Stoicism is a philosophy of life that emphasizes the importance of virtue, reason, and living in accordance with nature. It was founded in ancient Greece by Zeno of Citium around 300 BC. It became popular in the Roman Empire when many aristocrats adopted it. Emperor Marcus Aurelius is the most famous disciple.Stoicism is seeing a renaissance with many modern people being drawn to its teachings as a way to cope with our he adversity of everyday life.

What is Stoicism?

The dichotomy of control is a Stoic concept that states that there are two things we can control in life:<ol><li>our thoughts and ...</li><li>our actions</li></ol>.... and nothing else. Everything else is outside of our control.The dichotomy of control can help us to focus on the things that are important and to let go of the things that we can't control. It can help us to develop a sense of equanimity, or calmness, in the face of adversity.

The Dichotomy of Control

"The dichotomy of control is a simple but powerful idea that can help us to live more resilient and less stressed lives. It is based on the recognition that there are two types of things in the world: those that we can control and those that we cannot. The things that we can control are our own thoughts, our own actions, and our own goals. The things that we cannot control are everything else."

4 core virtues that Stoics believe are essential for living a good life:<ol><li>Wisdom: The ability to see the world clearly and to understand what is truly important. Stoics believe that wisdom is the foundation of all the other virtues.</li><li>Courage: The ability to face challenges and to do what is right, even when it is difficult. Stoics believe that courage is essential for living a fulfilling life.</li><li>Temperance: The ability to control our desires and live in moderation. Temperance is essential for living a harmonious life.</li><li>Justice: The ability to act fairly and to treat others with respect.</li></ol>

The Stoic Virtues

Memento mori is a reminder of death. The phrase is Latin for "remember that you will die." Stoics used this phrase as a reminder of the impermanence of life & the importance of living each day to 100%.<ul><li>Death is inevitable. Stoics believe that death is a natural part of life and that it is something that we should all accept.</li><li>Death can be a motivating factor. Stoics believed that if we knew that our time was limited, we would be more likely to focus on what is truly important.</li><li>Death can be a source of peace. Stoics also believed that the awareness of death could bring us peace of mind.</li></ul>

Memento Mori

A good character cannot be developed without a proper understanding and implementation of all three Stoic disciplines, which are:<ol><li>The discipline of desire (also referred to as Stoic acceptance)</li><li>The discipline of action (known also as Stoic philanthropy, in the sense of concern for others)</li><li>The discipline of assent (or Stoic mindfulness) </li></ol>

The Three Stoic Disciplines

The discipline of desire tells us what is, and is not, proper to want. This, in turn, derives from the fact that some things are in our power and others are not.Two of the four Stoic virtues are pertinent to regulating desire:<ul><li>Courage (to face facts and act accordingly.)</li><li>Temperance (to rein in our desires and make them commensurate with what is achievable.)</li></ul>

The Discipline of Desire

The discipline of action tells us how to behave in the world. It is the result of proper understanding of ethics, the study of how to live our lives, and it draws on the virtue of justice.

The Discipline of Action

The discipline of assent tells us how to react to situations, in the sense of either giving our assent to our initial impressions of a situation or withdrawing it.This discipline is arrived at via the study of logic – what is and is not reasonable to think – and requires the virtue of practical wisdom.

The Discipline of Assent

Stoicism is everywhere. These ideas are a good start.

In the tradition of How to Live and How Proust Can Change Your Life, a philosopher asks how ancient Stoicism can help us flourish today Whenever we worry about what to eat, how to love, or simply how to be happy, we are worrying about how to lead a good life. No goal is more elusive. In How to Be a Stoic, philosopher Massimo Pigliucci offers Stoicism, the ancient philosophy that inspired the great emperor Marcus Aurelius, as the best way to attain it. Stoicism is a pragmatic philosophy that focuses our attention on what is possible and gives us perspective on what is unimportant. By understanding Stoicism, we can learn to answer crucial questions: Should we get married or divorced? How should we handle our money in a world nearly destroyed by a financial crisis? How can we survive great personal tragedy? Whoever we are, Stoicism has something for us--and How to Be a Stoic is the essential guide.

