In his book Reasons To Stay Alive, Matt Haig says anxiety can be a “full-time occupation of gale-force worry”. From personal experience, this rings true. It can occupy days and weeks with fear, and then leave you regretting the time you wasted. You dread the future and then get caught…
For most professional athletes, turning pro is the realisation of a dream. Years of dedication and sacrifice are rewarded when pen hits paper to sign that first contract. For Fabio Quagliarella, however, becoming a professional footballer for Torino in 1999 was only part one of the dream. Part two was…
To the unfamiliar, the term Stoic Philosophy provides little excitement. It sounds ancient and stale; probably something you don’t read unless you’re an elderly professor wearing a tweed jacket with elbow patches. Ryan Holiday was introduced to Stoicism at the age of 19. Tim Ferriss came across Seneca at around…
Most of us are guilty of regularly buying things we don’t need. Maybe it’s an unmissable sale that tempts us to add to our growing number of possessions, maybe we think that new purchase will make us feel good, or maybe we’re just trying to impress people. Later we realise…
I've seen a few versions of the fisherman and the businessman story; this one is from blog of writer Paulo Coelho. It's superb in its simplicity and the Stoic feel is obvious so it requires no further commentary. Enjoy! There was once a businessman who was sitting by the beach…
Ah there it is, my alarm clock alerting me to the beginning of another day. The same shrill tone and urgent rhythm normally precedes fire damage which I find symbolic some days. But not today. Not this day that has just begun at 6:00 AM. I’m ready to explode out…
The writer William Zinsser once wrote an article called “The News From Timbuktu” about his trip to the Malian city to witness camel caravans carrying salt across the Sahara. He was thrilled by the sight of forty camels proceeding in unison over the vast desert, but it was another incident…
When was the last time you helped someone without them knowing it was you? Maybe you made an anonymous donation to a JustGiving campaign or returned some lost property and didn’t leave your name. If something similar does come to mind, you should now be feeling that same little buzz…
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. Sometimes we need Stoic reminders, because moments of greater perspective aren't always a priority. In the morning, you might…
“We’re all gonna die.” If you’ve ever seen the movie Predator, you’ll remember the character Billy Sole using that line in a much calmer, matter-of-fact manner than might be expected in an action film. In that instance it was used to convey the danger of a more imminent demise, but…