🌳 The Stoic Time Machine

🔄 The Quick Rewind

We've covered controlling what you can and mastering your interpretations. Now for something that sounds dark but is actually the ultimate life hack: using death to make your life better.

💡 Stoic Lesson of The Week

That pile of unread books you feel guilty about? Those calls to old friends you keep putting off? That side project gathering digital dust? Let me ask you something: If you knew you only had a month left, what would you do with those things?

Before you roll your eyes - this isn't some YOLO philosophy pushing you to quit your job and move to Bali. The Stoics were way more practical than that. They used death as a clarity tool, not a panic button.

Think of it like having a really good Instagram filter for your life decisions - suddenly, the important stuff pops and the bullshit fades. When you accept that your time is limited (spoiler: it is), you start making better choices about how to spend it.

🎯 How to Actually Use This

• Morning perspective check: Ask yourself "If this was my last day, would I be proud of how I'm spending it?" (If the answer is always no, you might need bigger life changes)

• Use the "deathbed filter" for decisions: "Will I be glad I did this when I'm dying?" Works for both saying yes and no to things

• Practice negative visualization:

  • Imagine losing something you take for granted

  • Feel the loss fully for 30 seconds

  • Open your eyes and feel the gratitude of still having it

Try This Now: Pick three things you use daily. Imagine they vanish forever. Now look at them again. Feel different?

📖 Story Time

Seneca, who was basically the ancient Roman version of a billionaire tech CEO, had a weird nighttime ritual. Every night before bed, he would review his entire day as if he had just died. What did he waste time on? What really mattered? What would he do differently if he got another chance?

Plot twist: He did get another chance - the next morning. And because of this practice, he used it better.

Then one day, Emperor Nero ordered him to take his own life (ancient Rome was intense like that). Instead of falling apart, Seneca was ready. His last hours were spent comforting his friends, finishing his writings, and proving that his philosophy wasn't just talk.

🤔 Takeaway

Death isn't the opposite of life - it's the tool that makes life meaningful. The time is going to pass anyway. The only question is whether you'll spend it on what really matters to you.

Your Weekend Challenge: Set a timer for 5 minutes. Write your own eulogy. What do you want it to say? Now go live today like that person would.

Question to ponder: What would you do differently if you stopped pretending you had forever?

Next week: Your practical Stoic starter kit - how to turn all this into daily habits that stick.

🔗 Interesting Reads & Listens

Some of my favorite content I found on the internet this week…

• Charlie Munger was known as not only one of the best investors the world has witnessed, but also one of the best thinkers. Shane Parish at Farnam Street breaks down Munger’s mental models and simple, yet profound ways of looking at the world (The Pursuit of Worldly Wisdom)

• Great collection of free tools and products for building side projects (Best Free Tools)

• Mark Manson podcast: The 4 Stages of Life, Psychological Richness, and How Much Is Enough? (Spotify)