jinky gutang

Last year I read Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman’s The Daily Stoic. (Google defines Stoic as a person who can endure pain or hardship without showing their feelings or complaining and a member of the ancient philosophical school of Stoicism) It was a year of daily meditations on wisdom, perseverance, and the art of living.

Everyday last year I dedicated my time to read it daily before starting my day or ending my day. It has helped me a LOT navigating and understanding better my external and internal stuff in “life”. It was fascinating having a daily different point of view on how things were, are, and going to be – especially those things that are outside of our control.

Here, I will share 12 personal favorite meditations that might have a chance to make one person’s day one percent better.

1. BE RUTHLESS TO THE THINGS THAT DON’T MATTER

“How many have laid waste to your life when you weren’t aware of what you were losing, how much was wasted in pointless grief, foolish joy, greedy desire, and social amusements – how little of your own was left to you. You will realize you are dying before your time!” – Seneca, on the Brevity of Life, 3.3b

2. YOU DON’T HAVE TO HAVE AN OPINION

“We have the power to hold no opinion about a thing and to not let it upset our state of mind – for things have no natural power to shape our judgments.” – Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 6.52

3. THE BEST RETREAT IS IN HERE, NOT OUT THERE

“People seek retreats for themselves in the country, by the sea, or in the mountains. You are very much in the habit of yearning for those same things. But this is entirely the trait of a base person, when you can, at any moment, find such retreat in yourself. For nowhere can you find a more peaceful and less busy retreat than in your own soul – especially if on close inspection it is filled with ease, which I say is nothing more than being well-ordered. Treat yourself often to this retreat and be renewed.” – Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 4.3.1

4. THE COLOR OF YOUR THOUGHTS

“Your mind will take the shape of what you frequently hold in thought, for the human spirit is colored by such impressions.” – Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 5.16

5. COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS

“Don’t set your mind on things you don’t possess as if they were yours, but count the blessings you actually possess and think how much you would desire them if they weren’t already yours. But watch yourself, that you don’t value these things to the point of being troubled if you should lose them.” – Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 7.27

6. PREPARED AND ACTIVE

“Let Fate find us prepared and active. Here is the great soul – the one who surrenders to Fate. The opposite is the weak and degenerate one, who struggles with and has a poor regard for the order of the world, and seeks to correct the faults of the gods rather than their own.” – Seneca, Moral Letters, 107.12

7. DOING THE RIGHT THING IS ENOUGH

“When you’ve done well and another has benefited by it, why like a fool do you look for a third thing on top – credit for the good deed or a favor in return? – Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 7.73

8. DON’T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF

“It is essential for you to remember that the attention you give to any action should be in due proportion to its worth, for then you won’t tire and give up, if you aren’t busying yourself with lesser things beyond what should be allowed.” – Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 4.32b

9. WHAT WOULD LESS LOOK LIKE?

“Let us get used to dining out without the crowds, to being a slave to fewer slaves, to getting clothes only for their real purpose, and to living in more modest quarters.” – Seneca, On Tranquility of Mind, 9.3b

10. REVENGE IS A DISH BEST NOT SERVED

“How much better to heal than seek revenge from injury. Vengeance wastes a lot of time and exposes you to many more injuries than the first that sparked it. Anger always outlasts hurt. Best to take the opposite course. Would anyone think it normal to return a kick to a mule or a bite to a dog?” – Seneca, On Anger, 3.27.2

11. IT’S NOT ON THEM, IT’S ON YOU

“If someone is slipping up, kindly correct them and point out what they missed. But if you can’t, blame yourself – or no one.” – Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 10.4

12. GET ACTIVE IN YOUR OWN RESCUE

“Stop wandering about! You aren’t likely to read your own notebooks, or ancient histories, or the anthologies you’ve collected to enjoy in your old age. Get busy with life’s purpose, toss aside empty hopes, get active in your own rescue – if you care for yourself at all – and do it while you can.” Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 3.14

By sharing this with you, whatever you are going through, I hope to find a bit of lightness in carrying them together.

Welcome to 2024!