Fear is a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

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

I’m not really following this stoic all that well. The basic idea is to not let fear control our impulses. It gives some examples of fear and paranoia taking over people to the point that they strike first without any real evidence that betrayal is about to happen. I get that. Not sure how that applies. I guess it could relate to this Key and Peele skit.

I think it applies really well. Our fears can certainly play out in toneless communications like texting. Happens all the time. Some times I can feel strong emotions from texting, emails, and social media. I have to take a step back and not act on those emotional impulses. Now I get it.

I sent this to a buddy one time and he was like, “dude that’s how I just felt!”

Don't Seek Out Strife

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

Theodore Roosevelt was driven by compulsion, a work and activity addiction. The stoic talks about how he was constantly doing things. I feel that same pull to always be doing something. Always have a goal. Always be doing something. I’m starting to learn that I don’t need to be. When I’m at the coffee machine I don’t look at my phone. I don’t have social media on my phone for that very reason. I used to get headaches in the car when I was passenger. It was because I was catching up on my Twitter feed.

Social media is easy to cut out. It’s the feeling of needing to constantly be doing something that’s a bit harder. Both at work and at home. I’m starting to realize and try not doing anything. Just be there in the moment.

Steady Your Impulses

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

Impulsive people lead to people who have rollercoaster type of days. Amazing highs and crushing lows. I think this explains some of what I feel. I took the enneagram test a month or so ago and ended up with enthusiast as my type result. I like to experience a lot of different things. Which to me could mean impulses. I’m usually down for whatever other people want to do, especially if it’s something new. I’m also down for what I’m internally feeling. If I want to stay up late and play video games, I’m down. If I want to drink, I’m down. The stoic says to ask the following questions, “Who is in control here? What principles are guiding me?”

I think that’s important for steadying and balancing out the highs and lows.

On Being Invincible

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

This is about controlling emotions. You see it often in how celebrities and athletes handle criticism. One of my favorite skits is Jimmy Kimmel’s Celebrities Read Mean Tweets. I spent two hours one Sunday just going through them all. I gained an appreciation for celebrities who leaned into to the mean things people said about them. It’s certainly something to strive for.

The Source of Your Anxiety

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

The source of anxiety is worrying about things outside of our control. I’ve worked a lot on this the past couple of months. I tend to worry about a lot of different things. Work related and non-work related. Am I being a good worker? How do I handle this person? How do I handle this process?

Right now I’m worried about my weight. It’s been the highest it’s ever been in the last two years. I’ve cut back on beer. I’m eating better than ever before by eating things like cauliflower, kale, broccoli, fresh fruit, and on and on. I’ve got out a lot of red meat. I still have the occasional burger and steak. I prefer to go the chicken, fish, or pork route. I work out regularly. I’m still up in the weight. I have to remind myself that it’s okay and not to beat myself up to much about it.