Stoicism was founded in the 3rd century BC in Athens by Zeno of Citium. Coming from a wealthy merchant family in Citium, now part of Cyprus, Zeno initially pursued the family trade. However, after losing his fortune in a shipwreck near Athens, he turned to philosophy. Zeno’s journey highlights a common path to finding solace and understanding through philosophy.
Stoicism teaches logic and a unique perspective on life. It emphasizes distinguishing between what is within our control and what isn’t. Epictetus, a Stoic philosopher, summed it well:
Some time ago, I visited a dentist and we ended up talking about living in Spain. I told him I tried it out and found it wasn’t for me.
The dentist replied, “You know, I should’ve moved to the US when I had the chance years ago. Biggest mistake of my life.”
This is an innate human emotion. People tend to want what they don’t have. That’s why many people fall for the “grass is greener” thinking flaw.
The key to overcoming it is to know what is and ISN’T for you.
The harsh truth is that we can’t always have every single thing we want. There is almost always a trade-off.
Should I keep building up my savings for a couple more years to afford the downpayment on my dream house? Or should I use the money to buy the car I really want right now?
Do I truly want to prioritize time with my kids, which means sacrificing my dream of becoming a high-level executive in my company?
I’m craving to have some ice cream and chips right now, but I also want to look fit in a few weeks before hitting the beach. What should I do?
Humans have many desires, but our resources are finite. We can only chase after things that are truly important to us.
“Nothing learned from a book is worth anything until it is used and verified in life; only then does it begin to affect behavior and desire. It is Life that educates, and perhaps love more than anything else in life.”
Life is our biggest teacher.
Thanks for reading! I hope you found this edition of Wise & Wealthy useful.
All the best,
Darius
Join the 7-day Stay Centered challenge
I’ve created a one-week email course that you can do together with a group. It’s called Stay Centered, and it will help you to reclaim focus and live a meaningful life.
When you’re centered, nothing can hurt you. You will have inner peace no matter what happens.
How to unlock Stay Centered
You can join the challenge for free. Every day, you’ll receive a short email with a small challenge that inspires you to live better.
I highly recommend sharing it with your friends so you can go through the program together. I did it with my team, which was a lot of fun.
We’ve all experienced the “grass is greener” syndrome. Humans simply tend to want what they don’t have. That’s why many people fall for this thinking flaw.
I visited a dentist some time ago. It was the first time I visited the guy.
We were doing the whole small talk thing and then at the end, we somehow talked about living in Spain. I told him I tried it out and found it wasn’t for me.
Give me the cold weather in The Netherlands and no sleeping from 2 PM to 5 PM. I just couldn’t get used to “siestas” and the slow pace of life there. Every day in Spain feels like a Sunday. Some like it. Not me.
Before they hit it big, The Beatles played four to five-hour gig marathons, non-stop, per night and almost every night for two years as an unknown band in German bars and nightclubs.
Lennon and McCartney later attributed their meteoric rise to fame to this marathon of practice and performance. The Beatles would go on to release twelve original UK studio albums in a seven-year span (1963 to 1970), with many of these albums reaching multi-platinum status.
This trend of consistently creating high-quality work is one harsh truth about career success. The key to succeeding is NOT simply getting big opportunities but attempting more shots than your peers.
When you look at the most successful folks in various industries, you’ll notice that they often create and release a consistent stream of high-quality work.
Mozart and Beethoven each wrote over 600 pieces of music, far surpassing the output of most of their contemporaries. Other composers made less than 100 pieces in their entire careers.
Picasso was incredibly prolific, creating an estimated 13,500 paintings, 100,000 graphic prints or engravings, 34,000 book illustrations, 300 sculptures and ceramics. His output far surpassed that of most other professional artists.
Research indicates that Nobel prize winners generally produce almost twice as much work as their peers in the same fields.
The idea that success happens due to a “big moment” or a “hit of inspiration” is a myth. Inspiration and success happen by doing the work, doing a lot of it, and being consistent.
Much like in basketball, these folks achieved success not because they never missed, but because they attempted the most shots.
I talk about another harsh career truth in my latest article.
Now and then, we do things right and we end up having a bit more money. Whether that’s through a promotion, a successful business venture, or some unexpected windfall. Marcus Aurelius has good advice for these moments:
“Receive wealth or prosperity without arrogance; and be ready to let it go.”
Being attached to your material wealth doesn’t just change you for the worse, it also makes you fearful. Money isn’t permanent. So don’t get overly attached to it.
Wealth is a tool that can create opportunities and bring joy, but it shouldn’t define who you are.
Thanks for reading! I hope you found this edition of Wise & Wealthy useful.
All the best,
Darius
Join the 7-day Stay Centered challenge
I’ve created a one-week email course that you can do together with a group. It’s called Stay Centered, and it will help you to reclaim focus and live a meaningful life.
When you’re centered, nothing can hurt you. You will have inner peace no matter what happens.
How to unlock Stay Centered
You can join the challenge for free. Every day, you’ll receive a short email with a small challenge that inspires you to live better.
I highly recommend sharing it with your friends so you can go through the program together. I did it with my team, which was a lot of fun.
