Principles of Stoicism

• You control only your character, actions, and reactions
• External outcomes are “preferred indifferents” (health, wealth, status)
• Virtue is the only true good
• Wisdom is judging and acting correctly
• Courage is acting rightly despite fear
• Temperance is moderation and self-restraint
• Justice is fairness and acting for the common good
• Perception shapes experience more than events themselves
• Distress often comes from interpretation, not the event
• Avoid “double suffering” from reaction on top of the event
• Tranquility is valued over emotional highs
• Peace comes from detachment from outcomes
• Perspective reduces ego and emotional volatility
• Everything is temporary and not truly owned
• Reducing attachment reduces fear and anxiety

Stoic Practices

• Negative visualization builds appreciation
• Control test separates action from outcome
• Periodic simplicity builds resilience and reduces dependence on comfort
• Pause before reacting to impressions
• Moderation means avoiding excess and valuing “enough”
• Limiting social media protects emotional stability
• Separate truth from insult when receiving criticism
• Accept what is useful, release what is not

Applications to Life

• Treat discomfort as expected
• Treat difficulties as tests of virtue
• Stay calm instead of demanding external conditions change
• True wealth is having fewer wants, not more possessions
• Contentment comes from stopping the “goalpost” from moving
• Avoid the hedonic treadmill of temporary satisfaction
• Focus on character rather than outcomes or status
• Limit harmful input
• Accept impermanence as part of grief
• Pre-accept loss to reduce suffering
• Mortality is certain; what matters is character and contentment