9 Ideas for Achieving a Life of Tranquility According to Seneca
9 Ideas for Achieving a Life of Tranquility According to Seneca
Change the way you look at things to live a better life.
Stoicism is a philosophy of personal ethics influenced by its logical system and its views on the natural world.
The Stoics are particularly known for their moral teaching that "virtue is the only good" for human beings and that external things such as health, wealth, and pleasure are neither good nor bad in themselves, having value only as "matter on which virtue can act".
Anyone seeking a life of tranquility should study Stoicism. An excellent introduction to this philosophical trend is given by Seneca in "On the Shortness of Life". For Seneca, a life of tranquility is living a good life.
From these writings of Seneca, I retain 9 strong ideas that will help you lead a more tranquil life.
Take advantage of your nature
You are your most valuable asset in life. You must realize that your uniqueness is what will allow you to achieve great things. Your goal should be to make the most of who you are at your core.
Consider your personality, the things you are good at, your strengths and abilities built over time, and the activities that interest you in life.
Once you have done this, you can use all of these elements to successfully achieve your goals in life.
Don’t go to extremes
Anything extreme in life is not sustainable. Instead, you must seek fulfillment in moderation. This applies to your professional life as well as your personal life.
Always take a step back. It's not easy, but over time you will come to have complete control over your emotions so that you don't let life's events dictate your behavior.
Avoid complaining
You have probably understood that every challenge or problem must be seen as an opportunity to grow in life. Therefore, when a problem resists you, do not waste time complaining. Don't get upset.
Instead, use the situation to your advantage to learn more about yourself, but also about how to solve problems that initially seem unsolvable. This means always trying to see the positive side of things rather than wasting time on the negative.
Change the way you look at challenges
"This too shall pass" is a Persian adage with a very powerful meaning that I love to remind myself when things are not going well in my life. No matter what situations you face, you have to keep in mind that it will pass sooner or later.
So you need to focus on what you can do to overcome the challenge you are facing, rather than lamenting. Do the best you can with what you have and the state you are in.
After the rain, always comes the good weather.
Embrace change
Whether you like it or not, the world is changing. When faced with change, there are two types of people: those who resist unnecessarily, and those who embrace change as quickly as possible to gain the greatest benefit.
Needless to say, you should be one of those who embrace change as quickly as possible.
Be as flexible as possible. Even try to anticipate change. See change as something positive to overcome the fear of change that may be lurking in all of us. By seeing change as an opportunity and not as a problem, your life will be changed for the better.
Appreciate what makes a great friendship
A true friendship is built around the principles of sharing and loyalty. True friends share their knowledge, advice, secrets, fears, and laughter. Do your best to avoid people who refuse to enter into this type of friendship with you.
As Seneca explains, these people are enemies of your peace of mind. Avoiding them will go a long way toward your goal of living a life of tranquility.
Find humor in everything
A true friendship is built around the principles of sharing and loyalty. True friends share their knowledge, advice, secrets, fears, and laughter. Do your best to avoid people who refuse to enter into this type of friendship with you.
As Seneca explains, these people are enemies of your peace of mind. Avoiding them will go a long way toward your goal of living a life of tranquility.
Stay away from pointless activities
Seneca recommended not to waste time with activities that feed your greed, your vanity, or your desire for material things. All of this to impress others.
If he had lived in the age of social media, Seneca would have advised you to stay away from it probably.
On these networks, most people only want to feed their vanity by constantly trying to impress others. To do this, they do not hesitate to put themselves in glorifying situations. Do not succumb to this, and live your life for yourself, not for others.
Follow your path, and do what you want to do. Anything unnecessary can be removed from your life.
Take the time to pause and rest
In today's world, I sometimes feel that we have become human doings first. However, we are human beings before anything else. We need to get back to basics.
To do this, taking a break and looking at the path you have taken will do you good. It hasn't been easy so far. You have the right to congratulate yourself and rest.
This will help you to move forward more motivated than ever. This is something that few people take the time to do, but it will change your life for the better.
Final Thoughts
Stoicism is a philosophical trend that anyone interested in personal development should study. By studying the writings of the Stoics, you will be able to transpose all this into your life in the 21st century, and you will see that you will be able to improve your life.
The 9 ideas of Seneca that I have just detailed will help you to take life in the best possible way so that you can be more at peace, which is a prerequisite for enjoying this magnificent journey that is life.