in a world dominated by instant gratification and fleeting distractions mastering the art of self-discipline and moderation isn't just an advantage it's a necessity we need to break the bad habits that hold us back and form good habits to help us take action and Achieve our goals this can also be known as the ancient philosophy of stoicism let's Jump Right In stoicism was originally founded by Zeno of Cyprus after his ship was tragically Shipwrecked Zeno found himself washed up on the shore of Athens he had lost all his belongings his money status and livelihood once a
well-known and successful traitor Zeno had nothing he was unknown stranded alone and had only the clothes on his back to call his own Zeno had a huge Challenge on his hands but where others would be caught up in the emotions they felt about the situation Xeno remained composed and began rebuilding his life he became a master of mental toughness discipline and perseverance and he would go on to teach others this way of life too it would later be named stoicism having to start over from scratch Zeno of Cypress lived the ultimate minimalist lifestyle his life
was now empty of distractions and without clutter having less gave Zeno mental Clarity and there are many other benefits to living a minimalist lifestyle especially in the world we live in presently you'll be pleased to know that you don't need to be Shipwrecked and lose everything to live a more minimal life and gain this mental Clarity we've got a previous video that talks about the huge benefits of living a minimalist lifestyle that you can find in the description below after Zeno there were three big ancient stoic philosophers who pioneered and made stoicism what it is
today these are Marcus aelius Sena and epicus these guys were the strongest athletes the brightest minds and are incredibly influential both then and now in STO philosophy they were warriors leaders teachers hunters and athletes meaning they were Masters in self-discipline and hard work so what actually is stoicism in its most basic form stoicism is the practice of self-control and moderation as a way of overcoming destructive emotions and behaviors by becoming a clear unbiased and levelheaded thinker we live a life with more clarity and the ability to focus on what really matters to us there are
four core lessons or cardinal virtues in stoicism that make up the main principles these are wisdom courage Justice and Temperance let's take a quick look at what each of these cardinal virtues mean to have wisdom the individual must have common sense be able to weigh up decisions and situations in a balance Ed way and be practical and logical thinkers rather than acting on impulse courage means being strong and in control of your emotions showing endurance and confidence and remaining positive when faced with a challenge to have Justice Means to be moral and honest in everything
you do standing up for yourself your community and society as a whole lastly Temperance is all about moderation self-control and discipline so how can we live a more stoic lifestyle and how can this help us live a happier and more purposeful life one of the biggest ways we can incorporate stoicism into our lives is through our habits we all have bad habits that we're not proud of they keep us stuck unmotivated or in some cases depressed and alone similarly we could all use new good habits that can help us to become happier more successful people
and to achieve our goals the great stoic epicus taught others to treat Life as a banquet if a dish stops in front of you take only the amount you need and pass it on we can apply this Outlook when we think about our bad habits excess pleasure stops us from being able to think clearly which is why we require moderation remembering that we have control over our actions and behavior is important you can start by trying to quit a small habit you may have like buying fast food multiple times a week by making the choice
to stop doing this habit you prove to yourself that you have control over what you do and what habits you have then you can move on to bigger habits taking steps to be a more focused and intentional person there are a few practical ways that we can help ourselves stop our bad habits distraction at the usual times you'd engage in the habit is a great way to take your mind off it substituting a healthier Habit in its place such as chewing gum instead of smoking or asking a friend or family member to help keep you
accountable those of us who are already doing or toying with the idea of nofap need this stoic self-restraint and attitude of moderation to overcome this type of addiction too sometimes though addiction isn't as easy as that to overcome on your own and that's where today's sponsor betterhelp comes in betterhelp is the world's largest therapy service and it's 100% online you can message your therapist anytime and schedule live sessions when it's convenient for you if your therapist isn't the right fit for any reason you can switch to a new therapist at no additional charge with better
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more well-rounded people the stoics didn't like aimlessness and having too many choices in life they used specific goals as a way of honing their skills and set about enforcing measured and meaning F action to achieve what they set out to do this is where the other side of discipline comes in resilience hard work and action stoic philosopher Marcus aelius said to stop drifting and Sprint to the finish and in order to stop drifting we need to get serious about what we want think of a goal as the light at the end of the tunnel when
we have this light we know which direction to go we take steps toward the light or the goal in the form of hard work and action but when we don't have that goal we have no Direction and end up wandering aimlessly in the dark this is where forming good habits comes in Daily habits are like taking the steps toward our goals this could be sitting down each evening to write three pages of the book you're working on or going to the gym consistently to work on achieving your goal body epicus himself said that he took
Delight in his own Improvement dayto day enjoying the process of daily good habits and self-improvement is all part of the journey and if you like what you're doing there's a higher chance you'll stick to these good habits sto ISM teaches us to continuously show up to work towards that end goal and most importantly to take action even when we don't want to the self-discipline that stoicism teaches is the key to building good habits achieving your goals and being clear unbiased and level-headed thinkers try adding a new habit to your daily routine do it right after
you brush your teeth or go home from work and that way you'll have these actions you already do to remind you if you're consistent you won't even need to think about it we can see how moderation and self-restraint can help us to break bad habits and we can also see how self-discipline and good habits can help us to achieve our goals habit formation requires a stoic mental toughness But ultimately it's worth it to start achieving your goals and become a more successful version of yourself let us know in the comments a good habit you've started
or want to start and I'll catch you in the next one
