Stoicism 101: An introduction to Stoicism, Stoic Philosophy and the Stoics. Stoicism is a school of philosophy that hails from ancient Greece and Rome in the early parts of the 3rd century, BC. It is a philosophy of life that maximizes positive emotions, reduces negative emotions and helps individuals to hone their virtues of character. Introduction to Stoicism: Simply put, Stoicism was designed to help people live their best possible lives. It’s a philosophy of life that maximizes positive emotions, reduces negative emotions and helps individuals to hone their virtues of character. At any moment, in any situation, and at any stage of life, Stoicism provides a framework for living well. It reminds people of what is truly important, providing practical strategies to get more of what is valuable. Stoicism was deliberately created to be understandable, actionable and useful. Practicing Stoicism doesn’t require learning an entirely new philosophical lexicon or meditating for hours a day. Instead, it offers an immediate, useful and practical way to find tranquility and improve one’s strengths of character. The creation of this guide has these goals in mind. Stoicism is having a renaissance with entrepreneurs, athletes, and politicians. If you have an interest in learning more about Stoicism, or if you want to explore answers to some of life’s most significant questions, please read on! Let us know what you think in the comment section below. Let's start by learning a bit more about Stoicism. Stoicism is a school of philosophy that hails from ancient Greece and Rome in the early parts of the 3rd century, BC. It's important to keep in mind how differently people thought then. People's primary concern was to avoid living an unfortunate life. Therefore, they were more likely to order their thoughts, decisions, and behaviors to promote increased life satisfaction. One of the most important things to keep in mind is individuals didn’t automatically assume that they would achieve happiness by attaining money, prestige, and or beautiful things. With great urgency, people wanted to understand how they could have an excellent soul. Stoicism was one of the famous schools of thought during this period because the Stoics provided compelling answers to anxiety, stress, fear, and troubling questions like “What do I want out of life?” The Stoics offered an operating system that dealt with the trials of the human condition. Their ultimate answer to all of these issues (essentially) went as follows: I want enduring happiness and tranquility of mind, which come from being a virtuous person. For instance, a person could hone virtues of character by placing more value on actions over words. In short, positive behavior lead toward a more positive life experience. And, you guessed it-- negative behavior resulted in a more challenging one. In summation, Stoicism was an ancient school of philosophy that taught a particular way of living. Its principal focus was how to live a virtuous life, to maximize happiness and reduce negative emotions. Its value has been tried and tested over much of human history by renown individuals like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Arianna Huffington, Tom Brady, Tim Ferriss and more. Its principles may have started long ago, but Stoic strategies are as relevant today as they were in ancient times. Who were the Stoics? A handful of thinkers helped to form the Stoic philosophy. This section will provide pertinent information about several of the most famous Stoics, as well as what they contributed to the Stoic Philosophy. Marcus Aurelius Marcus Aurelius was one of the most influential human beings in human history. He was the head of the Roman Empire for two decades, at a time when it was one of the largest and most influential civilizations the world had ever seen. And despite being an individual of limitless power - who could do whatever he pleased with impunity - emperor Aurelius ardently practiced and lived the Stoic philosophy. He wrote nightly in his journal about his struggles to live as a restrained, wise and virtuous human being. He wrote them for himself entirely, later his writings were uncovered, collected, and published under the title Meditations. The collection is now recognized as one of the most influential Stoic texts. His writings are a direct look at the thoughts of a practicing Stoic, and he stands as an incredible example of how Stoic strategies can help individuals deal with stressful situations. Lucius Annaeus Seneca Lucius Annaeus Seneca was a statesman, a dramatist, and a writer, which gave him real charisma and a way with words. He had a particularly simple, entertaining and memorable way of explaining Stoicism, which has placed his writings among the very best ways for beginners to engage with the philosophy. Also, Seneca’s thoughts resonate with modern audiences, due to his unusually practical considerations of topics like friendship, mortality, altruism and the proper use of time. Give one of Seneca’s more popular texts a read here -Letters from a Stoic. And listen to why Seneca offers some of Tim Ferriss’ favorite life hacks here - The Tao of Seneca. Zeno of Citium Stoic philosophy started with Zeno of Citium. Having shipwrecked near Athens, he turned his misfortune into an opportunity by taking advantage of all the philosophical resources available in the city. He sat in on lectures from the other schools of philosophy (e.g., Cynicism, Epicureanism) and eventually started his own. He would teach his theory on the Stoa Poikile (a famously painted porch in Athens), and it is from this Greek word for porch “stōïkos” that the term Stoicism came. Epictetus Epictetus, a former slave, improved his station in life to become one of Stoicism’s most analytical thinkers. Epictetus’ handbook, The Enchiridion, is an especially practical look at how to implement the Stoic philosophy in one’s life. He had a particular talent for explaining how Stoic strategies improve one’s quality of life and made a compelling case for why one might want to make Stoicism their primary operating system. Many of his teachings have become recognizable, without being known as his. For instance, one of his principles is at the basis of the: serenity prayer: “God grant me serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, And wisdom to know the difference.”