I purchased A Handbook for New Stoics by Massimo Pigliucci about four years ago, alongside The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday.
For the past four years, I have read The Daily Stoic
every morning. It has grounded me each day, allowing me to reflect on my
life before diving into daily activities. However, I often find myself
distracted and not living as intentionally as I had hoped after reading
each passage. Still, it serves its purpose.
On the other hand, I haven’t engaged with A Handbook for New Stoics at all since buying it. This book demands more effort compared to The Daily Stoic, which offers a single page to ponder each day. With A Handbook for New Stoics, you need to complete weekly exercises that require daily reflection and commitment. Although I had good intentions when purchasing it, I sometimes feel overwhelmed—perhaps it's my tendency toward self-sabotage or simply laziness. Despite having bought it years ago, I’m only now considering diving in.
Recently, I watched a video discussing this book where he began writing a Stoic journal and practicing its principles. It inspired me: "Yes, I should do that too!" So this year, I'm finally committing to something I've planned for ages; it feels like the right moment. I genuinely hope this journey will help me become a better person or at least align me more closely with who I aspire to be.
After quickly skimming through the book, I believe it will be
immensely beneficial. It promises to enhance my self-reflection and
personal growth. Even though I haven't put its teachings into practice
much yet, just reading it has been enlightening. I'm ready to try it
out! I've picked up a new notebook specifically for this purpose and
organized an index for the 52 exercises. Let’s see how it unfolds!
The 1st Week
The first week's exercise focuses on analyzing what is within our complete control and what is not. Many people become too hung up on things beyond their control, which often leads to losing perspective on self-control over our own lives. Therefore, it's essential to take time to reflect on what we can change and what we should accept as past events. This reflection allows us to concentrate better on areas for improvement in the future.
Currently, I don’t have much happening in my life, so my
reflections this week may seem trivial. However, I plan to continue
practicing this exercise in my mind whenever I find myself in
frustrating situations moving forward.