philosophy

Philosophy

history

History

personaldevelopment

Personal Development

motivationandinspiration

Motivation & Inspiration

books

Books

A philosopher asks how ancient Stoicism can help us flourish today Whenever we worry about what to eat, how to love, or simply how to be happy, we are worrying about how to lead a good life. No goal is more elusive. In How to Be a Stoic, philosopher Massimo Pigliucci offers Stoicism, the ancient philosophy that inspired the great emperor Marcus Aurelius, as the best way to attain it. Stoicism is a pragmatic philosophy that focuses our attention on what is possible and gives us perspective on what is unimportant. By understanding Stoicism, we can learn to answer crucial questions: Should we get married or divorced? How should we handle our money in a world nearly destroyed by a financial crisis? How can we survive great personal tragedy? Whoever we are, Stoicism has something for us—and How to Be a Stoic is the essential guide.

Massimo Pigliucci is an author, blogger, podcaster, as well as the K.D. Irani Professor of Philosophy at the City College of New York. His academic work is in evolutionary biology, philosophy of science, the nature of pseudoscience, and practical philosophy. His books include How to Be a Stoic: Using Ancient Philosophy to Live a Modern Life (Basic Books) and Nonsense on Stilts: How to Tell Science from Bunk (University of Chicago Press). His new book is The Quest for Character: What the Story of Socrates and Alcibiades Teaches Us about Our Search for Good Leaders (Basic Books). More by Massimo at https://massimopigliucci.org.

Massimo Pigliucci

How to Be a Stoic

Many of our modern values (success, positivity, greatness etc) can actually make us more insecure & miserable. The way to be happy and fulfilled, Manson says, is to not give a f*ck about everything we’re told to care about. Instead, get clear on what truly matters, focus your choices on those few priorities, and accept that in spite of that, you’ll still make stupid mistakes and suffer occasionally.He takes on the traditional self-help books, claiming that they reinforce the idea within you that you are not good at something, which leads to a “feedback loop from hell”.

What does it mean to not give a f*ck?

Here’s a paradox: the more you pursue the positives, the more negative you’ll feel. Those who desperately want to be rich, worthy or happy will only end up feeling poorer, more unworthy or unhappy. On the other hand, the more you accept the negatives in your life, the better you’ll feel.We’re surrounded by so many messages about being positive that we tend to feel bad for feeling bad. Manson calls this the “feedback loop from hell”. A false positive desire turns into a negative thought or emotion. This thought or emotion then triggers a chain reaction of other negative thoughts and emotions.

The Feedback Loop from Hell

To break the cycle of negativity:<ol><li>ACCEPTANCE: The pain of honest confrontation is what generates the greatest trust and respect in your relationships. Mark invites us to think of our self-awareness as an onion. And to imagine our rational self as a disappointment panda.</li><li>ACTION: Action creates the motivation, not the other way around. To get out of a rut, doing something, no matter how small is the way fwd. Mark refers to this as the Do Something Principle. </li></ol>

Breaking the Feedback Loop from Hell

Self-awareness is like an onion, with many layers that can be peeled back to reveal deeper insights about us:<ol><li>The outermost layer is our public self. This is the self that we present to the world, and it is crafted to project a certain image. </li><li>Our private self, that we know ourselves to be. This layer is often more complex and messy than our public one, and it includes things that we are ashamed or afraid of.</li><li>At the bottom are our core values, beliefs & motivations. These layers are often hidden from us, and it can be difficult to access them.</li></ol>Happy peeling!

The Self-Awareness Onion

Disappointment Panda is a fictional bear who has the superpower of telling people the harsh truth about themselves. Manson uses Disappointment Panda to represent the part of ourselves that is afraid of failure, rejection, and disappointment."Disappointment Panda would be the hero that none of us would want but all of us would need. He'd be the proverbial vegetables to our mental diet of junk food. …He'd be the one who tells us the truth, even when we don't want to hear it."Mark Manson argues that we need to embrace Disappointment Panda and learn to accept the harsh truths about ourselves.

