The Stoic Archer – Focus on the Process, Not the Outcome
Imagine you’re an archer aiming at a deer (or a clay pigeon – depending on your values). You’re highly focused. Notch your arrow. Draw your bow. Close an eye. Aim… and… Shoot! Now imagine the arrow moving in slow-motion towards the target. The arrow is out there. In the air. Out of your control. And you can only wait […]
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You Don’t Own Anything – Everything Is Borrowed from Fortune
What do you own in your life? Your car? House, laptop, clothes? The ring from your grandma? Other personal items? What if I told you: ‘You don’t own that! These things are not truly yours?’ I know, you paid for those things. You worked hard to own these possessions. Yet they can be lost in a blink of […]
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“What Would Batman Do?” – The (Stoic) Use of Role Models
I’m a terrible example. A few times a week Nils and I play football (with the feet; also known as “soccer”) on the artificial turf pitch of the nearby school. (We live in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, atm.) Often, Egyptian school kids come and want to play. They don’t really speak English, but it’s obvious they want […]
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Lions in the Classroom, Sheep in the World Outside
Here’s the trap: We learn new things but fail to apply them. What is something you’ve learned in the past few months? It can be from a book you’ve read, from an article, documentary, a conversation, or from a podcast. It can be from the Stoics, the Minimalists, or from BBC. Doesn’t matter. Did you try it? Did […]
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The Story of Hercules – Life Is Supposed to Be Hard
Ever felt desperate when life was hard on you? That’s when we say, “Screw me. This is so hard. Why is it so tough? Why can’t I just get it done?” Life is arduous at times. And we all go through difficult situations when we feel like the whole universe is sitting on our shoulders. Guess who […]
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10 Practical Stoic Exercises for a Modern Stoic Lifestyle
For the Stoics, practices played a key role in their philosophy. Stoicism is not a philosophy as we imagine it to be: old and outdated, and highly theoretical with a lot of blah-blah. On the contrary, Stoicism is relevant today, immensely practical and designed to work in the real world and has been a source of […]
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Negative Visualization: The Stoic Practice to Become Mentally Stronger
What’s the worst that could happen in your life?How would you cope?Hard to say, right?Have you ever heard of ‘negative visualization?’ Well, this is one of the most powerful tools in the Stoic’s tool kit. This imagination practice will help you deal with whatever life throws at you. Even with the worst that could happen.Sure, […]
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The One Stoic Idea that Can Make You Invincible
Imagine the power you’d have if all the things that trouble everyone else didn’t trouble you. What if, where others get upset, mad, and greedy, you were objective, calm, and clearheaded? Can you imagine that? Others getting all jittery and impatient while you’re staying cool and relaxed? Well, you can get that. The Stoic idea we’ll look at […]
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Nobody Does Wrong on Purpose – So How to Be Tolerant & Kind?
Ever gotten angry at another person? Bet you have. What if I told you that they didn’t do it on purpose? They never do (even if it seems so). Let me explain. People act as they think is right. They don’t act wrongly on purpose. They simply don’t know any better and, bluntly, they don’t know what they’re doing. Remember […]
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Voluntary Discomfort: The Stoic Practice that Gets You Comfortable Being Uncomfortable
Get uncomfortable – sleep a night on the floor.This sounds unthinkable and ridiculous but it will actually do you good. I tried it myself – it’s tremendous! And after you’ve read the article, you’ll want to try it yourself.The Stoics taught me this idea of voluntary discomfort. They occasionally practiced getting uncomfortable in order to […]
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