1 00:00:00,729 --> 00:00:08,320 Marcus Aurelius is one of the most famous and well-known stoic philosophers of all time. 2 00:00:08,320 --> 00:00:15,580 He was a Roman Emperor from 161 to 180 AD and he was the last ruler from a line later 3 00:00:15,580 --> 00:00:18,880 known as ‘The Five Good Emperors.’ 4 00:00:18,880 --> 00:00:23,340 He was in one of the highest positions of power in the world at the time and would have 5 00:00:23,340 --> 00:00:29,789 access to the realisation of all his temptations and desires should he wish for them, but instead, 6 00:00:29,789 --> 00:00:34,090 he dedicated his life to fairness and justice. 7 00:00:34,090 --> 00:00:39,450 During his rule, Aurelius found the time to construct a series of autobiographical writings, 8 00:00:39,450 --> 00:00:45,980 now known as the Meditations, which has become one of the most important texts within stoic 9 00:00:45,980 --> 00:00:46,980 philosophy. 10 00:00:46,980 --> 00:00:52,199 In the meditations, Aurelius describes guides on how to improve oneself. 11 00:00:52,199 --> 00:00:57,940 These were mostly focused on ‘taking a cosmic perspective’ and critically analysing your 12 00:00:57,940 --> 00:01:00,829 judgement on yourself and others. 13 00:01:00,829 --> 00:01:06,820 As a leader of a powerful empire that experienced multiple wars during his rule, Aurelius used 14 00:01:06,820 --> 00:01:13,040 his own stoic philosophy to let go of stress and worries and to be the very best and reliable 15 00:01:13,040 --> 00:01:15,990 leader he could be. 16 00:01:15,990 --> 00:01:21,930 Stoicism is an ancient and incredibly famous philosophy that, aside from a theory, is also 17 00:01:21,930 --> 00:01:26,009 a truly inspiring way of thinking and living. 18 00:01:26,009 --> 00:01:32,080 The stoics strongly believed that doing the right thing was the key to individual happiness, 19 00:01:32,080 --> 00:01:37,260 and that in order to do the right thing, sound judgement and clear rational thinking was 20 00:01:37,260 --> 00:01:38,640 necessary. 21 00:01:38,640 --> 00:01:44,240 So with that in mind, in this video, we will talk about how you can develop a rational 22 00:01:44,240 --> 00:01:49,009 mind, through five important lessons that can help you think more clearly, from the 23 00:01:49,009 --> 00:01:54,620 teachings of Marcus Aurelius. 1. 24 00:01:54,620 --> 00:01:56,740 Train Your Perception 25 00:01:56,740 --> 00:02:03,290 Marcus Aurelius says “Choose not to be harmed and you won’t feel harmed. 26 00:02:03,290 --> 00:02:07,780 Don’t feel harmed and you haven’t been”. 27 00:02:07,780 --> 00:02:12,650 One of the greatest lessons of stoicism is to take control of your perception. 28 00:02:12,650 --> 00:02:16,000 We’re used to judging everything we come across. 29 00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:23,560 Any event we experience, any people we meet, sights we see - all of them get a value judgement. 30 00:02:23,560 --> 00:02:29,900 Something was either bad, good, boring, fun, beautiful, ugly, etc. 31 00:02:29,900 --> 00:02:35,790 This is, unbeknownst to us, a very exhausting practice and also one that might affect our 32 00:02:35,790 --> 00:02:37,349 lives for the worse. 33 00:02:37,349 --> 00:02:43,159 For example, judging every interaction you have on a particularly hard day as ‘awful’ 34 00:02:43,159 --> 00:02:47,190 gives the day itself an even more negative view. 35 00:02:47,190 --> 00:02:53,320 If you label a party you went to as boring, that is all it will be: that one boring part 36 00:02:53,320 --> 00:02:54,810 of your week. 37 00:02:54,810 --> 00:03:01,209 We often let our initial judgments of things be influenced by our emotions, which means 38 00:03:01,209 --> 00:03:04,830 that they are most likely not entirely rational. 