Time to think…about keeping moving on
https://facevaluepp.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Stepping-Stones-Porterbrook.mov “Meditate often on the swiftness with which all that exists and is coming into being is swept by us and carried away. For substance is like a river’s unending flow, its activities continually changing and causes infinitely shifting so that almost nothing at all stands still.” Marcus Aurelius, Meditations. It is important to take […]
Time to think…about feeding your fears
“Hecato says cease to hope and you will cease to fear. The primary cause of both these ills is that instead of adapting ourselves to present circumstances, we send out thoughts too far.” Seneca, Moral Letters. When surrounded by bad news of trauma and strife, it’s easy to understand how and why we indulge in […]
Time to think…about the power of your opinions
“When you are distressed by an external thing, it’s not the thing itself that troubles you, but only your judgement of it. And you can wipe this out at a moment’s notice.” Marcus Aurelius, Meditations. There are plenty of things in life that are unpleasant and that we wish would not happen. The loss of […]
Time to think…about it is what it is
“Remember that you are an actor in a play, playing a character according to the will of the playwright – if a short play, then it’s short; if long, long. If he wishes you to play the beggar, play even that role well.” Epictetus, Enchiridion. Do the best you can with what you have in […]
Time to think…about the strength you have
“Don’t trust in your reputation, money or position, but in the strength that is yours – namely, your judgements about the things that you control and don’t control. For this alone is what makes us free and unfettered, that picks us up by the neck from the depths and lifts us eye to eye with […]
Time to think…about the ups and downs of life
“If the breaking day sees someone proud, the ending day sees them brought low. No-one should put too much trust in triumph, no-one should give up hope of trials improving.” Seneca, Thyestes. Be grateful for what you have and what you can control, and be accepting of the rest. After all, it is what it […]
Time to think…about the constant that is change
“There is no evil in things changing, just as there is no good in persisting in a new state.” Marcus Aurelius. Take the time each day to stop and have a look around you. What you have done, where you have been, where you got to, how you have changed. You cannot step into the […]
Time to think…about your future
“Don’t seek for everything to happen as you wish it would, but rather wish that everything happens as it actually will – then your life will flow well.” Epictetus, Enchiridion. It is a part of the human condition to spend time trying to predict our future, or dwelling on the past in the hope that […]
Time to think…about what shapes your character
“Each person acquires their own character, but their official roles are designated by chance. You should invite some to your table because they are deserving, others because they may come to deserve it.” Seneca, Moral Letters. Whatever hand life has dealt you, the power to choose your attitude about it remains all yours. Viktor Frankl, […]
Time to think…about what goes around
“Crimes often return to their teacher.” Seneca, Thyestes. What goes around, comes around. Do unto others as you would have done onto yourself. Watch what you do doesn’t come back to bite you (usually on your behind!). If you are frustrated by the poor behaviour of others, how often do you feel justified in responding […]
Time to think…about your defining characteristics
“People aren’t in awe of your sharp mind? So be it. But you have many other qualities you can’t claim to have been deprived of at birth. Display then those qualities in your own power: honesty, dignity, endurance, chastity, contentment, frugality, kindness, freedom, persistence, avoiding gossip, and magnanimity.” Marcus Aurelius, Meditations. “Some are born great, […]
Time to think…about trying to be well-rounded every day
“So someone’s good at taking down an opponent, but that doesn’t make them more community-minded, or modest, or well-prepared for any circumstance, or more tolerant of the faults of others.” Marcus Aurelius, Meditations. Being a champion at one thing doesn’t make us brilliant at everything else. We are all winners and losers – more-or-less – […]
Time to think…about living for today and not tomorrow
“Such behaviour! People don’t want to praise their contemporaries whose lives they actually share, but hold great expectations for the praise of future generations – people they haven’t met or ever will! This is akin to being upset that past generations didn’t praise you.” Marcus Aurelius, Meditations. Keeping a daily gratitude diary – writing down […]
Time to think…about turning away from tempting little habits
“Since habit is such a powerful influence, and we’re used to pursuing our impulses to gain and avoid outside our own choice, we should set a contrary habit against that, and where appearances are really slippery, use the counterforce of our training.” Epictetus, Discourses. The emphasis needed here is on the word ‘training’. Successful impulse […]
