Blink:

Today, April 26, 121 AD, Marcus Aurelis the famous Roman Emperor and Stoic philosopher was born. I thought today would be a good time to review Marcus’s personal journal (Meditations), his guide to practical living as well as other popular digital “Design for Living Hacks” currently flooding the internet.              

Read On:

During my tenure at the Quaker Oats Company in the late 80’s, I had the good fortune to attend a high-performance workshop in Phoenix. After several days of training, my key takeaway was I had to pick and choose the process(es) which worked best for me when it came to self-improvement (a.k.a. “one size does not fit all”). Consequently, since Phoenix I continued to read self-improvement hacks to find the combination of principles to fine tune my process.

As I stated above, in my Blink, digital “Design for Living Hacks” are currently flooding the internet. Below is a short list of performance growth wisdom which have been key to my ongoing process, starting with Stoicism;

• Marcus Arelius – In the summer of 2024, I became aware of the global resurgence in the Greek stoicism philosophy. Several translations of Meditations, Marcus Aurelius’s personal journal/private thoughts, applying Stoic philosophy to his life have evolved into a world renown self-improvement classic. Marcus’s guiding principles which resonate deeply for me are: A.) dichotomy of control, learn to expect and deal with the unexpected; B.) mindfulness, thus stick with what is in front of you within your control; C.) emotional regulation, control your responses to what is happening; D.) focus on cultivating a personal brand via a meaningful life which is a result from contribution (helping others); and E.) pause and reflect (e.g., journaling, walking).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
• Carl Jung – Prominent Swiss psychiatrist, psychotherapist, and psychologist, prolific author. Over the years I have read excerpts of his wisdom, my favorite given I decided to leave the MAGA movement, relocate to France in 2018: “If the path before you is clear, you are probably on someone else’s.
• Black Mamba – Basketball legend Kobe Bryant’s alter-ego. In his own words: The Mamba mentality is an attitude to work at getting better every day at what you are doing, to become the best version of yourself. It is a constant quest since we all have dreams which sometimes can be scary. Especially if you put your heart and soul into them. What if you fail? According to Black Mamba, failure is not an option. Become fearless, put yourself out there. You want to be great at something, do it all the time. Be a student of your craft.”
• James Clear – This past year, a close friend of mine turned me on to James Clear author of the New York Times #1 bestseller Atomic Habtis (+25 million copies worldwide). I now subscribe to his weekly newsletter (short & poignant) which I highly recommend. As a strategic resource (consultant)) I highly value his thoughts regarding the critical thinking skill inversion – envision/plan for the worst scenario, the negative things which can happen to better manage fear and failure, thus be better prepared moving forward.
• Dr. Seuss – Another core tenet of Stoicism which I did not mention above is that we cannot control what others think or say about us. (a.k.a. opinions). Attempting to do so leads to frustration and disappointment. Focus on what you can control – your own thoughts and behaviors – while accepting that others are entitled to their own opinions. To me the good doctor said it best: “Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.”                                               

Do you have any design for living hacks you would like to share?