When we try our best to achieve our dreams, the fear of failure starts to appear in our minds. Will I succeed? Am I on the right path? Are my dreams worth my time and energy? Similar questions began to cross my mind, causing my confidence to waver, which in turn dampened my efforts.
Many times, we decide to switch jobs. When are we going to apply online? Job portal. Many similar questions start to appear in our minds. Will they check my CV? There are other applicants. What will happen if they do not reply? What if they reply and I fail the interview? Will it be worth it to apply for a job?
Many times in life, I became aggressive and angry when I faced rejection.
The solution to all these challenges is a stoic mindset.
In this video, here are four things you need to master to build a stoic mindset.
Let’s discuss these four points, as well as how my journey as a stoic began.
I started reading the famous book Meditation by Marcus Aurelius. His notes to himself. His journal. In his journal, he reflects on his days, events, and happenings.
[[Marcus Aurelius]] was reputedly a powerful man. He dedicated his entire reign to interacting with the populace. Dealing with adversity. He saw wars. He witnessed the [[Pandemic]] of Diseases . The Pandemic and war both claimed the lives of his many loved ones and relatives. He deals with all those challenges and leaves behind his notes, where he records the moral and psychological advice he gave himself at this time. This journal, which he never intended to publish, serves as the foundation for the entire Stoic philosophy.
After that, I started studying more and developed a stoic [[mindset]].
Building a stoic mindset will not happen in a day; it will require consistent effort. A strategic shift will change your prospects in life.
Dealing with [[Adversity]]
If you face adversity, remember what Marcus Aurelius said.
“The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.” _
It refers to the adversity you are currently facing in your life; understand this and base your goals accordingly. Work on it until you find a way. Your weakness becomes your strength.
However, if you have a stoic mindset, you should consider the adversity you are experiencing as a worthwhile endeavor. You must focus your [[efforts]] and [[hard work]] in the right direction. Many times you feel adversity, you just need to let it go.
The second important point of having a Stoic mindset is to accept fate but take action as duty.
“The Amor Fati.”. For example, I was thinking about applying for a job on a job portal. Numerous [[negative thoughts]] crossed my mind, including the possibility that they wouldn’t consider me. What would happen if I received a call for an interview and faced [[rejection]] ?
To have a stoic mindset, you have to accept fate as it is. But act like it is your duty. We simply need to concentrate on the tasks at hand. Update your CV and apply. Review the job description. Study it, adjust your CV accordingly, and then apply. Some ancient Indian texts talk about considering it your duty to do what is necessary and to detach from the future. Accept the result without thinking about it. Don’t be discouraged; move on.
Control is the third-most important thing in the Stoic mindset.
As [[Epictetus]]
“It is not events that disturb people; it is their judgments concerning them.”
In between actual events and our emotions, there is one thing, and that is our judgment.
Our judgment is based on the lens we have in our eyes, through which we see the whole world.
I am referring to our beliefs, our thoughts, and our perspective on the world.
Being stoic requires us to change our thoughts; we must change the lens through which we see the world.
As Epictetus said
“Some things are up to us, and some are not. Up to us are opinion, intention, desire, aversion, and, in a word, whatever is our own doing; not up to us are body, property, reputation, office, and, in a word, whatever is not our own doing.”
To build a stoic mindset, we need to just focus on what we can control. And that control changes our judgment. It’s ok, what happened? I got rejected. Ok, fine. What I need to do now is move away and give it another try. We should concentrate on improving the situation. Instead of concentrating on the situation at hand, we tend to focus on the opinions of others. Our thinking and our judgment create an embarrassing situation. Here, we are focusing on things that are beyond our control. What people think about us. That is beyond our control. As a result, we experienced feelings and emotions. Because we have a stoic mindset, we have to think of solutions.
I hope you like this video. On closing notes, building a stoic mindset is not difficult; we need to constantly remind ourselves of a few principles and adjust our thinking. We have to accept fate, as it either moves on or tries again. While processing dreams and chasing goals, we did not think about the outcome; we just put in our efforts to perform our next step. When faced with adversity, if it is worth it, transform it into a goal. Take actions to the point where obsessiveness becomes the norm. Always focus on things that we can control. What we can control is our attitude toward life. Be positive and stay humble.