stoicism

Optimism

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Optimism

I am a glass half-full type of person. I strongly believe such an attitude can be developed internally. Such a positive outlook on life is contagious. It is one of those things that compounds over time, so the sooner this is developed the better.

Here are some simple habits and reminders that can help on stay optimistic.

Find Your Anchor

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You anchor is something that grounds you. It is what keeps you real, what keeps you motivated and on course. You truly enjoy doing this. When you accomplish your daily anchor, all is good in the world and nothing can bring you down.

Dwayne Johnson, aka “The Rock”, says his anchor is working out every day. He likes to get up early in the morning – when the things you need to do during the day have not yet started distracting him – and go through his exercise routine.

It doesn’t even have to be some thing physical like exercise, running, swimming, etc. It can be as simple as meditation, journaling, relaxing in the sun, making your bed, whatever. The key is to use this activity as an anchor and truly believe that accomplishing this will mean you will conquer your day.

Protect your anchor.

Be Fearless

Be optimistic about each day, be adventurous, be open to the universe by saying YES. Be fearless – do one thing every day that puts you out of your comfort zone and scares you. Start with small things and work your way up. Develop the courage to ask for things that you would otherwise be shy of. Of course, don’t jump off a bridge.

A couple of awesome short audios you can listen to every morning to help with this:

 

Marcus Aurelius’ morning meditation

Be Prepared

Captain Chris Hadfield, the famous Canadian astronaut, describes the preparations required for every mission and how that has changed his approach to life. He describes this wonderfully in his book.

The idea is to be prepared for the worst but hope for the best. Always have a plan B for every mission.

Know Your Weaknesses

As you will implement some new habits in your daily routine, you will have a feeling of what works and what does not. Be ready to experiment with this. Know your weaknesses and be realistic. Set goals and systems that you can achieve and be able to implement.

The worst thing that can happen is you set a ridiculous goal and never achieve it, get dishearten and lose momentum. Then you need to start from scratch again.

Know what works for you.

Careful with Your Friends

We are the sum average of the 5 people we hang out with. This is a rule. The people you inspire to be will be where you end up. So just be careful who your friends are.

 

A very simple rule to live by is:

“I want to leave the world in a better place than how I found it.”

Groundless Fear

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GroundlessFear

It’s opposite day today. What you were told is bad for you, is actually good for you. Before you get carried away and jump off a high place, let me clarify. I am not talking about doing stupid things that might take you to meet your maker. I am talking about the everyday practical challenges that make you afraid. Afraid of trying out something new, change, embarrassment, rejection, failure.

Our brain is wired for survival. And a good rule of survival is that familiarity is safe, and the unknown is to be feared. On top of this, conventional wisdom is generally wrong. I will argue that fear is nothing more than an opportunity to grow.

Philosophy of Fear

Stoicism – besides being one way of being associated with the “hipsters” – offers practical solutions to life’s big problems.

Go ahead and have a listen to this 9min reading of Seneca’s Letter # 13, which is titled “On Groundless Fear”. If you don’t have 9min, then listen at 1.25x, or 1.50x. Then do yourself a favor and bookmark it or download it to your phone. It will come very handy in future, I promise.

For your convenience, here is a very short summary on how to deal with fear, based on Seneca’s Letter # 13:

  1. Remember the times you handled a challenging and fearful situation in the past. You can do it again.
  2. Perhaps this thing that you are afraid of will never come, so why worry. And even if it does come, it will pass, so why worry.

Cure for Fear

There is only one cure for fear, and it is action! Something can only be “new” for the first time. Ask yourself: “what is the worst that can happen?”. And if the answer is not that big of a deal, then go for it. Chase the storm, go to where the fear is.

Change is about conditioning. Compounded over time, it becomes habit. Which further compounds to become personality. I suggest the following very simple conditioning to not be afraid:

Do one thing every day that scares you

Start with simple things, then increase the dose daily to push your limits. Depending on the individual, asking for an extra cream in your coffee might be a cause of fear. Or, for the brave, bungee jumping with your arms tied around your back might be fearful. Whatever it may be, do one thing daily.