Ryan Holiday: 50 Rules for Stoic Life
This podcast episode from Ryan Holiday is a rapid run-through of a list of stoic rules. I recommend listening in full because some rules benefit from the associated anecdotes and stories.
Focus on what you control.
We control how we respond to things.
Ask yourself in every moment: "Is this essential?"
Meditate on your mortality.
Value time more than money and possessions.
You are a product of your habits.
Control your opinion about things.
Own the morning.
Put the day up for review.
Don't suffer imagined troubles.
See the good in people.
Never be overheard complaining.
Always listen before you talk.
There's always something good you can do in any situation.
Don't compare yourself to other people.
Live as if you have died and come back to life.
The best revenge is not to be like that.
Be tolerant with others, but strict with yourself.
Put every single impression to the test.
Focus on learning something from every person you come into contact with.
Focus on outcomes, not effort.
Define what success means to you.
Find a way to love everything that happens.
Seek out challenges.
Don't follow the mob.
Every situation has two handles. Grab the one that makes you better.
Every person and every opportunity is an opportunity for kindness.
Say 'No' a lot.
Don't be afraid to ask for help.
Get better one thing at a time.
What's bad for others is bad for you. What's good for others is good for you.
Focus on yourself. Do not judge others.
Find people whose lives you admire and learn from them.
Forgive.
Make a little bit of progress every day.
Keep a daily journal.
Prepare for life's setbacks.
Find beauty everywhere.
Do good because it's good for you.
Live in this moment, you "alive time."
Associate with people who make you better.
Choose not to feel harmed by others' remarks.
Be ready for everything that happens.
Everything you own is in trust.
Don't be a hindrance to yourself by complaining.
Don't let your circumstances change you.
Practice the 4 Virtues of Stoicism: Courage, Temperance, Justice, Wisdom.
The obstacle is the way.
Ego is the enemy.
Stillness is the key.