Disappointment Panda

"If you want the rewards, but not the struggle, you don’t really want it."

The principle states that the best way to overcome procrastination and make progress towards your goals is to simply take action, no matter how small.We often get stuck in a cycle of inaction because we're waiting for the perfect moment or the right amount of motivation to strike. However, action breeds motivation. When you take action, even if it's just a small step, you start to feel a sense of momentum:<ul><li>Don't wait for the perfect moment. Just start.</li><li>Break down your goals into small, manageable steps.</li><li>Reward yourself for taking action.</li><li>Don't be afraid to fail.</li></ul>

The Do Something principle

"Action isn’t just the effect of motivation; it’s the cause of it.”

<ul><li>TAKE RADICAL RESPONSIBILITY. No matter what happens in your life, you can always choose how to react. </li><li>EMBRACE UNCERTAINTY. The only way to grow is to realize that your perspectives, knowledge, and even your values/beliefs aren’t absolute—they can always change or be proven wrong. </li><li>FAIL FORWARD. You should go for process-oriented values, and how to handle pain and fear to keep moving forward.</li><li>GET COMFORTABLE WITH REJECTION. Learning to say and hear “no” </li><li>CONTEMPLATE YOUR MORTALITY. Thinking deeply about death helps us to put our adversities in context and to appreciate life. </li></ul>

The 5 Counterintuitive Values for a Good Life

As we know that problems are inevitable, trying to avoid them makes no sense. Complaining about them and playing the victim card is also not going to help you in any way.So instead of being controlled by your problems, it is wiser to take responsibility and control them. When facing the problem, instead of crying over it and complaining that why problems always come in your way, think about its solution. Taking the responsibility for your problems don’t only make you stronger, but it also makes you smarter.

TAKE RADICAL RESPONSABILITY

Uncertainty is a part of life, and we need to learn to embrace it. Mark Manson argues that trying to control everything in our lives is a fool's errand, and that we will only end up feeling stressed and anxious.Manson says that the best way to deal with uncertainty is to accept it. This doesn't mean that we have to like it, but we do need to accept that it's a part of life. Once we accept uncertainty, we can start to deal with it in a more productive way.

EMBRACE UNCERTAINTY

When we fail, we often have a choice. We can either give up and let the failure define us, or we can learn from our mistakes and use them as an opportunity to grow. Failing forward is about choosing the latter. It's about embracing failure as a part of the learning process and using it to become better.To keep in mind:<ul><li>If someone is better than you at something, then it’s likely because she has failed at it more than you have.</li><li>If we’re unwilling to fail, then we’re unwilling to succeed.</li></ul>

FAIL FORWARD

Learning to say and hear “no” can actually improve your life in 2 key ways: <ol><li>When you make a commitment to something, you must say “no” to something else. This doesn’t tie you down, but frees you from trivialities so you can focus on what’s most meaningful (e.g. deepening a relationship or mastering a craft);</li><li>To build healthy relationships, both parties must be able to say “no”, thrash out their differences, establish their boundaries and take ownership for their own problems: only then can true understanding trust and acceptance be established.</li></ol>

LEARN TO SAY & HEAR NO

If you fear death (or are preoccupied with ensuring that people remember you after you’re gone), you won’t be able to live fully.However, if you’ve confronted your mortality, can accept your life as a passing grain in the timelessness of the universe, and can focus on contributing to a wider cause that will outlive you, then you’ll find true peace and happiness, and become free to live each day to the fullest.

