The Stoicism Mindset
As a 15-year-old innovator at The Knowledge Society, (TKS) I have definitely learned so much about how to develop mindsets and how to build and train them to perfection. Now, I am not just talking about the simple fixed vs. growth mindset, think beyond that…
Mindsets are really important, there are so many to choose from, but it is good to make sure that each person finds their specific mindset. It could be hustling, boss mentality, unconventional thinking, done > perfect, etc.. but I just want to talk about and explore the mindset of stoicism.
What is stoicism?
Stoicism is the agility of suffering or difficulty without emotion showing, even without complaining. Being stoic is calm, and almost emotionless. You don’t show what you feel when you’re stoic and you also accept whatever happens. But why is it important to actually have stoicism? This mindset is important for three reasons.
reasons number one: It teaches to relate. Rather than seeing your position as something special, either in a good or bad way, you should reflect on what keeps everyone all the same and why everyone is different in there own way.
reason number two: It teaches emotional responsibility. Stoicism teaches rationality and level-headedness rather than allowing your emotions to get the better of us. Instead of wondering if you should have wanted things to go the way it didn’t, you should take the situation as it is and try to move forward.
reason number three: It teaches the rights and wrongs of things. It reminds you what it means to be a good citizen, trying to work together with others, rather than battling them for your own purposes. This eliminates the egotism and arrogance.
Once you have been taught these three reasons, you start to see the world and even the universe in a different way that nobody else does, because it’s all up to you and the way you think and no one is stopping you from expanding your knowledge further.
Why should one practice this mindset?
If you had a chocolate bar and a bowl of salad right in front of you, most people would go for the chocolate bar right? I know I would. What I am trying to say is, when one choice is more tempting, it is always hard to want to do the right thing. Stoicism helps make that decision. You’ll eat the salad, and you won’t show emotion. By being stoic, the person perceives the world through reason; they behave selflessly; Through this, and this alone, an individual flourishes. If you practice this mindset and master it, your whole life will come at ease and you will be such a genuine and selfless person.
How do I start practicing/training?
Here is a list of the many small but simple impactful ways that someone can train stoicism.
- stay focused when confronted with distractions
- face your fears
- stand your turf
- picture the worst-case scenario
- write all your thoughts in writing (keep one journal with all of these thoughts)
- say only what isn’t better left unsaid
- choose courage and simplicity over anger
The stoic philosopher, Marcus Aurelius
“ Marcus Aurelius was a Roman emperor from 161 to 180 and a Stoic philosopher. He was the last of the rulers known as the Five Good Emperors, and the last emperor of the Pax Romana, an age of relative peace and stability for the Roman Empire. He served as Roman consul in 140, 145, and 161.”
During Marcus Aurelius’ time, he kept his empire tranquil and peaceful. He did the right thing when no one was watching, he showed no emotion, he was very selfless and after he passed away, his empire was not controlled right and it ended into civil war. This goes to show that without him, his empire did not do well and was very negative as conflicts erupted.
Rather than getting tricked into exploiting others to gain friendships, he searched for real friends. He treated people justly, gave them what they deserved, and never gave his companions unreasonable demands. This sensitivity to flattery became an important aspect of Marcus Aurelius’ Stoic theory.
This really leaves a positive impact on me because that is exactly what I want to do.
I have linked a really good lecture on stoicism and Marcus Aurelius. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5897dMWJiSM
It’s a long lecture but it has words of wisdom and the history of Marcus Aurelius and if you put what he says to action, you can become a stoic person and it will change you.
I really like this quote and it is a great reminder. Although a person may not be able to control another person and other things, you do have the power to control yourself and how you behave. If your friend is doing something you know they shouldn’t be doing, you can control yourself and tell yourself to walk away, you cannot stop the person, it’s simply their choice.
If you are able to control and let yourself do the right thing, you will find strength. EVERYONE can do the right thing, it's up to you what choice you want to make, no one else's.
This is why I believe stoicism is the best mindset anyone can practice and it comes with so much good and ease in life. Of course, there are numerous mindsets to choose from, but in my opinion I think that this mindset is the easiest to train and the outcome is the best as well. Even after writing this article and researching more on Marcus Aurelius, I know more than I did just a few days ago on this mindset and now I am really motivated to train my mindset on stoicism. I have never been the type of person to research on philosophers, but after reading up so much on this philosopher, I want to write more articles on different mindsets and research on the history behind them and what they really mean!
Being such a kind and genuine person in society is really hard to have right now in today's modern world with how people behave and what actions they commit, but I believe that there is good deep down in someone’s heart, never judge a book by its cover, the person could be going through hard stuff and they just need to talk to someone, train your stoicism so you can help and change the world for a better place.
It is really difficult to find a stoic person in today’s society, so I would recommend to learn this mindset and wow people by your subtle and kind personality and the way you perceive everything because a stoic person is open to everyone's opinions and the way they think as well as just because they are stoic, doesn't mean everything is about them.
If you liked reading this article, you can contact me on my LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com/in/hana-ahmad-332686189/?originalSubdomain=ca and my twitter, hana_ahmad _ for any questions.
