Never drink a cappuccino after 11am. Ask for a latte in a cafe and you’ll get a glass of milk. Just want an espresso? Don’t order an espresso - order a caffè. Italy’s coffee culture can seem strange to the uninitiated (or just un-Italian). There are rules and traditions that…
Hesiod was a Greek poet who advised the observation of due measure because “moderation is best in all things.” Plautus was a Roman dramatist who, either quoting Hesiod or making his own assertion, said that “moderation in all things is the best policy.” Ralph Waldo Emerson echoed the sentiment again…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…