CONTEMPLATE YOUR MORTALITY

Mark Manson is the bad boy of self-help. Really enjoyed his ideas

#1 New York Times BestsellerOver 10 million copies soldIn this generation-defining self-help guide, a superstar blogger cuts through the crap to show us how to stop trying to be "positive" all the time so that we can truly become better, happier people.For decades, we’ve been told that positive thinking is the key to a happy, rich life. "F**k positivity," Mark Manson says. "Let’s be honest, shit is f**ked and we have to live with it." In his wildly popular Internet blog, Manson doesn’t sugarcoat or equivocate. He tells it like it is—a dose of raw, refreshing, honest truth that is sorely lacking today. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k is his antidote to the coddling, let’s-all-feel-good mindset that has infected American society and spoiled a generation, rewarding them with gold medals just for showing up.Manson makes the argument, backed both by academic research and well-timed poop jokes, that improving our lives hinges not on our ability to turn lemons into lemonade, but on learning to stomach lemons better. Human beings are flawed and limited—"not everybody can be extraordinary, there are winners and losers in society, and some of it is not fair or your fault." Manson advises us to get to know our limitations and accept them. Once we embrace our fears, faults, and uncertainties, once we stop running and avoiding and start confronting painful truths, we can begin to find the courage, perseverance, honesty, responsibility, curiosity, and forgiveness we seek.There are only so many things we can give a f**k about so we need to figure out which ones really matter, Manson makes clear. While money is nice, caring about what you do with your life is better, because true wealth is about experience. A much-needed grab-you-by-the-shoulders-and-look-you-in-the-eye moment of real-talk, filled with entertaining stories and profane, ruthless humor, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k is a refreshing slap for a generation to help them lead contented, grounded lives.

problemsolving

Problem Solving

meditation

Meditation

Mark Manson (born 1984) is a professional blogger, entrepreneur, and former dating coach. Since 2007, he's been helping people with their emotional and relationship problems. He has worked with thousands of people from over 30 different countries. He regularly writes and updates his blog at: www.markmanson.net

Mark Manson

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

The famous book argues that we are all responsible for our own happiness and success, and that we can achieve our goals by developing certain habits and attitudes:The 7 habits are:<ol><li>Be proactive</li><li>Begin with the end in mind</li><li>Put first things first.</li><li>Think win-win.</li><li>Seek first to understand, then to be understood</li><li>Synergize to create something that is greater than the sum of its parts.</li><li>Sharpen the saw by taking care of yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally</li></ol>

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Proactive people take responsibility for their own lives and don't blame others for their circumstances. They see problems as opportunities for growth and learning. Proactive people are also more likely to take action and achieve their goals.

Habit 1: Be Proactive

"Courage isn't absent of fear, it is the awareness that something else is important."

This habit is about having a clear vision of what you want to achieve in life. It's about setting goals and making a plan to achieve them. When you have a clear vision, you're more likely to stay focused and motivated on your path to success.

Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind

Imagine yourself at a funeral. Many people are gathered for the person who has died. When you see the name of the dead person - you see that it's your name.Now there are 3 persons who are going to give a short speech about you:<ol><li>One of your family members (maybe wife or husband, son or daughter)</li><li>Your best friend and the third person</li><li>Your office friend</li></ol>Now you decide what you want to hear from those three persons - How good are you as a husband or wife, dad or mom, as a best friend, as an office worker?Use this test to figure out your purpose.

The Funeral Test

This habit is about prioritizing your tasks and activities so that you're working on the most important things. It's about saying no to things that are not important and focusing on the things that will have the biggest impact on your life.

Habit 3: Put First Things First

"What is the most important thing in this moment?" - Focus on the things that really matter.Categories your tasks:<ol><li>Important & Urgent - Manage the time.</li><li>Important & Not-Urgent - Focus on these tasks.</li><li>Not-Important & Urgent - Try to avoid.</li><li>Not-Important & Not-Urgent - Limit these tasks.</li></ol>

Categories of Tasks

This habit is about seeking mutually beneficial solutions to problems.It's about finding ways to cooperate with others so that everyone can get what they want. When you think win-win, you're more likely to build strong relationships and achieve your goals.

Habit 4: Think Win-Win

This habit is about listening to others with empathy and understanding before trying to communicate your own point of view.It's about putting yourself in someone else's shoes and trying to see things from their perspective. When you seek first to understand, you're more likely to build strong relationships and resolve conflict effectively.

Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood

This habit is about working with others to create something that is greater than the sum of its parts.It's about using the strengths of others to achieve your goals. When you synergize, you're more likely to be successful and make a positive impact on the world.

