Why would you want to fortify yourself in the name of stoicism?

Stoicism is “the doctrines or philosophy of the Stoics” says my dictionary and is the indifference between pain and pleasure.  But since we naturally want to move away from pain and towards pleasure, does it not behoove us to feel the difference and know where to put our deliberate intention?

Yes and no.

Abraham Hicks, Dr. Bruce Lipton, Dr. Jussie Eerikainen and many others remind me regularly that focusing on feeling good is what sets us up to be in the flow of abundance.  They all say that when you’re too much in your head and not enough in your heart – thinking vs. feeling – and not paying attention to what feels good because you’re hammering away at the task list, it’s easy to get out of alignment. That’s when you create not just blocks but boulders on your success path.  

It feels wonderful to be well-rested, doing work that brings joy, connect with nature, feel validated and appreciated, and during those times, everything seems to go really well!  But we don’t accomplish anything on our own … so … how easy is it to be blissfully intentional when encountering the emotions of others that may challenge paradise?  Can we carry that tranquility in a way that will make us impervious to slights, letdowns, bad press, disrespect, criticism, and even insults? What does it take to have the self-mastery to liberate ourselves from potential energy-zapping swipes?

Aha! ~ Know thyself.

Maintaining emotional equilibrium can be yours by asking a few categorized questions.

• Compassion: are you allowing a negative comment to take you down a notch when it may have more to do with that individual’s day than your exchange in that moment?
• Understanding: is the disrespect coming from someone who may feel disrespected themselves or has a lack of knowledge of the bigger picture?
• Source: are you one of many victims of bad press by someone who feels powerful in cutting others?

While disrespect should never be tolerated, when you know yourself, are guided by wisdom and grounded in virtues, you can find serenity in stoicism.  Then when a blow happens, simply taking a pause to reflect and regroup to then decide to respond – or not – you will quickly return to focusing on the actionable present in manifestation land.

“Difficulties strengthen the mind as labour does the body” ~ Seneca

I consider myself to be patient and understanding but failed Stoicism 101 the other day.  My “adult” knew better but in a moment of question, allowed my “child” to react.  I’ll explain what I learned on YouTube entitled Emotional Equilibrium.