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later in the video, but for now let's get

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on with how to improve your life from the
wisdom of Marcus Aurelius.

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Marcus Aurelius says “Waste no more time
arguing about what a good man should be.

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Be one.”

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Marcus Aurelius is one of the greatest philosophers
of ancient times.

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He ruled over Rome from 161 to 180 AD.

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famously being known as “the last of the
five good emperors”.

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He carried out his duties with greatness and
honour, despite facing difficult military

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conflicts during his reign, with the Parthian
Empire, the kingdom of Armenia, and the Germanic

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tribes.

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On top of this, between 165 and 166 he also
had to deal with the Antonine plague which

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killed from five to as many as ten million
people in his empire!

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Despite his extremely busy lifestyle, he took
the time to reflect on the most existential

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questions of life, becoming one of the most
appreciated philosophers of ancient Rome.

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During his time, he constructed a series of
autobiographical writings known as the Meditations,

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which he wrote for his own guidance and self-improvement.

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“Meditations” is considered also one of
the greatest works of philosophy ever written

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and it is one of the fundamental books of
the philosophy of Stoicism.

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The main core of stoic philosophy is the necessity
of making deliberate choices and being in

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control of our emotions in order to live well
and lead a virtuous life.

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By practising stoicism and following the teachings
of Marcus Aurelius, one can better face the

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difficulties of daily life, no matter how
trivial or complex they may be.

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Our character is based on our behaviour and
our behaviour is based on our daily habits,

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which is why in this video we bring you 7
ways you can improve your life following the

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daily habits of Marcus Aurelius.

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Be grateful for waking up
Marcus Aurelius says “When you arise in

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the morning, think of what a precious privilege
it is to be alive — to breathe, to think,

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to enjoy, to love.”

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Showing gratitude for the things we already
have helps us want less, and makes us appreciate

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them more.

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Marcus Aurelius, practised gratitude on a
daily basis, despite spending most of his

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life on a battlefield.

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His book “Meditations” starts with a list
of all the people he was thankful for.

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He expressed his gratitude more towards people
who shaped him and moulded him as a person,

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and not towards his fame, wealth or successes.

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Despite being the emperor of the Roman Empire,
for him, people were more important than possessions

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or fame.

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Marcus Aurelius considered that we need only
three things in life: certainty of judgement

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in the present moment; action for the common
good in the present moment; and an attitude

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of gratitude in the present moment for anything
that comes your way.

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Therefore, an attitude of gratitude is essential
to living a balanced life.

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We in the modern world spend way too much
of our time focusing on our problems in pursuit

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of our materialistic desires and do not realise
how showing appreciation can transform a person's

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life.

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A life devoid of gratitude is frequently unhappy
and unfulfilling.

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On the other hand the benefits of practising
gratitude are nearly endless.

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People who regularly practise gratitude by
taking time to notice and reflect upon the

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things they're thankful for experience more
positive emotions, feel more alive, sleep

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better, and express more compassion and kindness.

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If the first thing you do after waking up
is say thank you for everything and everyone

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you have, you'll discover that you're genuinely
happier with where you are and what you already

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have in life, and this realisation will help
you approach your day and people with ease.

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You can start this practice by writing down
3-5 things you are thankful for every day.

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Even if you lose everything, your job, your
house, your spouse, you can still find reasons

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to be grateful.

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Hopefully, you still have your health, or
you have expert professional skills.

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Perhaps you have close friends or family members
who care about you, or perhaps you can simply

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be grateful for the fact that you are still
alive and you can see the sun shining for

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another day.

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Also remember, no situation is permanent,
no matter how tragic.

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“This too shall pass” is what Aurelius
says.

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And when it does pass, we can be only grateful
that it wasn’t worse than it was.

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2. Make time for journaling
In the words of Marcus aurelius “The recognition

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that I needed to train and discipline my character.

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Not to be sidetracked by my interest in rhetoric.

