Daily Stoic

Thanks to Daily Stoic for sharing…

The Stoics saw gratitude as a kind of medicine, that saying “Thank you” for every experience was the key to mental health. “Convince yourself that everything is the gift of the gods,” was how Marcus Aurelius put it, “that things are good and always will be.”…

…But we should also be grateful for the less obvious things: For the setbacks, for the squabbling habits of other people, for the stress they put on us and whatever other difficulties we might be experiencing. Why? Because we are only experiencing them because we are alive. Because they are a form of fuel for our philosophy. And as frustrating as they might be, it’s what Fortune chose for us and we might as well make the most of it.

Epictetus has said that every situation has two handles: Which are you going to decide to hold onto? The anger or the appreciation? The one of resentment or of thanks?…

[For a larger exercise in how to practice gratitude every day, you might like this article. And you can also read our message from last Thanksgiving, The Daily Art of Giving Thanks.]

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P.S. The Daily Stoic Journal: 366 Days of Writing and Reflection on the Art of Living is now available everywhere books are sold. And for more ways to keep Stoic principles in mind as you navigate your day, check out our Daily Stoic Store. It features our popular amor fatiand memento mori medallions, Marcus Aurelius print, and more.

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