Seneca the Younger, the Stoic who has been a role model for many in the almost two thousand years since he died, himself had a role model. That role model was another Stoic (and another “the Younger”) - Cato. In his letters to Lucilius, Seneca was enthusiastic about the benefits of having a worthy role…
In human terms, there is no better (or higher) "view from above" than the one an astronaut experiences from outer space. As they gaze wide-eyed from their unfathomable vantage point, they see our planet as a tiny, fragile ball - a pale blue dot. For an astronaut in that moment, all of Earth's division and…
We can find out what Stoicism is by searching for summaries of the philosophy, reading the many books written on the subject or even listening to the podcasts now being produced regularly. There are even courses, groups and conferences at our disposal to allow us to get to the root of what we need to…
In March 2020, I published a post entitled Stoic Resources For Uncertain Times which focused on how the Stoic virtues could be applied in the midst of a pandemic. In June 2020, following the death of George Floyd and the timely worldwide calls for action against racism, things still feel uncertain. We're uncertain about the…
Scott Perry is a husband, father, teacher, musician, and Difference Maker at Creative on Purpose. He's also a head coach in Seth Godin's Akimbo Workshops and is the author of The Creative on Purpose Handbook, Endeavor, and The Stoic Creative Handbook. Here's a clip from Scott's interview with Derek Sivers for his Creative on Purpose…
I’m in a house in the country and the garden backs onto a farmer’s field. I’m looking out the back window. Early in the morning. Early enough that well-rested people are still in bed. The sheep in the field are clean winter white but the grass is Springtime green, dewy due to the cold AM…
Daily life can be busy. And it can be worrying. And exciting, anxious, and a whole host of other things that distract us from focusing on ourselves and the present moment. We read about Stoicism and get excited about adopting a philosophy of life, something to guide us in our decisions and make us feel…
We've all experienced the feeling of occupation that makes the passage of an hour, or a longer period of time, a mere nothing. You get lost. You’re swept along oblivious with each tick of the clock. Something traps your focus until you’re left asking where the day went. There can be good reasons for this…
Marcus Aurelius's Meditations is a collection of private notes the Roman Emperor wrote to himself for his own guidance and self-improvement. Written almost two thousand years ago, it remains one of the key texts on Stoic philosophy. Meditations consists of twelve books, covering different periods of Marcus's life. Book one begins as follows: 'From my…
Brittany Polat is an author of two books, a blogger at Apparent Stoic, and a contributor to the Modern Stoicism site. She has a keen interest in the application of the Stoic principles in modern life, and has even used them as part of a yoga practice as you can see in the video below:…