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Not to write treatises on abstract questions,
or deliver moralising little sermons, or compose

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imaginary descriptions of The Simple Life
or The Man Who Lives Only for Others.

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To steer clear of oratory, poetry and belles
lettres.

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Not to dress up just to stroll around the
house, or things like that.

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To write straightforwardly.”

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At dawn, Marcus Aurelius would spend a few
minutes with a blank page, writing down his

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thoughts, clearing his mind, reminding himself
of what was truly important.

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Through journaling, he would spend his mornings
capturing his thoughts and emotions, whether

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at war or at peace.

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Our modern day life is stressful.

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There are so many distractions and so much
noise around and it can often be pretty difficult

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to keep calm.

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Our human mind loves these distractions, but
the practice of journaling helps us in clearing

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our mind and allows us to breathe.

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You can start by writing down your feelings,
your dreams, your worries and the things you

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are thankful for.

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Doing this will help you see yourself from
a better perspective.

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You can write about ambitions, your goals
and all the roadblocks that come along the

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way.

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This way you will know exactly how to proceed
and how to deal with those obstacles.

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You can also write about what you have achieved
so far.

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When you write about the milestones you have
achieved, you can easily track your progress

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and boost your morale.

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In stoicism the art of journaling is more
than just keeping a diary.

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This daily practice is philosophy.

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It is how you prepare for the day ahead in
the morning and reflect on the day that has

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passed in the evening.

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Hence it is recommended to also write about
your own experiences, what you have learnt

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from your teachers and mentors.

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When you write about the lessons you have
learnt and the qualities others have that

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you admire, you provide yourself with a toolkit
to realign with the person you want to be.

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You can start this practice by putting aside
10 minutes in the morning and writing in whatever

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form works for you.

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You can write notes on paper, in a dedicated
book, store them on an app on your phone,

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or pull up an empty document on your computer
and record your thoughts there.

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It is the process that counts.

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The more we write, the more you encourage
imagination, enhance appreciation, and the

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more your philosophy ingrains itself in your
character.

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3.

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Prepare for the worst
According to Marcus Aurelius “When you wake

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up in the morning, tell yourself: The people
I deal with today will be meddling, ungrateful,

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arrogant, dishonest, jealous, and surly.”

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Marcus Aurelius faced many difficulties in
life and he understood very well how practical

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stoic advice is when preparing for worst case
scenarios.

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As a part of his morning routine, Marcus spent
some time visualising the negative people

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and negative circumstances that could get
in his way.

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This way he mentally prepared himself in order
to be ready to handle anyone or anything,

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no matter how difficult it may be.

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His technique was to anticipate the worst
so that we can adequately prepare ourselves

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for the challenges that lie ahead - otherwise
known as “negative visualisation”.

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The idea here is not to have a pessimistic
approach but to stay prepared for the misfortune

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that can befall us at any moment.

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If you have an employment contract which expires
soon, for example, you have to plan for the

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worst: In this case, that the employer would
not extend your employment and that you have

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to find more work elsewhere.

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Don’t wear rose-tinted spectacles, having
absolute faith that the boss really appreciates

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you and that they will recommend you for a
permanent position.

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This might happen, but as you can’t know
for certain, you need to apply to new jobs

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before your contract ends to have a plan B.

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You can practice negative visualisation every
morning by keeping your expectations upfront

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and by being far more honest with yourself.

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Ask yourself - What could go wrong?

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How would you handle such scenarios?

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Can you overcome or plan for them?

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When you prepare for the worst in the morning,
you are in a better place to deal with disaster,

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should it arise during the day.

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With negative visualisation and preparing
oneself for the worst-case scenarios before

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they happen, you can reduce both fear and
anxiety of the unknown.

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4.

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Focus on the task at hand
Marcus Aurelius teaches us to…

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“Concentrate every minute like a Roman - like
a man - on doing what's in front of you with

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precise and genuine seriousness, tenderly,
willingly, with justice.