Habit 6: Synergize

This habit is about taking care of yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally so that you can be at your best.It's about eating healthy, exercising, getting enough sleep, and managing stress. When you sharpen the saw, you're more likely to be productive, happy, and fulfilled.

Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw

"Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe."

In this book, Covey presents a holistic, integrated, principle-centered approach for solving personal and professional problems. With penetrating insights and pointed anecdotes, Covey reveals a step-by-step pathway for living with fairness, integrity, service, and human dignity--principles that give us the security to adapt to change and the wisdom and power to take advantage of the opportunities that change creates.

productivity

Productivity

leadershipandmanagement

Leadership & Management

The 7 habits of highly effective people is recognised as one of the most influential books ever written. In this seminal work, Stephen R. Covey presents a holistic, integrated, principle-centred approach for solving personal and professional problems. With penetrating insights and pointed anecdotes, Covey reveals a step-by-step pathway for living with fairness, integrity, honesty and human dignity -- principles that give us the security to adapt to change, and the wisdom and power to take advantage of the opportunities that change creates. The 7 Habits have become so famous because they work. From Habit 1: Be Proactive and Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind, millions of People have worked their way through the 7 and found in them a key to transforming their lives. This book has been the key to the success of legions of business leaders and individuals the world over.

Stephen R. Covey is an accomplished writer whose work has resonated with readers around the world. Stephen R. Covey has published several books that explore a range of topics, from fiction to nonfiction, and has received critical acclaim for the ability to weave compelling narratives. Stephen R. Covey's writing style is known for its depth and authenticity, and has earned quite a loyal following of readers.

Stephen R. Covey

We should be living in the present moment instead of living in the past or the future. Live one day after another. Divide your life into units of days.Pretend as if every day was the first and the last day that you are alive.

Live Today

“Every day is a new day to a wise man.”

“Our main task is not to see what lies in the vague distance, but only to do what is closest.”

The best possible way to prepare for tomorrow is to concentrate with all your intelligence, with all your enthusiasm, on doing today’s work superbly today. That is the only possible way you can prepare for the future.

“One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon – instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today.”

“Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.”

Do I tend to put of living in the present until later? Do I worry about the future? Am I thinking about the magical rose garden over the horizon?Do I sometimes make the present difficult for myself because I regret things that happened in the past and that are long gone and done?Am I waking up every day with the intention of living it to the fullest?Can I do more with my life by diving it into untis of days?When should I start doing that? Next week, tomorrow or… today?

Questions To Reflect On

This method by Willis Carrier helps you to stop worrying:<ol><li>Analyse the situation openly and honestly. Find out the worst that could happen.</li><li>Accept the worst that could happen.</li><li>Keep calm and use all your time and energy to mitigate the worst that could happen that you have already accepted.</li></ol>

How To Deal With Situations You Are Worried About

“The difference between good thinking and bad thinking is this: good thinking deals with causes and effects and leads to logical, constructive planning; bad thinking frequently leads to tension and nervous breakdowns”

"Be willing to have it so. Acceptance of what has happened is the first step to overcoming the consequences of any misfortune."

"When we have accepted the worst, we have nothing more to lose. And that automatically means – we have everything to gain!”

Facts need to be analysed, otherwise they are useless. It is important to analyse them objectively while being aware of confirmation bias (= the tendency to look for information that confirm your original beliefs).To be objective you can act as if you were collecting the data for another person and not for yourself or pretend to be a lawyer of the other party that has to find all the facts that contradict your own.

Analyse Your Problems

Use these four steps:<ol><li> Collect data: What am I worried about? What is the problem</li><li>Analyse it: What is the cause of the problem? What can I do about it?</li><li>Make a decision: How do I decide?</li><li>Act on it: When will I put it into action?</li></ol>Or use Probability Calculation:What is the probability that the things I am worried about actually happen?

Tips For Analysing

“I keep six honest serving-men, they taught me all I knew. Their names are What and Why and When. And How and Where and Who.”

“Confusion and ambiguity are the main causes for anxiety.”

“A problem well stated is a problem half-solved.”

