much worse! The stoic man is thankful for what he has. And he realizes that if there is a shortcoming in his life, if he is missing something of true value in his life, then he knows that it is upt to him to do all that he can to attain it.
Conclusion.
With the above in mind, at the end of each day, sitting quietly by yourself for a few minutes, ask yourself, “What did I do correctly today?” What went well, today?” “What actions were or outcomes did not end as well as they should have or could have?” “What can I change to be able to have a more successful and productive day tomorrow?”
Let’s be honest with ourselves.
There are a number of us men that could stand to add a little more stoicism in their lives. There is no time like the present, right now, to start toughening ourselves up a little bit. The only positive and productive way to go forward is to face life and its many obstacles head on. Be A Man! Do The Right Thing and embody the lessons passed down from the great Greek philosophers and give this old way of thinking a new try. You just might surprise yourself with some new found inner-strength, confidence and fortitude.
What do you think? Our Forefathers Knew About These. Do You?
Can men be stoical today?
Share your thoughts, comments, tips and advice.
Be A Man – Do The Right Thing. Take Care Of Yourself.
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