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And on freeing yourself from all other distractions.”

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It is said that Marcus would tackle his most
difficult tasks first.

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He did not procrastinate, nor neglect hard
work or avoid his more unpleasant duties.

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He had a job to do and he never complained
about it.

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He also teaches us to treat our time like
a wartime general because it is our most valuable

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and equitable resource.

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We need to take control of our time and start
distributing it correctly.

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Once you decide on your task and have a clear
strategy, you must then ignore the distractions.

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The distractions in our modern world are never
ending - even if you try to remove all distractions,

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like turning off the tv, silencing your phone
and focusing on what you need to get done,

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to your brain, the allure of finding an excuse
to do something easier is still strong.

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This is because our brain craves short-term
pleasure, which is why it’s often hard to

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start work as there is no expectation of an
immediate reward.

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Sometimes, that reward is years away.

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However if you wrap up your work with the
expectancy of an immediate reward, you give

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yourself a good reason to concentrate on your
work.

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For example, if you avoid or delay your work
and spend a lot of your time checking social

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media feeds, you can make a deal that you’re
not allowed to log in to your social media

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account again until a certain amount of work
is done.

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This way you can stay focused on your task
on what needs to get done.

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When you spend your days focusing on what
needs to be done, it becomes easier to stay

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on task and get things accomplished.

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The more focused you are, the more successful,
energetic and content you will be.

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5.

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Master your mind
To quote Marcus Aurelius “You have power

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over your mind - not outside events.

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Realise this, and you will find strength.”

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Our mind is one of our greatest assets in
life, it is the instrument with which we think,

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we analyse reality and make decisions.

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But our mind can also be our greatest enemy.

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According to Aurelius, it all depends on our
perception, on how we choose to look at things

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that determines if we use our minds wisely
or in a destructive way.

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Following the wisdom of Aurelius, we too can
increase our capacity to focus on what we

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can control if we do the following things:

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1) Stop blaming external circumstances for
your failure

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As an emperor, Marcus Aurelius always took
full responsibility for what was happening

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in his empire and always meditated at the
end of the day on what his mistakes were,

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and what he could do better next time.

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Similarly we should also stop playing the
victim and blaming external circumstances

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for our failures.

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For example, do not react harshly when your
boss criticises you in front of others because

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of the way you did a task.

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It was your responsibility to do that task
in the right way and you should take responsibility

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for your mistakes.

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Do not blame the lack of time or the lack
of resources for not performing that task

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well, but rather apologise and inform them
on how you can improve next time.

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2) Not allow others to negatively affect you
Marcus Aurelius emphasised focusing our mind

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on the present moment, on solving the problem
at hand rather than getting lost in the details,

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and getting affected by the people or circumstances.

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For each problem we face, we need to break
the problem into its components, analyse them

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and find a solution.

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Don’t concentrate on whose fault it was,
do not waste your energy in reacting to people,

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your capacity to control others or circumstances
is limited.

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For example, if someone close to you upsets
you, admit that this is a thing you don’t

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have control over.

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You can try to figure out if there was something
you did that triggered this reaction; if there

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wasn’t, just acknowledge the fact and make
peace with it, there is nothing you can do

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about it.

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And finally…

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3) Take control over how you perceive reality
Marcus Aurelius firmly believed that our soul

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takes the colour of our thoughts and we should
guard those thoughts strongly; thus, if your

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thoughts are pure, the happier you will be
and the more courageous you will feel in tackling

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the problems that appear.

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Your peace of mind depends on how you control
how your mind sees things.

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If you suffered a spinal injury that results
in you needing a wheelchair, for example.

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In Aurelius’ view, the best approach for
your mental health is to stop complaining

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about how unfortunate you are, and rather
focus on the positives; perhaps you can be

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now a role model for other people, you can
participate in sports and prove that there

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is nothing that can stop you, or perhaps you
can focus on a hobby that you would have never

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considered, like painting, music or writing.