“Once a decision is carefully reached, act! Get busy carrying out your decision – and dismiss all anxiety of the outcome.”

“If a person will devote their time to securing facts in an impartial, objective way, their worries will usually evaporate in the light of knowledge”

“We only want to know the facts that justify our actions, that fit our wishful thinking and reinforce our prejudices.”

“Everything that is in agreement with our personal desires seems true. Everything that is not puts us into a rage.”

“My life has been full of terrible misfortunes, most of which never happened.”

“As the years went by, I gradually discovered that ninety-nine per cent of the things I worried about never happened.”

“It is claimed that almost all our fears and worries, our unhappiness, are caused by our imagination and have nothing to do with reality.”

“If you spent even half the time you are now wasting on brooding to solve your problems, you would no longer have any. Worrying is just a bad habit.”

Worrying and having anxiety have lots of negative impacts on your body. It is harder for us to concentrate and focus. In the long term it makes us age faster and can be the root cause for lots of diseases and illnesses.

The Negative Effects Of Worrying

“Those who don’t know how to deal with anxiety and worries die earlier.”

“70% of all people that go to the doctor could heal themselves by getting rid of their anxiety and worries.”

“The biggest misconception of all doctors lies in wanting to heal the body without thinking of the spirit. Body and spirit are one and shouldn’t be treated separately.”

“The biggest and most effective healing powers are faith, sleep, music and laughter. Believe in god, learn how to sleep, love good music and see all the odd sides of life – then you will be healthy and happy.”

Be so busy that you don’t have time to be worried.It is only possible to think one thought at a time – never two. Make sure that you think positive thoughts so you don’t have space for negative ones.Nature hates vacuums and emptiness which is why an empty brain is automatically filled with negatives thoughts as they are stronger than positive ones.

How To Eliminate Worries

“The only way to avoid being miserable is not to have enough leisure to wonder whether you are happy or not.”

Thoughts have a huge impact on our well-being. Here are a few ideas by Sibyl F. Partridge:<ul><li>Happiness comes from within and has nothing to do with our circumstances.</li><li>Accept things as they are, be prepared and don’t force anything.</li><li>Take care of your body and train your mind: Exercise and nurture it; read something that requires focus, concentration and thinking.</li><li>Do someone a favour without him noticing. </li><li>Make yourself pretty, dress up, be polite, don’t criticise.</li><li>Live today and don’t solve all your problems at once. Write a plan.</li><li>Take a break for half an hour.</li><li>Enjoy every beautiful detail.</li></ul>

Positive Thoughts

“Our thoughts make us who we are.”

“I am deeply convinced that our peace of mind and the joy we get out of living depends not on where we are, or what we have, or who we are, but solely on our mental attitude.”

“Our life is what our thoughts make it.”

“You’re not what you think you are, but what you think, you are!”

“Nothing can bring you peace but yourself.”

“We have to think about our problems, but not worry about them. [...] Worrying means recognising where the problem lies and then doing something to sort it out. Worrying means going round in circles in despair and hopelessness.”

“A man is not hurt so much by what happens, as by his opinion of what happens.”

“Action seems to follow feeling, but really action and feeling go together; and by regulating the action, which is under more direct control of the will, we can indirectly regulate the feeling, which is not. Therefore, the ideal and conscious way to cheerfulness - when you have lost it - is to sit calmly and act and speak as if you were already cheerful.”

“Think and act cheerfully, then you will also feel cheerful.”

Accept the things you can’t change. Don’t worry about small, unimportant things.Set a limit to your worries:         <ol><li> How important is the thing I am worried about?</li><li>At which point should I set a limit to my worries?</li><li>How much does it cost? Have I already paid more than it costs?</li></ol>Instead, appreciate what you have. Count your blessings, not your problems.

Acceptance

“If I am faced with a problem and can do something, I do something. If I can't do anything, I just forget about it.”

“There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will.”

“When we stop fighting the inevitable, we release energy which enables us to create a richer life”

“There is only one way on God's green earth to benefit from the past - if we objectively analyse the mistakes made, learn from them and then forget them.”

