My Year of Living Stoically

Some lessons from an experiment: I spent the last 365 days reading ancient wisdom to help me navigate our modern world.

Happy New Year!

Now, before we all get on with 2023, I want to fill you in on a little project I tried in 2022.

You see, I spent the last 365 days reading from the book, The Daily Stoic.

I don’t recall why I decided to do this. But ever since COVID, I have noticed that I’m being more deliberate about much of my life. (Maybe you are too?)

Anywho, the daily practice was a great experience and I’m excited to share some of my learning with you.

First things first, the book. The Daily Stoic is a collection of “366 meditations” curated, written and edited by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman. This all plays out in the form of bite-sized bits of wisdom from the likes of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, former slave and transformed lecturer Epictetus, and famous playwright and political adviser, Seneca. The ideas from these ancient thinkers is translated into modern English with commentary and perspective from Messrs Holiday and Hanselman.

The next thing to point out is Stoicism itself. Like a lot of folks, I always interpreted the word, “stoic” to mean, without emotion or able to endure hardship; resolute. Of course, it does mean those things in our modern usage. But the word, “stoic” is derived from the Greek meaning “porch.” And the ancient “Stoics” were students and followers of the Stoic philosophy which was taught by a chap named Zeno on his -- you guessed it – porch.  

So what did I learn reading this 2000-year-old philosophy every day of 2022?

I Gained Perspective

Stoicism makes you aware that while you are very important to your loved ones, friends and colleagues, you really are nothing more than a blip in the continuum of the human experience. There were billions of people before you and billions of people who will come after you. This was both humbling and relieving. 

I Realized People Don’t Change

You’d think with all of the world’s new technology, digital access to education, and COVID effects, humans are somehow very different than the Greeks during the time of Epictetus. But that’s not the case. We are still driven by the eternal emotions like love, fear and greed. Fortunately, The Daily Stoic showed me there is an evergreen blueprint for how to deal with these emotions.

I Learned to Take a Beat

Rather than leaping to a conclusion or taking a quick action in any situation, Stoicism inspires you to pause before you act. The philosophy is very good about asking a few key questions for any situation: namely, what’s in your control? And what is not? If it’s in your control, what can you do? If it’s not in your control, let it be.

I Became Calmer

I like this Stoic notion that events are neither good or bad. Rather, they just are. This really started to help me when there was “bad news.” I reframed it to “it’s just news.” Information. Once I realized that, I figured out how to react to it. Back to the question: “What’s in my control?”

I Put Death in Perspective

You can’t talk about the Stoics without touching upon death. Now you may see that word and say, “uh-oh.” But The Daily Stoic was helpful on this topic. I appreciated the thinking that death is simply an inevitable part of life. That no matter what our story is, the ending is the same for each and every one of us. And rather than be sad about death, the Stoics have taught me to appreciate life. And to do my best to make good things happen. Today. Now.

It Was Simply Great to Have a Daily Practice

One of the other wonderful benefits of this yearly experiment was the discipline and comfort of having a daily practice. No matter the day, no matter where I was, no matter how I was feeling (I had COVID in the Fall and it was nasty), I did manage to start every day by reading a Stoic passage. This act alone, irrespective of the content, somehow got my day off to a good start. And while not all of the events that unfolded on any given day were perfect and positive, the mornings almost always started out that way.

Which may be the best lesson of all. Because Stoicism may not be your cup of tea. But some other morning ritual might do the trick. Maybe that’s a daily religious reading. Maybe it’s a meditation or some journaling. Maybe it’s a run.

Whatever it is, I’m certain it will help you get the most out of 2023.

Here’s to a new year filled with health, happiness and growth!