39 00:03:04,830 --> 00:03:11,060 Furthermore, our tendency to judge every moment of our lives goes hand in hand with a tendency 40 00:03:11,060 --> 00:03:16,200 to talk in metaphors and hyperboles that make things seem worse. 41 00:03:16,200 --> 00:03:21,210 If you get dumped by your partner, you might say your ex ‘broke your heart’ instead 42 00:03:21,210 --> 00:03:26,379 of the fundamental fact that they no longer feel for you the way they used to. 43 00:03:26,379 --> 00:03:31,370 This way of speaking - or rather: this way of thinking - shapes how you feel. 44 00:03:31,370 --> 00:03:37,360 It is not the actual event that makes you feel bad, but rather the way you unconsciously 45 00:03:37,360 --> 00:03:39,640 choose to think about it. 46 00:03:39,640 --> 00:03:44,820 The stoics, in contrast, encourage people to be careful to judge everything you come 47 00:03:44,820 --> 00:03:51,120 across and the things that you do and one of the ways to be careful is to 'undo your 48 00:03:51,120 --> 00:03:56,480 judgements' which essentially means to look past them: to be able to forget your first 49 00:03:56,480 --> 00:04:01,709 instinct and to judge something through a more optimistic and reasonable lens. 50 00:04:01,709 --> 00:04:07,060 You can try to ‘re-frame’ that boring party in your mind as an event where you got 51 00:04:07,060 --> 00:04:10,069 to see a new place and meet some new people. 52 00:04:10,069 --> 00:04:15,120 OK, afterwards you might note that you didn’t really resonate with anyone, but you didn’t 53 00:04:15,120 --> 00:04:19,090 go in with the expectation of negativity. 54 00:04:19,090 --> 00:04:24,229 As such, practising not to judge everything based on your first instinct and emotion is 55 00:04:24,229 --> 00:04:28,919 the very best way to start training your perception on life. 56 00:04:28,919 --> 00:04:35,460 Whenever you think about anything in an opinionated way, try to ask yourself, ‘Is this rational? 57 00:04:35,460 --> 00:04:38,370 What have I based my opinion on? 58 00:04:38,370 --> 00:04:42,430 Is there a better or more positive way to interpret this?’ 59 00:04:42,430 --> 00:04:49,000 Marcus Aurelius stressed that harms can only be if you consider them as harms. 60 00:04:49,000 --> 00:04:54,199 This means that any hard experience you went through seems harder and worse, the harder 61 00:04:54,199 --> 00:04:56,990 and worse you consider it to be. 62 00:04:56,990 --> 00:05:02,960 As such, you have complete control over how much certain situations affect you. 63 00:05:02,960 --> 00:05:08,419 The stoics also encourage you to see every ‘bad’ thing that happens as an opportunity 64 00:05:08,419 --> 00:05:10,479 or source for ‘good.’ 65 00:05:10,479 --> 00:05:15,479 As an exercise of training your perspective in a stoic way, there is a challenge called 66 00:05:15,479 --> 00:05:18,590 ‘Turning The Obstacle Upside Down.’ 67 00:05:18,590 --> 00:05:23,710 When a new coworker is a slow learner and their mistakes affect the company’s profits, 68 00:05:23,710 --> 00:05:25,810 you might feel frustration. 69 00:05:25,810 --> 00:05:31,789 This coworker is an obstacle to what you are trying to achieve: effectiveness, efficiency 70 00:05:31,789 --> 00:05:33,289 and profit. 71 00:05:33,289 --> 00:05:37,669 However, this situation can also be an opportunity for good. 72 00:05:37,669 --> 00:05:43,330 It is an opportunity for youth to exercise and practice patience, to become a better 73 00:05:43,330 --> 00:05:48,919 teacher, to learn how to integrate new people into the company and how to handle stressful 74 00:05:48,919 --> 00:05:50,199 times. 75 00:05:50,199 --> 00:05:55,139 All of these are skills that will also be useful later, and should also help you increase 76 00:05:55,139 --> 00:05:58,050 profits in the long run, as well. 77 00:05:58,050 --> 00:06:04,900 On this subject, Marcus Aurelius famously said: ‘The impediment to action advances 78 00:06:04,900 --> 00:06:06,280 action. 