“Of course, you can’t saw sawdust! It’s already sawed! And it’s the same with the past. When you start worrying about things that are over and done with, you’re merely trying to saw sawdust.”

“Did [Jack Dempsey] constantly admonish himself not to ruminate on the past? No, that would only have forced him to think about past problems. Rather, he accepted his defeat, came to terms with it and concentrated on his future.”

“He was so busy with positive things that he had no time or inclination to think about the past.”

“Wise men do not sit idly by and moan about what they have lost, but cheerfully strive to repair the damage.”

“We seldom think of what we have, but always of what we lack.”

“There are two things to aim at in life: first, to get what you want, and after that to enjoy it. Only the wisest of mankind achieve the second.”

Forgive Your Enemies: Doing your enemies bad hurts you more than it hurts them. Don’t waste time thinking about people you don’t like.Ungrateful people: Don’t be angry about ungrateful people. Due to human nature, people are naturally ungrateful. Don’t give to receive gratitude but because of inner joy. Be prepared for ungratefulness so you don’t have to be angry about it. Gratitude is an attitude that needs to be cultivated, you should be teaching it to children.

How To Deal With Certain People

“When we hate our enemies, we are giving them power over us: power over our sleep, our appetites, our blood pressure, our health, and our happiness”

“When you devote yourself to a cause infinitely greater than yourself, it is a sure way of being able to forgive your enemies and forget them. Insults and hostilities become totally unimportant, because you think only of your great goal and become insensitive to everything else.”

“Gratitude is the fruit of great cultivation; you do not find it among gross people.”

“There is only one way to get love - if any: you have to stop demanding it and start giving love without any hope of getting anything in return."

Reasons why should try again after failing:<ul><li>Maybe you achieve your goal this time.</li><li>Even if you fail again, at least you looked ahead instead of backwards. You were optimistic and full of energy.</li></ul>

When Life Gives You A Lemon, Make Lemonade

“The most important thing in life is not to capitalize on your gains. Any fool can do that. The really important thing is to profit from your losses. That requires intelligence; and it makes the difference between a man of sense and a fool.”

Show empathy with the people around you and forget yourself. Do someone a favour, help them and make them smile! This is so effective because during the process of helping someone, you forget yourself and your problems.

Help Other People

“You can be cured in fourteen days if you follow this prescription. Try to think every day how you can please someone.”

“Never do something you don’t want to do.”

"When you are good to others you are best to yourself."

Benefits of praying:<ul><li>You express what you are worried about.</li><li>You can share your burden with someone. Even if you have no one to talk to, god is always there.</li><li>You are inspired to take action.</li></ul>

Pray

“Faith is one of the forces by which men live, and the total absence of it means collapse.”

Unfair critique is often a hidden compliment. Do the best you can and ignore all the hate you get for it.However, you should also be taking your time to reflect on what you did so that you can learn from your mistakes and from your enemies. With that, they have no more power over you.Nobody is perfect. Write your mistakes down and analyse them. Ask for objective, constructive and uplifting critique.

Dealing With Criticism

“Do what you think is right in your heart - because you will be criticised anyway. You will be condemned if you do it and if you don't you will also be condemned.”

“Every man is a damn fool for at least five minutes a day. Wisdom consists of not exceeding the limit.”

Fatigue is often a cause for worries and anxiety. Reduce it as much as you can.Relax, sit and lay down as often as you can. Relax your entire body even while working and check yourself regularly: Am I making my work harder than it actually is by using muscles that have nothing to do with what I am working on? And the end of the day ask yourself: How tired am I?

