The Romans and Greeks thought about how life should be lived an the happiness we can get. If we think about Aristotle and Socrates/Plato the Stoic ideas are most misunderstood by the majority of people.

Stoicism as it's base level is nothing more than a prescribed philosophy for breaking down the dark negative emotions in your life and maximizing your joy.

“You have power over your mind — not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.”
― Marcus Aurelius

Apatheia is the word, and Apathy derives from that word as it is something we avoid.

Let's talk about some basic principles.

1. There are things going outside on of you, and you can change the meaning, or attitude inside of you. The winds of life may move the boat, yet you can still adjust the sail.

2. We chase the wants and desired objects. We thing having more is happiness, and guess what? It is not! Desires are fleeting just as the new car or new pair of sneakers are. Happiness is what we truly crave at the core nature this is why when you finally get that car the feeling fades away. We assume that outside things will make us happy. The desires are fleeting. We each have our own path of fulfillment for each one of us. Happiness has always been an inside job.

3. Picture what you do not have. Imagine for a moment that you did not have things. That might make you come to a sense of gratitude for what you do have.

4. Keep your joy. Find ways to keep your joy. This can be an issue with Apatheia, or also known as apathy. We want to fight apathy. Finding ways to stay cheerful is important.

5. Lead by example. If you want to teach others don't run around being "preachy" just lead by example. Be the change you want to see in the world. People will ask and want to learn from you. Avoid casting your pearls before swine. Some people will not appreciate your ideas, and that's ok. They don't have to because they are entitled to their own ideas.

6. Live in Agreement with Nature – Understand that nature will flow and move without you. There is the nature of things and how they are. "It is what it is", is a common quote. This is an acceptance of an idea not to be confused with passivity because if you get a popped tired on your car then "it is what it is" brings you to a point of accepting and changing the tire. It happened and your emotional content wrapped around the incident it is more of a problem.

Accept it and do something and understand that you control the meaning of that incident. You will always have the power of interpretation. The nature of things and "things" will happen and nature will move with out you. Rivers will flow and trees will blow in the wind long after your dead. No one said interpretation was easy.

“Don’t explain your philosophy. Embody it.”
― Epictetus

“Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.”
― Epictetus

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