79 00:06:06,280 --> 00:06:10,210 What stands in the way becomes the way.’ 80 00:06:10,210 --> 00:06:17,100 So, all in all, instead of judging everything you come across in an exaggerated sense, take 81 00:06:17,100 --> 00:06:22,800 the time to look at things as they objectively are and you might find that life is simpler 82 00:06:22,800 --> 00:06:25,190 and clearer than you thought. 83 00:06:25,190 --> 00:06:30,479 Every situation has a more positive interpretation and a more negative one. 84 00:06:30,479 --> 00:06:34,620 When you adjust your mindset accordingly, you will find that nothing bothers you as 85 00:06:34,620 --> 00:06:39,630 much as it used to, and you will get through life much more easily. 86 00:06:39,630 --> 00:06:41,200 2. 87 00:06:41,200 --> 00:06:43,889 Learn To Control Your Emotions 88 00:06:43,889 --> 00:06:47,319 Marcus Aurelius advises us to… 89 00:06:47,319 --> 00:06:54,970 “Stop letting your emotions override what your mind tells you, stop being hypocritical, 90 00:06:54,970 --> 00:06:58,599 self-centred, irritable”. 91 00:06:58,599 --> 00:07:04,360 Acting out of emotion is often depicted as a stark contrast to acting rationally, and 92 00:07:04,360 --> 00:07:09,819 this is not without reason: there is nothing that clouds our judgement more than our own 93 00:07:09,819 --> 00:07:10,910 emotions can. 94 00:07:10,910 --> 00:07:16,069 So if you want to think clearly at all times, one of the most important skills to master 95 00:07:16,069 --> 00:07:19,620 is the ability to control your emotions. 96 00:07:19,620 --> 00:07:24,580 According to Marcus Aurelius, the emotion of anger in particular, does us more harm 97 00:07:24,580 --> 00:07:26,419 than good. 98 00:07:26,419 --> 00:07:31,639 Contrary to what many people seem to think or try, controlling your emotions does not 99 00:07:31,639 --> 00:07:33,500 mean suppressing them. 100 00:07:33,500 --> 00:07:38,810 When you feel intense anger as a result of a betrayal, you cannot control this anger 101 00:07:38,810 --> 00:07:45,210 by denying its existence to yourself or others or by pretending you’re fine: it will still 102 00:07:45,210 --> 00:07:49,210 be there, no matter how deep down you push it. 103 00:07:49,210 --> 00:07:56,789 Instead, controlling emotions such as anger is, according to the stoics, done by redirecting 104 00:07:56,789 --> 00:07:57,789 emotions. 105 00:07:57,789 --> 00:08:03,930 So when you are next experiencing anger, ask yourself what you can do with that anger. 106 00:08:03,930 --> 00:08:08,669 Yelling at the one who hurt you might seem tempting, but will it help you lessen your 107 00:08:08,669 --> 00:08:11,340 hurt or better your situation? 108 00:08:11,340 --> 00:08:13,849 Will it help the one who betrayed you be better? 109 00:08:13,849 --> 00:08:20,360 In short: think about what you are tempted to do and then ask yourself if it is helpful. 110 00:08:20,360 --> 00:08:24,840 If not, find ways to express your emotions that are helpful. 111 00:08:24,840 --> 00:08:30,240 Maybe you can achieve better results by calmly talking with the one who hurt you, explaining 112 00:08:30,240 --> 00:08:33,770 your feelings, and trying to see their side. 113 00:08:33,770 --> 00:08:40,070 You could also journal, take part in physical exercise, get lost in a video game or anything 114 00:08:40,070 --> 00:08:44,450 else that might help you let go of your anger afterwards. 115 00:08:44,450 --> 00:08:48,230 For another example, take anxiety or fear. 116 00:08:48,230 --> 00:08:52,680 You cannot simply push it down, but you can redirect it. 117 00:08:52,680 --> 00:08:57,410 Instead of letting anxiety paralyse you, you can use it to challenge yourself to take those 118 00:08:57,410 --> 00:09:02,190 actions that make you feel it and acknowledge its existence throughout. 