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Obstacles and hardships present themselves
each day.

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They are indeed a part of life.

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There will be moments of turbulence in our
lives, and many of them will be unexpected,

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happening at the most inopportune times.

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These moments can strengthen or weaken us,
and that all depends on how we respond to

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it.We may complain about obstacles, call them
unfair, never face them and stay negative.

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Or we can choose to train ourselves, to see
it as an opportunity to grow and develop virtues.

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It is all about how you see things that determine
your well being and peace of mind.

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If we can master the mind, we can understand
the world, we can be more able to do what

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is right, speak the truth, accept what is
happening, and live more in the present.

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Mastering the mind is vital to living well.

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6.

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Review your day
According to Marcus Aurelius, “Nothing has

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such power to broaden the mind as the ability
to investigate systematically and truly all

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that comes under thy observation in life.”

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Stoicism is a very practical philosophy, it’s
about self-improvement and the best way to

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improve is through personal review.

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Marcus Aurelius wrote his meditations with
the purpose of reviewing his own daily choices

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and thoughts to achieve personal clarity.

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He kept a constant eye on his daily actions.

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If you want to be the best version of yourself,
you must be aware of your actions.

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This is why daily reflection routines are
crucial in Stoicism.

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If you don’t know where you went wrong,
how are you supposed to improve as a person?

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How can you be your best?

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Setting aside 5-10 mins every evening to review
your daily progress is an important step in

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leading a Stoic lifestyle.

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You can sit down with your journal and ask
yourselves questions like: What did I do well?

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What could have I done better?

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Did I behave according to my principles?

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Did I treat people in a friendly and considerate
manner?

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What could have I done to be the best version
of myself?

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Also make sure you are kind and forgiving
to yourself if you did something where you

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acted in some way you disapprove of or did
something you were not supposed to.

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It's completely ok to struggle and experience
setbacks as long as you are aware and try

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your best.

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7.

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Meditate on your death
In our final quote from Marcus Aurelius for

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this video, he says “Let each thing you
would do, say or intend be like that of a

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dying person.”

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Despite being the emperor, Marcus Aurelius
realised that no matter how great the things

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we accomplish or who we are, we all have the
same destiny: death.

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He frequently reminded himself of his own
mortality and this made him adopt a more humble

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attitude towards life.

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It is said that at night, he would tuck his
children into bed and kiss them, and say quietly

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to himself, “Don’t rush this.

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This might be the last time you do this.

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It’s not guaranteed that either of you will
make it through the night.”

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There is a phrase within the stoic philosophy
called Memento Mori, which means remember

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that you will die.

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It is a reminder that your death is inevitable,
your time is limited.

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No matter where you are born, how rich you
are, or what you do during your life, there

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will come a day where you will not wake up
to enjoy life once more.

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The Stoics made it routine to keep the prospect
of death in mind and you too can practice

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this every evening.

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The point of this reminder that you will die
is not to promote fear but quite the opposite;

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to make you approach to your daily life fearlessly
and make you feel confident about doing the

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things that really matter.

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You can start this exercise by spending 5-10
mins every evening imagining that you are

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on your deathbed and only have a week to live.

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Ask yourself - ‘are the things I’m spending
my time on worth it?’

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Asking such a question will make you realise
that perhaps you are not spending enough time

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with your family or that you would rather
be doing something else like pursuing your

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dream of being a musician, for example, than
your current job that you do not actually

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enjoy.

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The key purpose of this exercise is to make
you realise 3 things - to spend quality time

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with the people you love and respect, to make
your priorities clear and to not spend your

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time doing something you hate.

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Your life will be merely other people’s
memories in a few years when you’re gone.

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Therefore, it is much better to really concentrate
your focus on the people you really care about,

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give your best contributions to this world
through your work.

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Daily reflecting on your death will help you
navigate through your priorities in life and

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help you be the person you want to be.

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