A Guide to the Good Life

The definition of “stoic” and the pursuit of stoicism aren't something I was able to differentiate before reading this book. After, though, I realized how much close to home the concepts of stoicism are to strive to behave. It's not often that I encounter a philosophy, or a belief that rings so completely true with my core self.

There were a few concepts that were the most poignant to me. Having a “philosophy of life” is an interesting idea – a way of living. “Negative visualization”- spending time thinking about what could go wrong to appreciate what you have, and be less affected when things don't go your way. The idea of “control” over - things you have complete control (yourself), limited control how over, or no control over – and spending time on those you have complete control over. Asking if you're guided by own values, or following others. There were a few things I disagreed with, but those were usually authors interpretations of the original works, which I more agreed with.

Having used the online alias Dyogenez for 20 years, and having read everything by Diogenes before this, it was amazing to hear such a deep dive into the cynics way of life - and how similar it is to Stoicism.

The definition of “stoic” and the pursuit of stoicism aren't something I was able to differentiate before reading this book. After, though, I realized how much close to home the concepts of stoicism are to strive to behave. It's not often that I encounter a philosophy, or a belief that rings so completely true with my core self.

There were a few concepts that were the most poignant to me. Having a “philosophy of life” is an interesting idea – a way of living. “Negative visualization”- spending time thinking about what could go wrong to appreciate what you have, and be less affected when things don't go your way. The idea of “control” over - things you have complete control (yourself), limited control how over, or no control over – and spending time on those you have complete control over. Asking if you're guided by own values, or following others. There were a few things I disagreed with, but those were usually authors interpretations of the original works, which I more agreed with.

Having used the online alias Dyogenez for 20 years, and having read everything by Diogenes before this, it was amazing to hear such a deep dive into the cynics way of life - and how similar it is to Stoicism.

Most likely the book that had the biggest effect on my life in the past several years. It explained the stoic philosophy in simple terms. It made a valid point that one should have a philosophy of life. It doesn't matter what it is, as long as you have a set of values. Otherwise you're just wandering around, living day-to-day, and then wake up one day with that scary thought: what the hell am I doing with my life?

After reading this I read a lot of books from Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus, and the bunch. It's, at the same time, insane and awesome how so little has changed in over 2400 years. They had the same problems we have and they developed several practices on how to navigate them. Many of the them resonate with me and I'm trying to live a better life by following them.

And it works. I'm happier, less stressed, have a more positive outlook on life, problems disturb me less,... I'm not saying you have to follow stoic philosophy. But you should have a life philosophy you follow. And this book is as good of an intro as any.

The most important takeaway for me from this book was that one has to have a philosophy of life and it should govern everything that one does. Whether that philosophy is Stoicism, something else off-the-shelf, or something you've cooked up yourself doesn't really matter - the only thing that matters is that by abiding by your life's philosophy you end up living a happy and fulfilling life.

It was also interesting for me to get acquainted with Stoicism and to read a modern interpretation of the words of the ancient Roman Stoics. The author makes a compelling case for the value of tranquility and outlines a lot of concrete suggestions and tactics for attaining it. I still wonder whether Stoicism and me are compatible, though, as I've rarely sought tranquility in my life, but I'll definitely ruminate on the contents of the book in the months to come. All in all - I believe it's a valuable read regardless of whether you ever decide to become a practicing Stoic.

This is a fantastic, highly-actionable book that you won't regret reading. Insofar as it's a guide to the good life, it boils down to a few high-level principles:

* Be happy with what you've got
* Don't worry about things you can't change
* Strive to become stronger by intentionally putting yourself into uncomfortable situations

They're great high-level goals, and the remainder of the book is tactics for achieving them (and some boring history stuff.)

This book is so good that I'll buy you a copy—even if I don't know you :) Just ask!