119 00:09:02,190 --> 00:09:06,660 Let’s say you’re too scared to ask your boss for a raise. 120 00:09:06,660 --> 00:09:11,660 Lots of people see such fear as a reason not to do something and they allow themselves 121 00:09:11,660 --> 00:09:14,810 to be stopped by their anxieties. 122 00:09:14,810 --> 00:09:18,630 Others might be able to go through with it and regard their anxiety as something that 123 00:09:18,630 --> 00:09:22,790 is in the way and needs to be pushed down and ignored. 124 00:09:22,790 --> 00:09:29,300 But neither has to be the case: instead, your fear is something that can be expressed healthily 125 00:09:29,300 --> 00:09:32,140 and maybe even end up being helpful. 126 00:09:32,140 --> 00:09:37,950 For example, this fear makes you think about everything that can go wrong - which can lead 127 00:09:37,950 --> 00:09:42,890 you to consider all the possible questions your boss might ask, all the counterarguments 128 00:09:42,890 --> 00:09:45,260 you might get to hear. 129 00:09:45,260 --> 00:09:50,010 This way you can brace for them, and form a plan for each possible scenario. 130 00:09:50,010 --> 00:09:55,910 But most importantly, the fear provides a positive motivation to go through with it: 131 00:09:55,910 --> 00:09:59,020 to challenge yourself and grow as a person. 132 00:09:59,020 --> 00:10:01,959 To prove to yourself that you can. 133 00:10:01,959 --> 00:10:07,420 To make the step not despite your fear, but partly because of it. 134 00:10:07,420 --> 00:10:13,140 And in that scenario, you can be aware of the anxiety throughout and think, ‘How awesome 135 00:10:13,140 --> 00:10:15,940 that I’m trying this anyway?!’ 136 00:10:15,940 --> 00:10:21,130 When you manage to redirect strong emotions with ease, you will be a calm person no matter 137 00:10:21,130 --> 00:10:26,670 what and your emotions will never lessen your ability to think rationally and make smart 138 00:10:26,670 --> 00:10:28,560 decisions. 139 00:10:28,560 --> 00:10:34,060 Controlling your emotions is the key to a calmer mind. 140 00:10:34,060 --> 00:10:36,000 3. 141 00:10:36,000 --> 00:10:38,959 Exercise The Dichotomy Of Control 142 00:10:38,959 --> 00:10:46,570 In the words of Marcus Aurelius “You have power over your mind – not outside events. 143 00:10:46,570 --> 00:10:51,269 Realise this, and you will find strength.”. 144 00:10:51,269 --> 00:10:58,200 The dichotomy of control is the distinction between what we can control and what we cannot. 145 00:10:58,200 --> 00:11:03,670 For example, the weather, traffic issues or what people think about you are all outside 146 00:11:03,670 --> 00:11:04,860 of your control. 147 00:11:04,860 --> 00:11:09,839 But how you dress, at what time you leave and the kind of people you surround yourself 148 00:11:09,839 --> 00:11:10,839 with? 149 00:11:10,839 --> 00:11:12,510 That you can control. 150 00:11:12,510 --> 00:11:19,390 So, whenever you face a situation that makes you feel a certain way, ask yourself: what 151 00:11:19,390 --> 00:11:20,850 can I control? 152 00:11:20,850 --> 00:11:24,900 Whatever you can control is a reason to act. 153 00:11:24,900 --> 00:11:29,820 Whatever you cannot control, you should learn to accept and embrace without letting it affect 154 00:11:29,820 --> 00:11:31,330 you. 155 00:11:31,330 --> 00:11:37,060 Learning to distinguish these two things and act accordingly can clear your mind instantly. 156 00:11:37,060 --> 00:11:45,740 A very important part of the dichotomy of control is amor fati, or, translated: love 157 00:11:45,740 --> 00:11:47,800 for fate. 158 00:11:47,800 --> 00:11:54,570 When you embrace life and all the circumstances it brings you, you will always love life. 159 00:11:54,570 --> 00:12:00,250 You cannot escape fate or decide circumstances that are out of your control - but you can 160 00:12:00,250 --> 00:12:04,440 choose to love your life no matter what. 161 00:12:04,440 --> 00:12:08,709 If you find that you are rejected for a job you have wanted for years, you might think 162 00:12:08,709 --> 00:12:11,769 there is no redemption in such a situation. 