The world is a complicated place these days. It is filled with distraction and constant fear mongering. I was introduced to Stoicism by a friend. I didn’t really know much about it before he mentioned it to me which was a surprise given the years I had under my belt in study. My approach came like any other, get a book and read it, but I was brought in by another by way of social media. I saw an ad for Ryan Holiday’s Daily Stoic readings and journaling. I thought that this would be a great way to get acquainted with the Stoics during school. I was fortunate to get the autographed copy on the release date. For some reason it motivated me to commit myself to its practice throughout the entire year. Every single day, even on a few vacations, I read my daily stoic reading and reflected morning and most nights. If I didn’t make a night, then I would write about the night I had in the morning. It was kind of dogmatic looking back on it, but a great experience nonetheless. I picked up some great habits and outlooks on life by way of the big three Stoics: Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, and Epictetus.
I picked up some great habits and outlooks on life by way of the big three Stoics: Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, and Epictetus. I learned to become more aware of my feelings, namely my emotions. Previously I would find myself getting bent out of shape over silly things when I was with my girlfriend. It was having a negative effect on my relationship. If she wanted to go out to a social gathering, I would immediately get anxiety and have trouble gathering myself up to go. Now I have my well reasoned mind telling me that ‘its just an event that is but a small part in my life’’s time’, or I’ll just think of the generous offerings of food and beer. Additionally the people are always friendly and the environment is always very welcoming. The nay-sayer in my brain has been reduced to a small 3-inch man compared to a Shaq sized Yes-sayer. Stoics do not teach a suppression of feelings, they emphasize a better understanding of feelings.
The readings are accessible to any reader and it does not matter if you have a background in philosophy. A layman can easily understand what each message means and what it is trying to teach. There is also a helpful summary given below each snippet of stoic wisdom to help clarify what the thinker is trying to say. It’s another small thing this reader does that helps you to think and reflect. It is a healthy segue to the daily journal. The journal prompts are similar to the reading. I can not imagine having them both for this practice. The space you have to have is enough for beginning to journal. I believe if you stick with this practice for the majority of the year, you will want to journal more the following year. Both products are very useful for anyone with any type of education. It fit very well into my life as someone that loves philosophy and writing. As for someone who wants to educate themselves in some ancient philosophy and start a habit of journaling, this is a great way to start.
Overall, I believe the Daily Stoic reader and Journal are great for improving one's life. It adds a nice regimen to the morning and evening that sandwich your day with insight. The habits you pick up will stick if you invite them into your lifestyle. I am personally still scribbling each morning in my own journal and have used what I've learned to improve my attitude towards life. The Daily Stoic was an awesome discovery and well worth the time.