Daily Stoic(s)

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

Yesterday - Judge Not, Lest….

We have control over our own faults and thus should focus there. We can’t control others. Being a manager I think there is a caveat there. I have some control over the people that report to me faults. I have to ensure they are doing work in the most efficient and effective way. Feedback is something I try to provide regularly. I mention this now because I’m going through annual reviews and I have to think about how these people have performed. Their performance will result in higher or lower merit. I believe some of their performance I control, at least on a day-to-day working basis. If I don’t give enough feedback they may fall short in their performance. This means calling out their faults. I also have to recognize that some of their faults aren’t correctable and that they need to adjust in their own way.

Today - Four Habits of the Stoic Mind

I think these are admirable habits. They take time to achieve. I can’t just flip a switch on my habits and be a perfect stoic. In fact it’s called out often that even stoics aren’t perfect. It’s comforting but also worth something to strive for. I’ve seen significant gains even this last year in striving to be more stoic. To me it’s a constant journey and I’m enjoying the process.

Hope And Fear Are The Same

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

This is an interesting stoic because Star Wars. There’s the Yoda line about fear leading to anger and on and on to the dark side. This stoic is about hope as the start of that. And it makes sense. Hope deals with want and when a want isn’t being met it can lead to fear and to anger and to hate and to the dark side. I use a lot of references as part of these stoics and I think this is another that applies. Often when I go to the course with expectations, hoping to do well it will often end up the exact opposite. I just had one of those days where I had hope and yet failed to meet that want. This led to fear and anger and frustration. It wasn’t until the end that once I relaxed and allowed the game to come to me that things went a little better.

Everything Is Changing

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

When we moved into our current neighborhood we lucked into having some really great neighbors. We hung out in the backyard and went on trips together. Four years later I found myself the only one remaining. I still stay in contact with the others but I recognize that change occurred. I’m not as close with the neighbors that have moved in and that’s fine. I’ve adjusted and I still hang out with others I know.

I think a lot of that acceptance comes from being an army brat. I moved around every six months to three years. It was a pain in the ass but it did teach me lessons like this and allowed me to get a better understanding of our world.

Daily Stoic(s)

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

Thursday - The Strong Accept Responsibility

I like this because this helps a lot when dealing with situations where others are throwing blame around. It’s easier to shrug off because they can blame me but ultimately it’s on them. I may have not done my part or maybe I could have been better. I try to evaluate how I could have been better and that’s what helps me become better.

Yesterday - Never Complain, Never Explain

I feel like I complain a lot. It’s something I want to work on. I had a hard time falling back asleep a few days ago because I recalled how much I was complaining about something. I started evaluating it and it made it harder to go to sleep because I felt like I was complaining too much. It’s a state of mind I don’t like to be in and I often slip into complaining about things. I think there is a time and place for complaining when something needs correcting not every time though.

Today - You Choose The Outcome

I screwed up the other day. Instead of beating myself up I tried to focus on what opportunities I would have based on the current outcome. I tried to put aside what had happened and instead focus on that moment and future moments that would not have occurred had what I planned to do worked out.

I try to remember this hen something doesn’t go the way I want it to. There are opportunities that arise from unkempt plans.

It's Not The Thing, It's What We Make Of It

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

This is a powerful stoic for me and has really helped me shift my mindset on things. As part of this I am learning to not judge myself so harshly for missteps. They’re missteps and I can wallow in self-pity or I can move forward and be better prepared for the future. I try to laugh on the golf course as much as possible. Especially on the bad shots because the other option is self-pity and that does not help my mood or my preparation for the next shot.