Time to think…about being a true friend
“There’s nothing worse than a wolf befriending sheep. Avoid false friendships at all costs. If you are good, straightforward, and well-meaning, it should show in your eyes and not escape notice.” Marcus Aurelius, Meditations. It’s unrealistic to believe that we can and should like everyone we meet, and that everyone should like us in return. […]
Time to think…about the assumptions you quickly make
“Everything turns on your assumptions about it, and that’s on you. You can pluck out the hasty judgement at will, and like steering a ship around a point, you will find calm seas, fair weather and a safe port.” Marcus Aurelius, Meditations. Take a step back and an extra second or two to think about […]
Time to think…about futile emotions getting in the way of change
“Are you angry when someone’s armpits stink or their breath is bad? What would be the point? Having such a mouth and such armpits, there’s going to be a smell emanating. You say, “they must have sense, can’t they tell how they are offending others?” Well, you have sense too, congratulations! So, use your natural […]
Time to think…about being angry
“How much better to heal than seek revenge from injury. Vengeance wastes a lot of time and exposes you to many more injuries than the first that sparked it. Anger always outlasts hurt. Best to take the opposite course. Would anyone think it normal to return a kick to a mule or a bite to […]
Time to think…about what it is to be honest
“How rotten and fraudulent when people say they intend to ‘give it to you straight.’ What are you up to, dear friend? It shouldn’t need your announcement, but be readily seen, as if written on your forehead, heard in the ring of your voice, a flash in your eyes – just as the beloved sees […]
Time to think…about what you really believe in
“When the standards have been set, things are tested and weighed. And the work of philosophy is just this, to examine and uphold the standards, but the work of a truly good person is in using those standards when they know them.” Epictetus, Discourses. It can sometimes be difficult to live by the standards you […]
Time to think…about your inner beat
“When forced, as it seems, by circumstances into utter confusion, get a hold of yourself quickly. Don’t be locked out of the rhythm any longer than necessary. You’ll be able to keep the beat if you are constantly returning to it.” Marcus Aurelius, Meditations. Know the sound of your own drum and beat it yourself […]
Time to think…about wrestling with life
“The art of living is more like wrestling than dancing, because an artful life requires being prepared to meet and withstand sudden and unexpected attacks.”Marcus Aurelius, Meditations. What challenges might you face today? When limbering up, what core strengths will help get you through? It is the sudden and unexpected events in our lives that […]
Time to think…about change and free will
“Remember that to change your mind and to follow someone’s correction are consistent with a free will. For the action is yours alone – to fulfil its purpose in keeping with your impulse and judgement, and yes, with your intelligence.” Marcus Aurelius, Meditations. No-one can make you change your mind: that power remains firmly with […]
Time to think…about pain
“Whenever you suffer pain, keep in mind that it’s nothing to be ashamed of and that it can’t degrade your guiding intelligence, nor keep it from acting rationally and for the common good. And in most cases you should be helped by the saying of Epicurus, that pain is never unbearable or unending, so you […]
Time to think…about perseverance
“Success comes to the lowly and to the poorly-talented, but the characteristic of a great person is to triumph over the disasters and panics of human life.” Seneca, On Providence. As Churchill once remarked, “If you’re going through hell, keep going!”. Persevere. Make sense of what is happening. Find meaning. Orientate yourself to that reality […]
Anxiety – Thought-Provoking
“When people will not weed their own minds, they are apt to be overrun with nettles.” Horace Walpole, 1779. In this series of five emails and posts, we’ve looked at what anxiety is, how we need to prepare for anxiety-provoking moments by taking time for quiet reflection, how to deal with unwanted feelings in the […]
Anxiety – Lifestyle Choices
“Our remedies oft in ourselves do lie, Which we ascribe to heaven.” William Shakespeare, All’s Well That Ends Well, Act 1 Scene 1 In 1965, a research study began in the Californian urban community of Alameda County. Its aim was to explore the links between lifestyle and longevity, and 7,000 residents were involved. The longitudinal […]
Anxiety – Right Now!
“Worry is interest paid on trouble before it falls due.” American Proverb We learned in the second of this series of posts on anxiety that it is essential to find some time in your busy daily life for quiet reflective thought, a time when you can calmly think about how you react to challenges and […]