Daily Stoic(s)

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

Tuesday - You Were Born Good

Our true nature is to help each other. It’s good to hear because that’s a characteristic I try to show people. I can at times stray from that. Maybe that’s the meaning of life, is to always be moving towards the good instead of the bad.

Yesterday - Accepting What Is

Taking things in stride. Looking at unwanted outcomes is an opportunity. Working in security there could be a lot of energy spent of what happened. I can grip and complain about it or I can look ahead and use that energy to address or fix the issue. I learned this very early on when I had a manager tell me, "Nothing we can do about it now. Now is the time to fix it.”

I’ve used that in my professional career and it’s very good advice. Security is a never ending stream of things going or being done wrong. We must see these as learning and growing opportunities.

Today - Binding Our Wishes To What Will Be

Fate. God. Call it what you will. There are things out of our control. I can hope for an outcome, but I can be prepared for a less than ideal outcome. I was not particularly fond of Scouts. One of the positive things I did takeaway was the motto, “Always be prepared.”

Who Gets The Lion's Share?

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

Dedicating one to self improvements requires effort. At one point I was trying to read when I went to bed. This usually didn’t work out well. Some times I was too tired. Often I had a few too many drinks to focus and remember what I was reading. Within the last few months I’ve instituted an hour of reading after the kids go to bed. I’ve started burning through books at a much better rate. In fact I just got done reading when I realized I hadn’t done the stoic for today. After this I have to go work on a presentation for work that I need to get in before tomorrow morning.

I had one of the worst rounds of golf yesterday that I’ve had since I’ve started recording my score. I think part of that is that I’ve stopped recording the things I learned from a round. Very early on I bought a small notebook for me to write down my, “golf thoughts.” Golf is a game that requires constant improvement. I recognized this early and bought the notebook to retain that mindset of constant improvement. While I did a good job of writing down thoughts early, I’ve slipped the last few rounds. I was the most frustrated I’ve ever been at the game Sunday. I jokingly threatened to quit. I think not making time to writing my thoughts down has contributed to that. My next round will be different.

Character Is Fate

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

The stoic talks about hiring people. Looking at people on paper is only one area to evaluate. Who they are is probably more important. That’s why the resume is just a piece of paper that gets you to the interview. The interview is where character is evaluated. Who is hired is a very important decision for a manager. Likewise it’s the same for life. Who in my life has the characters I want in them and myself?

Daily Stoic(s)

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

Yesterday - We Reap What We Sow

Karma. What comes around goes around. Managing people I tell them one of my expectations is to be honest. I’ve had questions about ethical standing at work. Talking to that person usually resulted in a misunderstanding of what’s communicated. Tone in email can be difficult to decipher. I’ve told my manager that if I am asked to do things unethically my status at work will be in serious doubt. Thankfully, I haven’t had that or I’ve been left out of those unethical choices by people because they know where I stand.

I’ve thought about this while dating. Do I really want to date someone who is cheating on their significant other with me. This doesn’t have to be sexual. It can be talking or hanging out in an intimate way.

Today - We Were Made For Each Other

We are all social creatures. This was highlighted to me during the pandemic. I work in IT security, which is a self-proclaimed introverted field. I have both introverts and extroverts on my team. I figured the introverts would handle isolation much better than the extroverts. I was shocked when one of my introverts told me they yearned for the small and brief interactions they used to have. They were struggling with the isolation. Even though they were introverted they still had interactions. When those went away working from home became much more difficult.

Daily Stoic(s)

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

Yesterday - Two Tasks

Be a good person and pursue the occupation you love. This is something I’ve struggled with. I fell into my current role. I feel like I could be just as good in a different field. So, how do I know I’m in the occupation I love? Since I’ve been in this role I feel like I’ve lost some motivation and purpose in life. Is that a sign I’m not pursuing the right thing? I enjoy video games and now golf. Do I start to look for opportunities in those areas?

Today - Three Parts, One Aim

Moral, natural, and rationale are the three parts to aim for. Soul, order, and inquiries. I think these are good guiding principles. I feel like I’m working on the first part still. Not sure that’s what the stoic is intending. I think it’s more putting all the pieces together to have the one aim. It’s more a method.