Purposely engage in uncomfortable activities and situations with a risk of failure to build resilience and expand your comfort zone, preventing your ability to deal with setbacks from atrophying.
Regularly imagine losing something important you currently possess, such as your eyesight or a loved one, to cultivate appreciation for what you have and prepare your mind for inevitable loss. This practice should be momentary, not prolonged, and can be applied as needed throughout the day.
View life’s setbacks as tests from ‘Stoic gods’ (or a coach) designed to make you stronger, improve your ability to bounce back, and learn from failures, aiming to stay calm and find workarounds.
At the first sign of a potentially anger-inducing situation, while your rational mind is still in control, consciously decide not to be bothered by it to prevent the emotion from escalating and consuming you.
Instead of suppressing negative emotions after they arise, employ strategies to prevent them from emerging in the first place, such as nipping anger in the bud, so there is nothing to suppress.
Actively encourage and increase your chances of experiencing positive emotions like love, joy, delight, and appreciation by developing your ability to appreciate the life you are living.
When engaging in difficult tasks, recognize and actively tell the ’lazy’ voice in your head to ‘shut up and get out of here,’ developing the ability to push through discomfort and take ‘one more stroke.’
View your own death as the ultimate exam you’ve been preparing for your entire life, focusing on controlling your response to the circumstances of dying, even if you cannot control the circumstances themselves.
When performing any action, imagine it is the last time you will ever do it, fostering appreciation for the present moment and acknowledging the inevitability of death.
Engage in a bedtime meditation by actively thinking about the day’s events, reflecting on how well you adhered to Stoic ideals, noting instances of anger (points off) and successful Stoic responses (points on).
When faced with a situation that could cause anger or upset, consciously choose not to be bothered by it, recognizing that you have control over your response and that avoiding upset is a personal victory.
When someone’s actions make you angry, consider their perspective and potential reasons (difficult childhood, bad day) for their behavior, fostering magnanimity and reducing your own anger.
Before succumbing to anger, question its utility by asking if it will genuinely help the situation or if it will only hurt you, and consider if there are more constructive actions to take.
When insulted, simply ignore the comment and continue the conversation as if nothing was said, frustrating the insulter whose goal was to upset you.
Develop the skill to turn an insult into a joke, perhaps by self-deprecating humor or by pointing out the insulter’s lack of knowledge about your true shortcomings.
Combat boredom and increase your experience of awe by continuously learning more about the world, as greater knowledge reveals the universe’s incredible nature.
Define success not by external metrics like wealth or fame, but by your ability to deal with setbacks, make choices that increase equanimity, and thrive in the life you have, leading to a peaceful mind.
Exercise control over your non-biological needs by being satisfied with what you have (e.g., a certain size house or car), rather than constantly desiring more, which contributes to inner peace.
Be critical of social media’s definition of success as impressing strangers, and instead, decide your own values and metrics for a well-lived life, rather than being captured by audience demands.
Instead of seeking to impress complete strangers or a large audience, focus on impressing a selective group of wise individuals, such as close family, true friends, or historical figures whose values you admire.
Do not flaunt your wealth to avoid encouraging envy in others, recognizing that this desire is ‘sick and twisted’ and contributes to negative emotions for both parties.
Cultivate inner peace and a positive approach to life now, on Earth, rather than postponing it for a potential afterlife, as your current personality will likely carry over, and Earth is a certainty.