How to Use Stoic Wisdom for Self-Improvement and Emotional Resilience

50 Stoic Journal Prompts

Ever wondered how ancient Stoic wisdom can help you navigate modern life's complexities with grace and resilience? This episode promises not just to explore but to arm you with practical tools—powerful journaling prompts, emotional resilience techniques, and strategies for finding joy in the everyday. We discuss how embodying strength through role models like Michelle Obama can help us surf life's inevitable waves, transforming challenges into opportunities for growth. You'll discover the timeless relevance of gratitude journaling and aligning your actions with your core values, making Stoicism a surprisingly practical guide for our fast-paced world.

Our journey continues with an emphasis on self-improvement through honest self-assessment and the identification of personal strengths. By analyzing past successes, you'll learn how to replicate those achievements in other areas of your life. This reflective practice, rooted in Stoic principles, empowers you to contribute positively to the world around you. Finally, we ponder a thought-provoking question: if you could ask a Stoic philosopher anything, what would it be? Tune in to explore how Stoicism isn't just an ancient philosophy but a practical, transformative tool for self-improvement and emotional resilience.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Ever get that feeling like your brain is just crammed
with to-do lists and then yousee that blinking cursor on your
phone or laptop and it's likeit knows you should be doing
something more profound.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
Totally like you're letting the ancient philosophers
down or something.

Speaker 1 (00:14):
Exactly so.
Today we are ditching the to-dolist and diving into some
stoicism.

Speaker 2 (00:20):
We're talking journaling prompts, but not just
any prompts.

Speaker 1 (00:23):
Oh no, these are stoic journaling prompts.

Speaker 2 (00:25):
Powerful stuff.
It's like having a direct lineto some of history's most
resilient minds.

Speaker 1 (00:30):
I love that.
So, instead of, did I rememberto buy oat milk?
It's what would Marcus Aureliusdo.

Speaker 2 (00:36):
Well, maybe not that directly, but you get the idea.
We're using these prompts as away to tap into that ancient
wisdom, you know, for a betterlife today.

Speaker 1 (00:44):
Okay, so less toga, more like stoicism for the
modern world.

Speaker 2 (00:48):
Exactly, and we're starting our deep dive today
with self-reflection.
But this isn't just youraverage dear diary stuff.

Speaker 1 (00:54):
No.

Speaker 2 (00:55):
This is about looking for patterns in how we react to
things.
It's like stoic science.

Speaker 1 (01:00):
Stoic science.
I'm into it.

Speaker 2 (01:02):
Right, because at its core, stoicism says look, we
can't always control whathappens to us.
Stuff happens Exactly, but it'sour response to that stuff that
we can control.
That's where our power is.

Speaker 1 (01:15):
So it's less about what life throws at us, more
about how we catch it.

Speaker 2 (01:19):
Perfectly put.
So like take that frustratingmeeting you had this week.
Don't remind me, Instead ofjust thinking ugh, bad day.
What if we saw it as data?

Speaker 1 (01:28):
Data.
Okay, I'm intrigued.

Speaker 2 (01:29):
Right Like this is valuable information about what
pushes our buttons, what we needto work on.

Speaker 1 (01:34):
I like where you're going with this and actually
prompt number two from thisjournaling exercise jumps right
into this.
It asks about finding joy inthe everyday.

Speaker 2 (01:43):
Yes, and I love this one because it's not about those
big splashy moments.

Speaker 1 (01:48):
Like I won the lottery, kind of joy.

Speaker 2 (01:50):
Exactly.
It's about those little thingsthat make even a normal day feel
good.

Speaker 1 (01:55):
That cup of coffee just hits different sometimes.

Speaker 2 (01:58):
Precisely.
But here's the key it's notenough to just notice those
moments.
The Stoics would say okay, howdo we create more of them?
Like what if cultivatinghappiness was a practice, not
just luck?

Speaker 1 (02:11):
Okay, I am so on board with this.
And speaking of things, I'm onboard with prompt.
Number six really resonatedwith me.

Speaker 2 (02:16):
Oh, tell me about it.

