🌳 Your Stoic Starter Kit

💬 Quote of The Week

🔄 The Quick Rewind

We've covered the big three: controlling what you can, mastering your interpretations, and using mortality as motivation. Now it's time to put it all together into a daily practice that actually sticks.

💡 Stoic Lesson of The Week

Look, we both know what usually happens to self-improvement plans. They live gloriously for about three days, then die quietly between your yoga mat and that juicer you never use.

The Stoics knew this too. That's why they didn't rely on motivation - they built systems.

"Every day and night keep thoughts like these at hand - write them, read them aloud, talk about them." - Epictetus

Think of Stoicism less like a philosophy and more like a mental gym membership. Just like your abs, your resilience gets stronger through regular exercise. The key? Starting small and staying consistent.

The ancient Stoics had a simple daily routine: Morning preparation, evening review, and specific practices for when life hits the fan. No incense required, no meditation retreats needed (though if that's your thing, cool).

🎯 How To Actually Use This

Your Minimalist Morning Routine (2 minutes):

• What could go wrong today? (Mentally prepare)

• What's actually in my control? (Focus your energy)

• What's one value I want to practice? (Set intention)

Your Quick Evening Review (2 minutes):

• What went well today?

• What could I have done better?

• What did I learn?

Your Emergency Stoic Toolkit:

• Stressed? Control exercise: Draw the circles of control

• Angry? Perspective shift: "Will this matter in a year?"

• Anxious? Negative visualization: "What's the worst that could actually happen?"

Try This Now: Set two phone reminders - one for morning preparation, one for evening review. Start today. Two minutes each. No excuses.

📖 Story Time

James Stockdale was a fighter pilot who spent seven years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. His secret weapon? The Stoicism he'd studied at Stanford.

When asked how he survived when many others didn't, he said: "I never lost faith in the end of the story. I never doubted not only that I would get out, but also that I would prevail in turning this experience into the defining event of my life."

He used every Stoic tool we've covered - focusing on what he could control, managing his interpretations, accepting mortality, and maintaining daily practices. He turned philosophy into survival skills.

If it worked in a POW camp, it can probably handle your Monday meetings.

🤔 Takeaway

Stoicism isn't about becoming an emotionless robot or a philosophical know-it-all. It's about building mental strength through daily practice. Start small, stay consistent, trust the process.

Your Final Challenge: Pick ONE practice from this series. Do it daily for the next week. That's it. No extra credit, no gold stars. Just one practice, done consistently.

Question to ponder: A year from now, what will you wish you had started today?

🔗 Interesting Reads & Listens

• A list of thought-provoking principles (Nabeel S. Qureshi)

• Mark Manson on why remembering you will die should be a liberating, not depressing, realization (Mark Manson)

Thank you for joining this Getting Started series! Remember: Philosophy is only useful if you actually use it. Start small, be consistent, and watch how these ancient tools transform your modern life.

Want to go deeper? Reply to this email with your biggest takeaway from the series - I read every response 😁