Intentional living, low waste lifestyle and the concept of “living with what I already have” are all principles that have truly spoken to me over the past two years or so. With my move from Birmingham to Prague, having my world flipped upside down and starting afresh in the truest sense of the word, I was faced with an opportunity to see things differently. To see life differently. And even though I’m really wank at making rational life decisions (even choosing my dinner at a restaurant is a doomed task for me most of the time), I can somewhat proudly say I’ve been working on bettering myself as a human being. I’ve already mentioned a few of my favourite self-help/development books over here, but today I’d like to tell you all about this (potentially) life-changing book called The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday.
The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday
The Daily Stoic is a collection of 366 meditations on wisdom, perseverance, and the art of living. Every day of the year you’re provided with a quote by one of world’s most honoured stoics – Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus, Seneca… basically those extremely smart people from the way back then who’s books you can’t really read because they make your brain physically ache. And because our brains have become so shrunken by the convenience of the interwebs and the general lack of thinking, Ryan Holiday takes it on himself to explain these quotes to you in a regular human language whilst giving you a chance to grasp the key messages of these renowned philosophers.
In practical sense, upon opening this book each and every morning you’re served a dish of really deep thoughts and life altering ideas. For example, yesterday’s lesson was on what things in life you should “prize”. Setting examples from current affairs, Ryan explains to you (and me) that truly successful people such as Warren Buffett, live in fact low-cost lives because their “happy” is not expensive shirts and furniture, but things that matter, such a happy family, a nice yet affordable home, their hobbies and other “normal” things and activities rather than expensive flashy blinky things. Every morning you’re leaving the house with a meaningful thought in your mind.
The Daily Stoic Journal – is it worth it?
Hand in hand with The Daily Stoic goes its matching journal. Why is there a journal to go with it when the point is to THINK about all the big stoic ideas? The answer is pretty clear – to steer you in the right direction. Every morning and evening you’re faced with one specific question reflecting that day’s stoic thought. On the day of assessing what life we should prize, the question is simply what do you prize? This way you’re forced to apply these stoic ideas onto your own life and put them in practice where possible.
1 month in review
I’ve started reading The Daily Stoic and filling in the journal exactly a month ago, which means I still have 11 months ahead of me. So far I’m happy to say that even though some days have been super hard, almost impossible for me to grasp and to fully understand, I’ve been really enjoying the work I’ve been putting into it.
I must also add that I would probably not enjoy the books so much each on their own – they work perfectly together and compliment each other extremely well.
I can’t say that I’m a changed person or that I will be in 11 month’s time, however I can say that over the past 30 days I thought more about life and its meaning than I had in the past 30 years of my life. Perhaps one day I will be so enlightened that ordering meal in a restaurant that I actually enjoy won’t be an impossible task and all my life decision will seem as easy as a piece of pie.
You can get both these books on Book Depository HERE.