Good things: All that is virtue; wisdom, justice, courage, self-discipline. Bad things: All that is vice; folly, injustice, cowardice, intemperance. Indifferent things: Everything else; life & death, health & sickness, wealth & poverty, pleasure & pain, reputation & bad repute.

In a hectic moment, it’s easy to lose focus on the task at hand and get lost in the vastness of our lives. We look far in the uncertain future and back in the certain but gone past. No wonder we get overwhelmed. Let’s not forget that the past and the future are not under our control. They are indifferent to the Stoics. The present moment is all

What is it then that we have control over? Only a few things—our voluntary judgments and actions. We can decide what events mean to us and how we want to react to them

Practice 31 What’s so Troublesome Here and Now?

You and I, we’re responsible for our own flourishing. We’re responsible for not letting our happiness depend on external circumstances—we shouldn’t let the rain, annoying strangers, or a leaking washing machine decide upon our wellbeing. Otherwise, we become helpless victims of life circumstances out of hand. As a Stoic student, you learn that only

Practice 10 Review Your Day: The Stoic Evening Routine

Practice 5 Contemplate Your Own Death

All the adversities you’re facing in your life, these are tests. It’s mere training. Life isn’t supposed to be easy, life is supposed to be challenging to make sure you actually grow.

By seeking social status, we give other people power over us. We have to act in a calculated way to make them admire us, and we must refrain from doing things in their disfavor. We enslave ourselves by seeking fame.