Speaker 1 (02:17):
So it asks you to think about someone who you
think embodies strength.

Speaker 2 (02:21):
And I think this one is so clever because, instead of
just saying I wish I wasstronger which, let's be real,
is kind of vague and not superhelpful, for sure, it gives you
a real life model to study, likewho comes to mind when you
think strong person?

Speaker 1 (02:36):
Well, right now I'm thinking Michelle Obama.
She always seems so incrediblyresilient under pressure.

Speaker 2 (02:42):
Perfect example.
So, instead of this abstractidea of strength, it's like what
would Michelle Obama do?

Speaker 1 (02:47):
I love that Suddenly it's not this impossible thing,
it's like oh, there are actualfootsteps to follow.

Speaker 2 (02:53):
And that's what makes these prompts so powerful.
They take these bigphilosophical ideas and make
them tangible, actionable.
It's like having a personalstoic coach in your pocket,
speaking of learning from thebest.
Let's talk about emotionalresilience.
I have to admit, when I firstheard we were diving into this,
I thought really Emotionalresilience and stoicism in the

(03:16):
same sentence.

Speaker 1 (03:17):
Yeah, it does seem a little counterintuitive, right
Like, isn't stoicism all aboutbeing well stoic?

Speaker 2 (03:23):
Exactly Like just keeping a stiff upper lip, no
matter what life throws at you.

Speaker 1 (03:27):
Right, not exactly the recipe for an emotional
roller coaster.

Speaker 2 (03:30):
And yet that's what surprised me about this section,
because it's not about notfeeling things, it's about
choosing how we respond to thosefeelings.

Speaker 1 (03:37):
Okay, so let's suck it up more.
I don't know what's a goodanalogy.
It's like a surfer riding awave they don't try to stop the
ocean, they learn how tonavigate it.

Speaker 2 (03:45):
Yes, perfect analogy, because that's what these
prompts help us do, but with ouremotional landscape Like.
Take prompt number one, forexample.

Speaker 1 (03:54):
Okay.
What does prompt number one say?

Speaker 2 (03:56):
It asks us to think about a recent disappointment,
but instead of just dwelling onthe bummer part, it's like OK,
how could you have responded tothis differently?

Speaker 1 (04:05):
Oh, that's interesting.
So it's almost like treatingdisappointment as a skill to
practice.

Speaker 2 (04:13):
I love that, because that's exactly how the Stoics
saw it.
Every time we facedisappointment, we have this
choice point we can either letit derail us or we can use it as
an opportunity to strengthenour resilience.

Speaker 1 (04:21):
It's not about being immune to disappointment.
It's about knowing it's comingand having a game plan.

Speaker 2 (04:26):
Exactly.
And speaking of game plans fora good life, prompt number seven
in this section is surprisinglymodern.
It's all about gratitude.

Speaker 1 (04:36):
Wait, like gratitude journals.
That's so funny because thoseare like everywhere right now.
Right.

Speaker 2 (04:41):
It's fascinating how this ancient wisdom keeps lining
up with modern science.
Turns out the Stoics were on tosomething centuries ago.

Speaker 1 (04:49):
They probably didn't even have bullet journals back
then.

Speaker 2 (04:51):
Probably not.
But here's the thing about thisgratitude prompt it goes beyond
just feeling grateful.
It asks us to really dig intothe why.
What are we thankful for today,in this very moment?

Speaker 1 (05:03):
It's like a perspective shift, right Instead
of focusing on what we'relacking, we're appreciating what
we do have.

Speaker 2 (05:08):
Precisely.
And that shift in perspectiveis key to another core Stoic
theme which may sound a bitintimidating at first Virtue,
Virtue.

Speaker 1 (05:18):
Okay, so less about being a goody two-shoes, more
about I don't know living inalignment with our values you
got it.

Speaker 2 (05:24):
And this is where I think some people get tripped up
on stoicism.

Speaker 1 (05:27):
They think it's about following all these rigid rules
yeah, I can see that but Ithink these prompts keep it real
okay, so show me what you mean,what stood out to you in the
virtue section.
Okay, so we've got these values, we we're working on our
emotional resilience, but how dowe actually live this stuff,
especially in a world that feelsI don't know, kind of the

(05:47):
opposite of stoic.

