I am blogging everyday (or nearly everyday) on The Daily Stoic.

Saturday - The Long Way Around

The stoic discusses aspirations and goals. The why of those goals is usually freedom, happiness, or respect of peers. The thing is that we already have a lot of that. If we don’t we can make choices towards those objectives. It’s already right in front of us. I’m starting to come to this realization myself, as I continue my quest towards finding purpose. The purpose I have is right in front of me. I don’t need to take the long way around or have some big thing to focus on. I can focus on the here and now and live life.

I told myself that when I retire I’ll pick up golf. That’s what retired folks do. Within the last month I’ve decided why not start now? I’ve got a buddy who really enjoys playing. I’m at a good place in my career that I don’t have as many financial worries as I used to. I can start the process of retirement now.

Yesterday - The Truly Educated Aren’t Quarrelsome

This goes along with getting angry. We make the decision to get angry. No one makes us angry. In discussions with others of an opposing view, it’s much more productive to ask the questions instead of telling the other person what it is. Have a curiosity about a person’s view point is much more interesting and makes the conversation much more productive. It’s something I have to remind myself from time to time.

Today - The Wise Don’t Have “Problems”

Just listen seems to be the message for the stoic today. It’s similar to the previous one only this time we should remain quiet and listen after asking a questions. A good example is a spouse venting. Early in my marriage I would try to fix the problem. Only to escalate the situation. My wife didn’t want me to fix it, she wanted me to listen. It’s a lot like the YouTube video below. It might seem obvious but it’s not. I wish we could do more of that on social media sites.