Noted
365 Ways To Be More Stoic was published in 2022. My wife and I used it for a year of table readings. The 12 chapters included 4 on the main virtues of Stoicism: self-control, courage, justice, and wisdom. Tim LeBon, the author, and Kasey Pierce. the editor, present the basics of Classical Stoicism for day-to-day living in the 21st century.
Tim has a private practice as an accredited Cognitive Behavioral Therapy/CBT psychotherapist and works with the National Health Service in England. He directs research for the Modern Stoicism movement and coordinates international Stoic Week.
Kasey touches Stoicism in a number of ways: as a columnist writing on Stoicism, as a podcast guest, as a speaker at the Stoicon-X Women conference, and she is the wife of Donald Robertson, featured in Stoicism Redux several weeks ago.
365 Ways is a delightful handbook both for those just learning about Stoicism and for others who have been practicing the philosophy for some time.
Quotes
From the Introduction:
Stoicism is now experiencing a massive resurgence, having struck a chord with seekers of wisdom who value personal improvement based on a solid foundation. This is despite misconceptions about this school of philosophical thought — one of the most popular being that Stoicism is about ‘keeping a stiff upper lip’. That is ‘stoicism’ with a lowercase ‘s’ and has nothing whatsoever to do with the philosophy you will be learning about in these pages. Real Stoics don’t button up negative emotions because they don’t need to. Stoicism shines a different, more positive light on situations so you don’t get so worked up in the first place.
From the chapter on Courage:
169 Conquer yourself first so you can conquer the world
‘People conquer the world by conquering themselves.’ Zeno of Citium*
As Zeno knew, courage is an inside job. It is often our own beliefs that limit us more than external obstacles
When you find it difficult to make a start or feel like giving up tell yourself: This thought is just an impression in my mind and not an objective fact like it claims to be.
For example, if you plan to go to the gym but then think, ‘I don’t feel like it today’, you can challenge that thought by reminding yourself how you will feel after you have been.
If you feel like giving up on an important project, remember other times that you have succeeded in the past despite similar doubts. View this challenge as your chance to shine.
What is one of your self-limiting beliefs?
*Founder of Stoicism (c. 334-262 BCE)
Epilogue: The “Big Five” Takeaways
361 Focus on what you can control and let go of everything else
362 Concentrate on your character, which is your royal road to happiness
363 It’s not events that affect you, it’s your interpretations of events
364 See difficulties as Stoic challenges and opportunities
365 Stoicism is about things, not just accepting things — practice a little Stoicism every day to work towards becoming the best version of yourself.
Reflection
365 ways utilizes exercises that help the reader/student assess their current self and learn how to experience change. LeBon’s work in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a solid underpinning of the handbook. The contributions of over 30 other writers enriches this selfless book.
Our table reading of 365 Ways gave us new, down-to-earth opportunities for growth. It seems like a great way for new Stoics to get on board with the Modern Stoicism movement.
Resources
Website: www.timlebon.com
YouTube Channel: StoicLifeCoaching