163 00:12:11,769 --> 00:12:18,130 You wanted the job, tried and failed - you couldn’t possibly pretend to love fate in 164 00:12:18,130 --> 00:12:20,260 a circumstance like this. 165 00:12:20,260 --> 00:12:24,000 However, this is a misunderstanding. 166 00:12:24,000 --> 00:12:28,959 Instead of viewing the fact you didn’t fulfil your ambition purely as a negative, investigate 167 00:12:28,959 --> 00:12:34,230 what led to the negative result and use it to make a positive move. 168 00:12:34,230 --> 00:12:37,889 Either the reason you didn’t get the job was a failure on your part, in which case 169 00:12:37,889 --> 00:12:39,950 this is something you can control. 170 00:12:39,950 --> 00:12:43,959 You can work on those failings and try again when a similar opportunity appears in the 171 00:12:43,959 --> 00:12:44,959 future. 172 00:12:44,959 --> 00:12:50,620 Or the reason was an external factor, like nepotism or a personality clash with a member 173 00:12:50,620 --> 00:12:52,779 of the hiring staff. 174 00:12:52,779 --> 00:12:59,010 This was never in your control, meaning the opportunity never truly existed, and there’s 175 00:12:59,010 --> 00:13:03,100 no point getting upset over something that has never existed. 176 00:13:03,100 --> 00:13:09,130 One part of accepting fate is distancing yourself from a fixed outcome and from external markers 177 00:13:09,130 --> 00:13:10,750 of success. 178 00:13:10,750 --> 00:13:15,180 If you want to be a writer, for example, and measure your success by the amount of sales 179 00:13:15,180 --> 00:13:20,430 your book makes, then you will let your success be controlled by the arbitrary book market 180 00:13:20,430 --> 00:13:22,000 of the time. 181 00:13:22,000 --> 00:13:26,060 But if you choose to measure your success by how satisfied you are with your finished 182 00:13:26,060 --> 00:13:32,990 product, or by the amount of work you put into it, then you are in control of your success. 183 00:13:32,990 --> 00:13:38,280 So by all means, make sure to do everything in power to try and achieve your goals! 184 00:13:38,280 --> 00:13:45,060 But never forget that you might not achieve them and accept this possibility in advance. 185 00:13:45,060 --> 00:13:50,329 If we occupy ourselves only with what is in our control and vow to accept everything that 186 00:13:50,329 --> 00:13:57,589 isn’t the exact way it comes, then one will find themselves being calm whatever happens. 187 00:13:57,589 --> 00:13:59,040 4. 188 00:13:59,040 --> 00:14:01,870 Keep Virtues In Mind 189 00:14:01,870 --> 00:14:08,100 To quote Marcus Aurelius “Dig deep within yourself, for there is a fountain of goodness 190 00:14:08,100 --> 00:14:11,410 ever ready to flow if you will keep digging”. 191 00:14:11,410 --> 00:14:19,290 A virtue is ‘an excellence of character,’ or, simply said: morally good behaviour. 192 00:14:19,290 --> 00:14:25,240 Morally good behaviour benefits not only you and those around you, but the greater good. 193 00:14:25,240 --> 00:14:31,050 The stoics believed in an interdependent universe: that everything and everyone is connected 194 00:14:31,050 --> 00:14:32,410 in some way. 195 00:14:32,410 --> 00:14:38,020 Thus, according to stoicism, what is best for the greater good is eventually best for 196 00:14:38,020 --> 00:14:39,400 you as well. 197 00:14:39,400 --> 00:14:44,040 This is why the stoics were convinced that the most rational people were people that 198 00:14:44,040 --> 00:14:49,720 committed to the greater good - or, in other words: acted virtuously. 199 00:14:49,720 --> 00:14:55,320 Not acting virtuous is the result of ignorance, according to stoics. 