May-days have come and gone, and now we’ve entered June and beyond. Amidst the recent COVID-19 emergencies, social unrest and other shenanigans, I really hope everyone out there is safe and well. Life will always present us with challenges, but we have always found a way to overcome it eventually. Solving problems happens to be humanity’s forte, which also happens to be the key theme of this week’s recap of The Daily Stoic. Without further ado, let’s see what the book reminded us about in the past week!
May 31st – We have but one obligation
According to the book, Stoics believe that everyone on this earth has an obligation to be a good person. However, people seem to be able to find a reason not to be one – Why is that so? My take: the term, “good”, is subjective; it can mean totally different things to different people. Any individual can justify their actions as the “right” thing to do, backed by the “right” reasons. People do this to achieve some sort of a “better outcome”.
In my opinion, our actions gravitate towards that which is socially acceptable. In other words, if our actions align with what others perceive as “good”, then we’ll do more of it. If not, we tend to do less of it. I can relate to this personally, because going against the norm sometimes brings too much inconvenience and dissatisfaction.
Perhaps the question to ask here is, “does it matter?” Why should the way we do good things be influenced by the opinion of others? If we are able to see beyond shallow opinions and appreciate the greater good, are we able to do better?
Jun 1st – Always have a mental reverse clause
You must have heard of this a million times before: Life will never be smooth-sailing. But yet, there’s no denying this fact. Some people might have it better than others, but everyone’s got their own set of problems. Perhaps this is why the hashtag #firstworldproblems caught on with so many people; it’s a joke, but there’s also a sense of familiarity with it that everyone can relate to. What do we then do when faced with challenges and setbacks?
I feel the key here is to always be “effective” – there is a learning point to everything. And with every learning, comes another opportunity to overcome whatever life throws our way. I’ve read before that curiosity helps us become better problem-solvers. What had happened? How did it happen? Did we overlook anything? How can we ensure that it does not happen again in the future? Is there anything that we can do about it now? What are the areas that are still within our control? Lines of inquiry like this will train the strength and resilience of our minds and allow us to take better control of our lives.
Jun 2nd – Plato’s view
When you focus on problems up close, all you see is the problem and nothing else. Sometimes, this can feel overwhelming and extremely stressful because it looks huge and seemingly impossible. However, if we take a step back – or maybe a couple more – things can actually look a whole lot different.
If we expand our view and see what’s around and beyond the problem, we can get different perspectives about it. I’d like to draw a parallel to a phenomenon called “The Overview Effect”. Astronauts often experience this, in which they describe as a dramatic shift in perspectives towards the reality and fragility of life and Earth. It makes them feel that all the Earthly conflicts and issue become so small and insignificant”. Space philosopher and author Frank White puts this across beautifully in an interview on a NASA podcast:
“There are no borders or boundaries. All of these things would become knowledge”
Frank White, Space Philosopher and Author of “The Overview Effect: Space Exploration and Human Evolution”
Just like the astronauts, if we stand back far enough and look at the problems we have, we just might be able to get new insights into solving them.
Jun 3rd – It is well to be flexible
Just like how “all roads lead to Rome”, there are also many ways to solve problems. One of the things that I find really admirable about true entrepreneurs is their “fail-forward” mindset. This refers to having the courage to embrace failure and reframe them as learnings opportunities. This framework that allows them to continuously iterate their solution until it becomes good enough to solve the problem. To this end, Thomas Edison is often referenced for his famous quote, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
Jun 4th – This is what we’re here for
As a former student of the life sciences, I have always been fascinated by the probabilities involved in the entire reproduction process. Millions of spermatozoa compete for the evolutionary right to fertilize a single ovum to create a new life. Millions! (Fun fact: A normal sperm count ranges from 15 million sperm to more than 200 million sperm per millilitre of semen. Source: Healthline.com)
Now, can you imagine that every single one of us is the result of that one single sperm that hit the procreationary jackpot? And it doesn’t stop there. Our forefathers endured and persisted through unimaginable odds in the form of generations of evolutionary and socio-economical challenges. Those who survived then earned the right to produce more offspring and pass on their genes to the next generation. We are all survivors, and we are all built to overcome adversity. In other words, we are here to solve problems; it’s in our genes.
Jun 5th – Blow your own nose
“… self-pity and “woe is me” narrative accomplishes nothing… except sapping you of you the time and energy and motivation you need to do something about your problem”
There is really no merit in crying over spilt milk. Challenging problems will hit us from time to time, and sometimes we will take a hard fall. However, sitting there lamenting about the issue won’t make things better. This is where having a Growth Mindset will be really beneficial. Combine that with the fail-forward mentality, and we’ll be an unstoppable force not to be reckoned with. Never ever waste time and energy on things outside of our control. Instead, focus on the things that are.
Jun 6th – When to stick and when to quit
I’ve always thought that it’s a good practice to set milestones in our goals to serve as checkpoints for us to review our progress. If we’re not making as much progress as we should, perhaps it’s a good time to reflect on the reasons why. Reflection points like these are great because they make us revisit the parameters that compelled us to make the commitment in the first place. If the fundamental reasons for doing the acts still hold, we should carry on. If things have changed, then we’ll need to re-evaluate the situation.
Sometimes, it can be difficult to let go of an existing plan and go for a new one. This reluctance is usually a by-product of the “sunk cost fallacy”, or perhaps we just became too emotionally-attached. Regardless, we need to be able to recognize when things are not going well, and then have the courage to adapt to new parameters. That said, we also need to maintain our objectivity and rationality so that we don’t end up changing plans frequently because of some new shiny object. Balance will be key.
Closing thoughts
How did you find this week’s interpretation of The Daily Stoic? I really hope it was insightful or informational to you! The article above is a compilation of my thoughts and feelings as I reflect on the passages in the book every morning. Do let me know in the comments below if anything resonated a lot with you! Any feedback that can help me improve my sharings are welcomed as well! Until then, see you next Sunday!
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