Stoicism and the Art of Happiness

What Is Stoicism (Emotional Intelligence, Book 5)

By: Kathrin Deshotels

Narrated by: Jacqueline Rendell

Length: 3 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's Summary

Stoicism is much more than just not showing emotion. It is about centering and controlling yourself. This does not mean repression. Actually, stoicism is, in many ways, the highest form of expressing your true self because when a person is following the practice, they act according to their core values, reaching for "eudaimonia" or your highest self.

The first step to this is to take responsibility for what you do and say. People are going to act rudely and upset you at times, and more often than not, this is more of an expression of how they feel about themselves than about you. If someone insults you, that is their choice. It is yours to react, and if you lose your temper, you must accept ownership of that. Other people can only control you if you let them. Channeling stoicism would mean to ignore the bait. This may seem like being passive, but if you respond to this person, it will only result in an argument, which will be a waste of your time. If you do not react to their words, you are not dignifying them and, thus, you have rendered them meaningless.

A stoic does not fall into the “victim mentality” in which a person points the finger at other people when something goes wrong in their lives, knowing that only keeps you stuck where you are at today. They also live according to their core values. This is also called "living with arete". This does have to mean morally superior. When you dive into your creativity and express yourself, you are living with arete. It means gaining new experiences and, therefore, wisdom. It is putting maximum effort into everything you do so you can feel proud of it.

Finally, a stoic focuses solely on the things they can control and are content with where they are right now. Of course, you have goals you want to achieve, and that is a good thing. However, it can become a detrimental force if you spend most of your time thinking about what you do not have, and it depresses you. Time spent in this mind-set is as wasted as time spent worrying about what might happen in the future. Whatever outside forces are going to do is beyond your control. When you focus on that, you are not doing anything to help yourself. This is why it is important to accept your current circumstances, even if they are unpleasant, so you can move within them. When you are present in your real life, you have the most control over it.

Think about it this way: A person who currently has a low-paying job and does the bare minimum while envying others will stay right where they’re at. On the other hand, the person who accepts that he does it as well as he can and impresses his supervisors has the prospect of getting a raise and promotion. Such people are embracing the stoicism virtues because they are putting their effort into what they can control and turning in high-quality work, therefore taking responsibility and an active role in their own life.

©2020 Kathrin Deshotels (P)2020 Kathrin Deshotels

Excellent primer for understanding the Practical Application of Stoic philosophy

A concise summary of ways you can begin to apply stoic philosophical concepts and principles in your day to day life. There are other excellent resources out there as well, which would include reading from the original ancient philosophers, but if you are unfamiliar with these teachings and want to improve your life overnight, I am highly recommend starting with this book.

Also, I don’t think narrators on audiobooks get enough credit sometimes, but this narrator was superb in her warm and methodical way of reading the book.

Robotic Narration

I couldn't make it more than 5 minutes. The narrator tries too hard and ends up coming off very robotic.

This is a very incredible audiobook!

This is a very incredible guidebook. So many areas to help with decluttering. There is a lot of valuable information that made my life different. This is an extraordinary book for learning. Thanks to the author for making this extraordinary book. Prescribed it to others.

Such an excellent well written guide!

Tobias Entwistle is a brilliant writer. I found the "stoicism for beginners" book to be a real breath of fresh air. This wonderful book has given me lots of tips on how to stop worrying about the little things in life and just to enjoy what I have. After reading this book, I decided to learn more about modern philosophy and how that pertains to my own happiness. Oh and I have also invested in taking a yoga class.

SLOW DOWN AND SMELL THE ROSES!!!

As the owner/operator of 2 small businesses, I live a very chaotic and stressful life. This book gave me the tools and techniques to slow down and enjoy life. Thanks

Amazing New Outlook

Stoic philosophy dates back to ancient practices of people with different cultural and religious values. As we know, we can learn a lot through history. The author writes this book amazingly and really gives good insight on a way of life that is new to us but old to many. Definitely would recommend whether you plan on following this lifestyle or not.

This book is Amazing! Definitely Recommend!

Reading this book gave me a new look on life and taught me how to look at things different. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who's struggling with finding happiness. I loved it!

Very interesting

I think this is a decent book if you're into mediation and dealing with anxiety. The narrator's voice is decent listen.

Wonderful! Excellent!

Narrator was excellent . He made it sound as if a friend was speaking to you. I heard so many things that pertained to me but I also heard solutions. Great! Just wonderful!

One of my favorite self-help guide.

It is ideal for someone who has never read on stoicism but wants to get started on the subject. It's one of my favorite practical sound recording.