200 00:14:55,320 --> 00:15:01,959 When life throws you in an unexpected direction, virtues can guide you towards what to do and 201 00:15:01,959 --> 00:15:03,970 keep you grounded. 202 00:15:03,970 --> 00:15:08,970 This is why the most virtuous people are the calmest and most relaxed. 203 00:15:08,970 --> 00:15:14,670 In order to be virtuous, one has to keep the four most important virtues of stoicism in 204 00:15:14,670 --> 00:15:21,100 mind: wisdom, justice, temperance and courage. 205 00:15:21,100 --> 00:15:29,410 Wisdom, in the eyes of stoics, is the ability to judge what is good, bad, in between, or 206 00:15:29,410 --> 00:15:30,410 neutral. 207 00:15:30,410 --> 00:15:35,500 Instead of being controlled by emotion, one must think clearly and logically as to what 208 00:15:35,500 --> 00:15:38,759 would be the morally correct thing to do. 209 00:15:38,759 --> 00:15:44,660 When you have two options in a difficult situation, wisdom is the ability to think through both 210 00:15:44,660 --> 00:15:48,370 Then: justice. 211 00:15:48,370 --> 00:15:53,709 Justice is acquired through wisdom and it means doing both what is right and fair, to 212 00:15:53,709 --> 00:15:56,240 others as well as ourselves. 213 00:15:56,240 --> 00:16:04,089 The stoics regard it as one’s duty to both oneself, our fellow men and society as a whole. 214 00:16:04,089 --> 00:16:10,540 The third virtue, courage, is the ability to take action in the face of your own fear. 215 00:16:10,540 --> 00:16:16,029 To do what is necessary or helpful even when you do not know you will succeed. 216 00:16:16,029 --> 00:16:19,980 Courage is not the elimination of fear, desire, or anxiety. 217 00:16:19,980 --> 00:16:28,020 Rather, it is deciding to act and taking steps despite our fear, passion, and anxiety. 218 00:16:28,020 --> 00:16:30,690 Lastly, temperance. 219 00:16:30,690 --> 00:16:36,149 The other word for temperance is moderation, which means to stay in the middle between 220 00:16:36,149 --> 00:16:41,110 two extremes - to make sure to never take too much or too little. 221 00:16:41,110 --> 00:16:47,649 In practice, temperance often looks like self-restraint, self-control or discipline. 222 00:16:47,649 --> 00:16:52,190 According to Aurelius, one quality that set humans apart from animals was the ability 223 00:16:52,190 --> 00:16:55,649 to stop oneself if necessary. 224 00:16:55,649 --> 00:17:01,860 Temperance is important for ensuring our long-term well-being over short-term satisfaction. 225 00:17:01,860 --> 00:17:06,200 For a very trivial example, consider a bag of chips. 226 00:17:06,200 --> 00:17:11,550 Finishing the entire bag in one go might be nice in the moment, but it is bad for your 227 00:17:11,550 --> 00:17:14,699 health, and even potentially your mood in some cases. 228 00:17:14,699 --> 00:17:20,560 Thus, one should practise self-restraint and stop after the first few bites. 229 00:17:20,560 --> 00:17:26,699 Temperance is also aided by wisdom: only by thinking wisely can you decide how much of 230 00:17:26,699 --> 00:17:30,900 something you need to acquire before stopping yourself. 231 00:17:30,900 --> 00:17:37,039 The stoics divided all possible things and actions in the world between goods, evils, 232 00:17:37,039 --> 00:17:38,960 and indifferents. 233 00:17:38,960 --> 00:17:45,059 It was always important to seek out good, avoid evil, and choose the indifferents as 234 00:17:45,059 --> 00:17:46,570 you please. 235 00:17:46,570 --> 00:17:52,010 You create evil when you act against one of these virtues; for example, when you steal 236 00:17:52,010 --> 00:17:58,840 from somebody, disrespect someone, act recklessly or cowardly, or make somebody ill. 237 00:17:58,840 --> 00:18:03,429 You participate in good when you act according to these virtues. 