The Problem With Fatigue

<ul><li>Using your brain does not make you tired but your negative attitude and feelings do.</li><li>Talk about what you are worried about.</li><li>Have a journal with inspirational quotes so that you can read it whenever you need it.</li><li>Don’t think about other people’s imperfections too much.</li><li>Be interested in other people.</li><li>Make a plan for the next day before you go to bed.</li><li> Lay down on the floor and stretch yourself as long as you can.</li><li>Close your eyes and imagine something beautiful.</li><li>Tense your muscles and let them loose.</li><li>Breathe slowly, deeply and regurlarly.</li></ul>

More Tips To Reduce Fatigue

<ul><li>Put everything away from your desk that is not related with your current task.</li><li>Do things the moment you have to do them.</li><li>Do things in their order of importance.</li><li>Think and plan.</li><li>Solve problems and make decisions as soon as you can when you have all necessary information.</li><li>Learn to organise and delegate.</li></ul>

Tips For Work

Boredom is often the main cause for fatigue. Make your work fun and a challenge. Act as if you love what you are doing.

Boredom

“One of the chief causes of fatigue is boredom.”

“Our fatigue is often caused not by work, but by worry, frustration and resentment.”

“By talking to yourself every hour of the day, you can direct yourself to think thoughts of courage and happiness, thoughts of power and peace.”

When you can’t sleep, get up, read a book and learn something. Pray, relax or do some hard work.

What To Do When You Can't Sleep

“Don't worry about insomnia. It does far more damage than the actual lack of sleep.”

“A feeling of security is particularly important for healthy sleep.”

“Worries go when the movement comes.”

<ul><li>Read in history books because you will see your problems from a distance and realise that they are tiny in comparison to eternity.</li><li>See your problems in a bigger context: In two months it won’t even matter.</li><li>Laugh about your worries.</li><li>Be honest with yourself.</li><li>Always have a plan B so that you are safe.</li><li>Don’t talk about your mistakes as soon as you did them and instead wait 24h.</li><li>Remember that worries have no advantages.</li><li>Surround yourself with positive people that lift you up.</li></ul>

Some More Tips

<ol><li>Divide Life Into Units Of Days: Live one day at a time.</li><li>Think about the worst that could happen, accept it and try to mitigate it.</li><li>Collect all facts, analyse them, make a decision and act on it. </li><li>Think about the negative consequences worrying has on your health. Keep your thoughts positive.</li><li>Accept what you can’t change. Don’t worry about small things. Set a limit to your worries. Appeciate what you have. Make the best out of everything.</li><li> Forgive your enemies and ungrateful people. Learn how to use criticism.</li><li>Keep yourself busy. Help other people.</li><li>Relax. Focus on one thing and do it cheerfully.</li></ol>

Summary

Dale Carnegie shares how to finally stop worrying and start living using the practical tips he collected from various people from all over the world. Please note that I read the book in German, which is why some quotes might differ from the English version.

Learn the proven, time-tested principles to breaking your worry habits—now and forever—with Dale Carnegie’s expert advice so you can start living your best carefree life today. With Dale Carnegie’s timeless advice in hand, more than six million people have learned how to eliminate debilitating fear and worry from their lives and to embrace a worry-free future. In this classic work, How to Stop Worrying and Start Living, Carnegie offers a set of practical formulas that you can put to work today. It is a book packed with lessons that will last a lifetime and make that lifetime happier! Discover how to: -Eliminate fifty percent of business worries immediately -Reduce financial worries -Avoid fatigue—and keep looking young -Add one hour a day to your waking life -Find yourself and be yourself—remember there is no one else on earth like you! Fascinating to read and easy to apply, How to Stop Worrying and Start Living deals with fundamental emotions and life-changing ideas. There's no need to live with worry and anxiety that keep you from enjoying a full, active life!

How to Stop Worrying and Start Living

Find  Self Improvement Tips - Curated from popular Books like Atomic Habits, 48 Rules of Power, Deep Work, Rich Dad Poor Dad and way more!

How to Be a Stoic

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

How to Stop Worrying and Start Living

How to Win Friends and Influence People

Gaining self-confidence

The Compound Effect

Theory U

The Art Of Seduction

Expression vs Materialism

It's time to
Read like a Pro.

How to Be a Stoic

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

How to Stop Worrying and Start Living

How to Win Friends and Influence People

Gaining self-confidence

The Compound Effect

Theory U

The Art Of Seduction

Expression vs Materialism

It's time to Read like a Pro.

It's time to
Read like a Pro.