“Some things are in our control, while others are not. We control our opinion, choice, desire, aversion, and, in a word, everything of our own doing. We don’t control our body, property, reputation, position, and, in a word, everything not of our own doing. Even more, the things in our control are by nature free,… Continue reading Time to think…about what is in your control
“Let all your efforts be directed to something, let it keep that end in view. It’s not activity that disturbs people, but false conceptions of things that drive them mad.” Seneca, On Tranquility of Mind. Having an end goal in mind is important not only for the direction it gives you – towards a positive… Continue reading Time to think…about clarifying your intentions
Your best thoughts and decisions come when you are calm in the mind. When calm, you can handle complexity and conflict more easily. When not calm (i.e. stressed), the amygdala in your brain can impair your ability to think clearly and logically by triggering the release of the stress hormone cortisol. You cannot predict… Continue reading Your Confidence Habit 1: Calm in the Mind
“All you need are these: certainty of judgement in the present moment; action for the common good in the present moment; and an attitude of gratitude in the present moment for anything that comes your way.” Marcus Aurelius, Meditations. Think about now, what you are doing now and what you can do differently right now.… Continue reading Time to think…about the 3 gifts you have
“The chief task in life is simply this: to identify and separate matters so that I can say clearly to myself which are externals not under my control, and which have to do with the choices I actually control.” Epictetus, Discourses. Don’t get your knickers in a twist or lose sleep over things you cannot… Continue reading Time to think…about control and choice
“Stop wandering about! You aren’t likely to read your own notebooks, or ancient histories, or the anthologies you’ve collected to enjoy in your old age. Get busy with life’s purpose, toss aside empty hopes, get active in your own rescue – if you care for yourself at all – and do it while you can.”… Continue reading Time to think…about getting active
“Many times an old man has no other evidence besides his age to prove he has lived a long time.” Seneca, On Tranquility of Mind. Strip away your material possessions, money, status and the ‘gongs’ that signal what you have achieved, and what is left of your life? How will you rate how well… Continue reading Time to think…about living your life
“Do you then ponder how the supreme of human evils, the surest mark of the base and cowardly, is not death, but the fear of death? I urge you to discipline yourself against such fear, direct all your thinking, exercises, and reading this way – and you will know the only path to human freedom.”… Continue reading Time to think…about fearing death
“Think of the whole universe of matter and how small your share. Think about the expanse of time and how brief – almost momentary – the part marked for you. Think of the workings of fate and how infinitesimal your role.” Marcus Aurelius, Meditations It is easy to blow things out of proportion and to… Continue reading Time to think…about how insignificant it really is
“Both Alexander the Great and his mule-keeper were both brought to the same place by death – they were either received into the all-generative reason, or scattered among the atoms.” Marcus Aurelius, Meditations Sooner or later we’re going to come to the end of our lives, and then we’ll all be equal. Worry… Continue reading Time to think…about how it’s all equal in the end
“Let us prepare our minds as if we’d come to the very end of life. Let us postpone nothing. Let us balance life’s books each day. The one who puts the finishing touches on their life each day is never short of time.” Seneca, Moral Letters. It may seem a rather pessimistic, sinister or downbeat… Continue reading Time to think – about living for today
“How satisfying it is to dismiss and block out any upsetting or foreign impression, and immediately to have peace in all things.” Marcus Aurelius, Meditations Photo by Oliver Plattner on Unsplash.
“That which isn’t good for the hive, isn’t good for the bee.” Marcus Aurelius, Meditations.
Our best decisions are made when we are calm and clear-headed, when we have the time to reflect on our lived experience and to consider a wide range of facts, evidence and experiences from other people’s perspectives too. When under pressure to decide right here and right now (whether that perceived pressure and sense of… Continue reading Head Space: using psychological distance to make better decisions
When do you start thinking about your New Year Resolutions? Sometime between Boxing Day and New Year’s Eve, when, perhaps, the excesses of the festive season have started to take their toll and you’re looking forward to starting off the New Year with a renewed spring in your step? Out with the old, in with… Continue reading If you want to succeed in your resolutions, then start thinking about failure
In the highly-connected world that we live in today, it is not unreasonable to demand instant answers to the questions that pop into our heads at any time of day. When we want to know our bank balance, or what time a train departs, or what’s on at the cinema this week, we simply open… Continue reading Doing things on purpose: how the single-minded pursuit of simple actions beats multi-tasking hands down