238 00:18:03,429 --> 00:18:08,950 And you do neither when you perform indifferent acts, like taking a walk, for example. 239 00:18:08,950 --> 00:18:13,610 These simple rules to live by do not just make you a better person, but they’ll make 240 00:18:13,610 --> 00:18:16,169 one a more relaxed one. 241 00:18:16,169 --> 00:18:21,400 When you act according to the virtues, you are always guided by good and you are always 242 00:18:21,400 --> 00:18:25,170 acting rationally, according to the stoics. 243 00:18:25,170 --> 00:18:29,850 Such behaviour creates a calm mind. 244 00:18:29,850 --> 00:18:32,130 5. 245 00:18:32,130 --> 00:18:35,070 Always Consider The Big Picture 246 00:18:35,070 --> 00:18:41,980 In our final quote from Marcus Aurelius for this video, he says “How beautifully Plato 247 00:18:41,980 --> 00:18:43,190 put it. 248 00:18:43,190 --> 00:18:49,630 Whenever you want to talk about people, it’s best to take a bird’s-eye view and see everything 249 00:18:49,630 --> 00:18:52,370 all at once”. 250 00:18:52,370 --> 00:18:58,299 Considering the big picture is a tremendously important part of clearing one’s mind. 251 00:18:58,299 --> 00:19:03,850 When living life, we are always right in the middle of everything: every problem can seem 252 00:19:03,850 --> 00:19:05,860 like the end of the world. 253 00:19:05,860 --> 00:19:10,549 For example, when you’re in the middle of a small crowd, it might seem that the entire 254 00:19:10,549 --> 00:19:16,230 city is crowded - but taking only a few steps aside will prove the opposite. 255 00:19:16,230 --> 00:19:21,270 So, in general: when we take a step back and look at the entirety of the world and our 256 00:19:21,270 --> 00:19:29,059 lives, we see how small all we experience really is, and how tiny we truly are. 257 00:19:29,059 --> 00:19:34,910 And then we see how much of the world is there beyond our subjective experience. 258 00:19:34,910 --> 00:19:39,980 Lots of people forget that their experiences and opinions are not the only thing that should 259 00:19:39,980 --> 00:19:43,000 matter - even to themselves. 260 00:19:43,000 --> 00:19:47,799 Someone who's had a bad experience with dogs, for example, might not understand or believe 261 00:19:47,799 --> 00:19:53,039 that dogs can be helpful and amazing pets to others, unless they consciously consider 262 00:19:53,039 --> 00:19:56,330 the possibility of other experiences. 263 00:19:56,330 --> 00:20:02,020 From time-to-time, we all need to take a step back and ask ourselves “What are we forgetting 264 00:20:02,020 --> 00:20:03,750 or missing?” 265 00:20:03,750 --> 00:20:06,799 Doing this can be helpful in a number of ways. 266 00:20:06,799 --> 00:20:12,620 For example, imagine having to choose between staying at your current job or applying for 267 00:20:12,620 --> 00:20:15,429 a newly opened position somewhere else. 268 00:20:15,429 --> 00:20:19,559 This might seem like a difficult decision, especially if you’re not sure whether either 269 00:20:19,559 --> 00:20:21,679 of those would satisfy you. 270 00:20:21,679 --> 00:20:25,809 Maybe you feel okay about your current job and don’t want the added responsibility 271 00:20:25,809 --> 00:20:30,690 of the promotion, but you do appreciate the better pay that comes with it. 272 00:20:30,690 --> 00:20:31,960 You might feel stuck. 273 00:20:31,960 --> 00:20:35,130 However, there is so much more you could think about. 274 00:20:35,130 --> 00:20:38,730 Have you considered moving into an entirely different field altogether? 275 00:20:38,730 --> 00:20:45,460 Or a side-hustle - A way to make money in your free time, alongside your current job? 276 00:20:45,460 --> 00:20:49,929 Perhaps immersing yourself in a hobby to shift your focus away from the time spent doing 277 00:20:49,929 --> 00:20:51,540 something you don’t like as much? 278 00:20:51,540 --> 00:20:56,850 There is a big chance that there are many, many options in life that you’re not even 279 00:20:56,850 --> 00:20:58,650 aware of. 280 00:20:58,650 --> 00:21:02,521 Looking at the big picture instead of being focused only on what’s right in front of 281 00:21:02,521 --> 00:21:06,909 you can help tremendously when making a decision. 