Stoic Improvement
A Plan For Beginning A Stoic Journey
If your goal is to be a true Stoic, there are a few hard truths you need to face. The first, Stoicism is not easy. It is not the feel-good pop-psychology peddled by most so-called Stoics on social media and in the popular press. The second hard truth, following from the first, Stoicism requires intense focus, discipline, and training. It takes months of study and focus to even begin moving substantively into a true Stoic mindset, and years before Stoicism becomes fully integrated into your being. Anyone who tells you different is selling something. The next hard truth, following from point two, Stoicism takes daily study and training. This daily training is not just to learn Stoic thought and behavior, but is itself the act of being Stoic. You must train and improve daily, both mentally and physically, not just to become a Stoic, but to be Stoic.
The last hard truth (for now), is the harshest. There are no unenlightened Stoics. There are no sloppy, lazy, fat, unhealthy Stoics. There are no Stoics who accept mysticism, magic, pseudo-science, anti-intellectualism, or any belief system which does not stand up to rational, logical discourse. While you may start with one or more of these traits as you begin your Stoic journey, you cannot retain any of them and also be Stoic. Weakness and Stoicism are in no way compatible.
On physical training:
“Progress is not achieved by luck or accident, but by working on yourself daily.”—Epictetus, Discourses, 1.4
“A man should discipline his body rigorously, so that it may not be disobedient to the mind.”—Epictetus, Discourses, 4.4
“You should train your body, not for the admiration of others, but so that it may serve the soul with strength and endurance.”—Epictetus, paraphrased from Discourses, 3.12
On rational examination:
“The wise man does not jump to conclusions. He withholds assent, reserving judgment until he has tested the impression with reason.”—Paraphrased from Epictetus, Discourses, 1.27
“The ruling faculty must not be confused, rushed, or overthrown. It must stand ready, calm, and deliberate—examining all with justice and truth.”—Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 3.9
“Truth is never hurt by scrutiny. Only falsehood fears examination.”—Seneca, implied throughout Letters to Lucilius, esp. 48 and 95
On intellectual advancement:
“Study, therefore, what will help you live better, not just argue better.”—Seneca, On the Shortness of Life, 3.1
“No man is born wise, but we are all born for the pursuit of wisdom. Philosophy is the art of becoming better, not sounding clever.”—Seneca, Letters, 76.2
“He who does not advance falls behind. Each day you must examine yourself: What did I learn today? What did I unlearn?”—Seneca, paraphrased from Letters, 83
To be a Stoic is not about cherry-picking verses that suit you in-the-moment, or make you feel better, or justify your preconceived notions of what Stoicism should be. Stoicism is a whole-life philosophy and requires constant, daily mental and physical training. To accomplish this requires planning, strategy, energy, and focus. What follows is a general Stoic approach to daily and continuous improvement across four points: passive and active improvement, tactical and strategic improvement.
Passive Improvement
Passive improvements are about weaving healthy activities, and both Stoic actions and non-actions, into your daily life. These are not things you need to think about, or plan, or set aside time to accomplish; they are things you just do (or don’t do) as part of living Stoically. Organize your life to weave these items into your daily routine. If any part of your life is hostile to these objectives, eliminate that part, or reform it to make these core behaviors flow naturally.
Sleep eight hours.
Eat healthy and in moderation.
Do not drink or partake in any recreational substances.
Speak less. When you feel you need to speak, don’t. Wait and reserve opinion.
React less. When you feel you need to react, don’t. Wait and reserve judgment.
Associate only with those whom you admire.
Active Improvement
These improvements are about things you must go out of your way to accomplish. Your life must be re-organized around these things, and they must be core to your daily routine. They cannot be an afterthought when or if you have time, they must take priority.
Each morning, plan your day, your improvements, set your daily goals.
Chose one per day and alternate (30–60 minutes a day): Strength training, endurance training.
Choose one per day, and alternate (30–60 minutes a day): Read classical Stoic source material, study an intellectual field, learn/practice an art, learn a language.
Each night, self-examine, and add to tomorrow’s plan. What succeeded? What failed? Why? How will you do better tomorrow?
Strategic Improvements
Strategic items are your big long-term goals. Look at your daily improvement activities, and ask for each one, where you want each one to go over the next year. It doesn’t matter what you choose, so long as they are realistic but challenging, and they are logically the result of your daily activities. Plan out the strategic goals, write down your goals and time frame, and hold yourself accountable with a daily record. Some examples:
Add 5–10 pounds of muscle.
Run a 5k or 10k.
One year without alcohol or substances.
Complete a certification or part of a degree.
Tactical Improvements
Tactical items for improvement are the specific daily things which you do that fit into your larger strategies. Tactics go hand in hand with strategic goals. If your strategic goal is to run a 5k, then your daily endurance training tactic is running. If your strategic goal is to have read all the classic Stoic writings, then your daily reading tactic is 30–60 minutes of reading the classics.
Put It All Together
Begin by outlining your passive improvements and start them immediately. They do not have to be perfect, they just have to be consistent, and improve as you go. List your strategic goals and time frames. From the strategic goals, detail your daily tactics to achieve your strategic goals, and those will tell you your daily active improvements.
You will not get it right at first. You will fail. This does not matter. Only consistency matters. Fall one hundred times, get up one hundred and one. Consistency alone is enough to improve. As you improve, further improvements will take on a life of their own, but first you have to actually get up and do something to get started. The longer you sit there, the further away it gets until it will be unreachable forever. Despite what self-help nonsense tells you, that there is “always time,” the Stoic knows that is a lie. Time is finite, and the clock is ticking.
“Don’t act as if you were going to live ten thousand years. Death hangs over you.”—Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 4.17
“It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a lot of it. Life is long enough, and a sufficiently generous amount has been given to us for the highest achievements, if it were all well invested.”—Seneca, On the Shortness of Life, 1.1
“Let us prepare our minds as if we had come to the very end of life. Let us postpone nothing. Let us balance life’s books each day.”—Seneca, Letters, 101.7