Recognize that your interpretation and psychological frame of events, not the events themselves, determine their effect on you, giving you considerable power over your response.
To live a good life, focus your attention on things you can control and choose values and goals that are achievable and lead you in the right direction, avoiding the hedonic treadmill.
When bad things happen, choose to frame yourself as a “target” to rise to the challenge, gain character, and change the world, rather than a “victim” who feels sorry for themselves.
Reappraise frustrating or negative events as a “test” from imaginary Stoic gods or view them from a detached perspective to reduce negative emotional impact and stress.
When something happens that could trigger anger, quickly frame it within a few seconds before the emotion takes hold and develops a life of its own.
When insulted, choose to shrug it off as “just noise” or, even better, make a joke out of it, which prevents the insult from hurting you and disarms the person.
Adopt a state of mind called “apathia” to become less bothered by powerful negative emotions like anger, regret, or insecurity, which can cloud judgment.
While seeking to control negative emotions, actively embrace and cultivate positive emotions such as delight and joy.
Instead of trying to suppress or ignore reflexive and emotional inner thoughts through sheer self-control, use your brain power to manipulate them.
Dedicate most of your effort to things you have some, but not complete, control over, such as your weight, by making daily choices that influence the outcome.
Do not pursue goals like “if only I had X, I would be happy,” as this leads to a hedonic treadmill where you are never satisfied and always want more.
When facing a “Stoic test,” view it as a compliment from “Stoic gods” who are trying to strengthen you, much like a good coach.
When life sets you back, self-grade your response based on two standards: finding the best reasonable workaround and, more importantly, keeping your cool throughout the process.
Define your goals and success by the effort you put into preparation, strategy, and execution, rather than solely by the external outcome, to avoid feeling like a failure.
Routinely doing your best in all endeavors, focusing on internal success (effort and composure), will naturally lead to improved skills and increased external successes over time.
When facing extremely difficult or certain negative circumstances, give yourself a pep talk to mentally prepare and cope.