282 00:21:06,909 --> 00:21:11,490 Looking at the grand scheme of things is not only helpful for deciding what is important, 283 00:21:11,490 --> 00:21:14,510 but also helpful when forming an opinion. 284 00:21:14,510 --> 00:21:19,440 You need to know about all options or all the aspects of a certain situation if you 285 00:21:19,440 --> 00:21:21,540 want to judge it properly. 286 00:21:21,540 --> 00:21:27,280 Furthermore, taking a step back also means getting away from your own view and biases. 287 00:21:27,280 --> 00:21:31,550 When you let go of your own desires for a moment, you might be reminded of the people 288 00:21:31,550 --> 00:21:35,050 around you and your duty to them. 289 00:21:35,050 --> 00:21:39,700 You might think that in the heat of the moment, littering is not a big deal, but when you 290 00:21:39,700 --> 00:21:45,250 step back and think of the entirety of the world, of the possibility of everybody else 291 00:21:45,250 --> 00:21:51,460 doing it, you finally see the smallness of your desire to litter in comparison to the 292 00:21:51,460 --> 00:21:53,160 well-being of the world. 293 00:21:53,160 --> 00:21:58,929 As said before, the stoics thought that everything in the world is interconnected and that the 294 00:21:58,929 --> 00:22:03,940 general well-being of the world improves your personal well-being as well. 295 00:22:03,940 --> 00:22:09,150 Thus, taking a step back and looking at the world as a whole instead of just your life 296 00:22:09,150 --> 00:22:12,330 is tremendously important. 297 00:22:12,330 --> 00:22:18,780 When facing a choice, hardship, problem or change in life, you can inwardly ask yourself 298 00:22:18,780 --> 00:22:20,400 some questions. 299 00:22:20,400 --> 00:22:25,740 This can be in the moment, or later on, perhaps when you’re thinking through your day, whether 300 00:22:25,740 --> 00:22:31,030 while out for a walk or when journaling about them - Something Aurelius was a particular 301 00:22:31,030 --> 00:22:32,200 fan of! 302 00:22:32,200 --> 00:22:35,580 The most common questions to ask yourself are; 303 00:22:35,580 --> 00:22:39,779 What could the long-term effects of my choice/action be? 304 00:22:39,779 --> 00:22:43,150 How could someone else’s perspective on this differ from mine? 305 00:22:43,150 --> 00:22:49,440 Do I know somebody in a similar situation or with similar goals to mine that could help? 306 00:22:49,440 --> 00:22:52,550 Does my choice/action affect my well-being? 307 00:22:52,550 --> 00:22:54,860 Does it affect the well-being of those around me? 308 00:22:54,860 --> 00:22:58,919 Are there any choices I have not considered yet? 309 00:22:58,919 --> 00:23:03,570 Taking the time to consider all aspects of the world helps yourself in the way that it 310 00:23:03,570 --> 00:23:09,299 helps you understand your actions, thoughts, life and choices more clearly - and it helps 311 00:23:09,299 --> 00:23:13,370 yourself in the way that it allows you to help the world. 312 00:23:13,370 --> 00:23:19,470 When you consider the whole picture, you will always have an overseeing view that leaves 313 00:23:19,470 --> 00:23:26,740 you free from unnecessary restraint, bias or doubt. 314 00:23:26,740 --> 00:23:30,570 If you enjoyed this video, please make sure to check out our full philosophies for life 315 00:23:30,570 --> 00:23:36,100 playlist and for more videos to help you find success and happiness using ancient philosophical 316 00:23:36,100 --> 00:23:39,250 wisdom, don’t forget to subscribe. 317 00:23:39,250 --> 00:23:41,909 Thanks so much for watching.