Speaker 2 (05:48):
Right, like trying to be mindful when you're
surrounded by like a milliondistractions.

Speaker 1 (05:53):
Exactly.

Speaker 2 (05:54):
Well, that's where the next section comes in
mindfulness and presence.
And I'll be honest, even justreading these prompts made me
want to, like, put my phone downand go stare at a tree or
something.

Speaker 1 (06:04):
No judgment.
My screen time is probably atan all time high right now.
Okay, so how do these ancientphilosophers help us deal with
modern distractions?

Speaker 2 (06:16):
It's funny.
It's like they knew we'd bebattling a million notifications
for our attention, becausethese prompts aren't about like
going on a silent retreat.
They're about finding stillnessand focus amidst the chaos of
daily life.

Speaker 1 (06:29):
So less about escaping the chaos and more
about, like learning to existwithin it.

Speaker 2 (06:33):
Yes, it's like building up those mental focus
muscles so we're not so easilypulled in a million directions.

Speaker 1 (06:39):
I need to hit the gym for my focus muscles for sure,
right.

Speaker 2 (06:43):
We all do, and I think prompt number two in this
section is so relatable.
It's like it's asking when wasthe last time you were truly
present during a conversationand I don't mean like half
listening while also mentallyplanning your grocery list?

Speaker 1 (06:56):
Oof Guilty as charged .
I've been on the receiving endof those are you even listening
to me moments?

Speaker 2 (07:05):
It's not a good look, right, and I think that's
what's so important here.
It's not just about someinternal state of Zen, it's
about the quality of ourinteractions, our relationships.
Being present makes us betterfriends, partners, colleagues.

Speaker 1 (07:14):
So it's like stoicism for better relationships.
I like that.

Speaker 2 (07:17):
Right, and speaking of things, I think the Stoics
would have opinions on promptnumber seven in this section.
It's a simple question how doyou spend your free time?
But through a Stoic lens itbecomes kind of a gut check.
Are we choosing activities thatalign with our values, that
lead to growth, or are we justkind of, you know, on autopilot?

Speaker 1 (07:35):
I have a feeling Seneca would not be down with
endless Instagram scrolling.

Speaker 2 (07:40):
Probably not.
Which brings us to our finalsection today growth and
improvement.
Because stoicism isn't aboutachieving some perfect state of
stoicism.
You know, it's a process, acontinuous journey.

Speaker 1 (07:53):
Yes, it's like that quote.
The obstacle is the way.
Our mistakes aren't failures.
They're data points.
They're how we learn and grow.

Speaker 2 (07:59):
Exactly, and I love how prompt number three in this
section highlights that.
It's about identifying ourstrengths, but not in a like
braggy way.
It's more about honestself-assessment so we can better
understand how we cancontribute to the world.

Speaker 1 (08:13):
Oh, I like that.
So it's not justself-improvement for our benefit
, but so we can use thosestrengths to help others.

Speaker 2 (08:19):
Exactly it's the stoic way for our benefit.
But so we can use thosestrengths to help others Exactly
it's the stoic way.
And finally, I want to touch ontromp number 10.
This one is about analyzing oursuccesses, not just celebrating
the win, but figuring out howwe achieved it so we can like
replicate that success in otherareas of our lives.

Speaker 1 (08:35):
It's like we're reverse engineering our good
decisions.
So, instead of just hoping forthe best next time, we're
learning from our experiences.

Speaker 2 (08:41):
Exactly.
It's about extracting wisdomfrom every experience and using
that wisdom to, as you said,level up.
And on that note, I'm curiousafter this deep dive, what's one
question you would ask a Stoicphilosopher if you had the
chance?
What's really sticking with you?

Speaker 1 (08:56):
Wow, that is a great question, and you know what?
I think that's the perfect noteto leave our listeners on as
well.
What wisdom resonated with you?
What will you carry with youfrom this deep dive into
stoicism?
Until next time, keep exploring, keep questioning and keep
those notebooks handy.