Most of us would like a calmer, more tranquil life. There are two words that can help, and they come from a Stoic teacher who lived almost 2,000 years ago.
In the video at the top of this post, I explain the two words and how to use them in your own life.
I've been reading The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman. It has one short lesson for each day of the year. The lesson for October 10th is from Epictetus. He said, “If anyone would take two words to heart, and use them to govern and watch over themselves, they would live an impeccable and immensely tranquil life.” And those two words? Persist and resist.
Epictetus was born into slavery around 50 AD and became one of the best-known Stoic teachers. He never wrote anything down himself. We know about the two words because a Roman writer named Aulus Gellius recorded them in a book called Attic Nights. The Greek words are often translated as "bear and forbear." The Daily Stoic translates them as "persist and resist."
Persist and resist.
I think that's great advice. But it leaves out the most important part. What are you supposed to persist at, and what are you supposed to resist?
The answer is different for everyone, because it depends on your values. Persist in getting more of What Matters Most to you. And resist anything that could harm the things that matter most to you.
So before you can use the two words, you need to know what your values are. Without that, you don't know what to persist at or what to resist.
Here's a quick way to start.
There's a quiz in my new book called the Values Compass. It's five quick questions, and it's from chapter 11. It tells you what direction your values compass points. You can take it for free at myvaluescompass.com. You can see another way to use it in Feel like your life is drifting? Try this.
Once you know something about your values, you know where to start. Persist at the things that give you more of those values, and resist the things that work against them.
Everything gets easier when you know What Matters Most.
My new book walks you through all kinds of ways to identify (and use) your values, and it's available for pre-order now. It's called The Values Map, and I would be very grateful if you pre-ordered a copy. ❤️
