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Monday, August 14, 2017

7 Lessons to Adopt a Stoic Mindset

By: Kyle Boland

Love him or hate him, you can’t argue with the success that Conor McGregor has created. The man certainly knows what he is doing and has been a game-changer in the MMA, and now boxing, world. Whatever the outcome of his upcoming bout with Floyd Mayweather, the man’s attitude and perspective are something to learn from. Check out the takeaways from the video below… they may be well worth implementing in your own daily life.

1. Want what you already have. Realize the solution to your unhappy life is right in front of you. Focus on being content with where you are and what you already have. Learn to appreciate what you already have. Never take anything for granted. Don’t root your sense of happiness in possessions or achievements. Be grateful.


2. Everything that happens in the world is neutral. All events have a different effect on everyone. Your reaction and perception is what matters. No matter how you react to an event or situation, the facts remain the same. Instead of overreacting and thinking you are powerless, focus on what you can control. Everything is neutral.

3. Practice separation. Separate your life into things you can control and things you cannot. Improvise, adapt, and overcome. You will have a greater probability of success if you don’t waste time worrying about or tweaking things you cannot control. Spend your time and energy on things you can control.

4. Turn the obstacle upside down. Defeat negative judgement and turn the obstacle around to suit your purposes. Avoid judging events as purely good or bad. Seek to integrate things you would normally consider negative as positive opportunities. Make a habit to force alternative thought patterns to gain perspective and be able to rationally move forward. See the negative events as an opportunity to practice inner strength, calm control, and level-headedness (improve). There is no such thing as good or bad… only your perception of it and you decide how to deal with it.

5. Assume voluntary discomfort. Make your life artificially difficult and uncomfortable for a set period of time in order to gain the perspective that you tried hard to avoid. The more you seek the uncomfortable, the more you will be comfortable. Dissatisfaction in our daily lives is the result of a certain level of entitlement. We expect things to run smoothly. This is the type of mindset that will spiral you into being upset by the little things. Just because you can afford a nice meal every single day, doesn’t mean you should do so. Skipping a meal and experiencing hunger builds perseverance and grit. It demolishes the sense of entitlement that chips away at your happiness. By experiencing discomfort, you will walk away stronger by realizing you experienced what you dreaded and suffered no ill effects from it. Seek the uncomfortable.

6. Emotions are created internally. Emotions come solely from within and they are created completely by your choice. Everything that happens in the world is neutral... bad or good do not exist in external sources. If emotions come from within, then what we tell ourselves is what creates our feelings. We are blank slates, but it’s human nature to blame other people and excuse yourself. When you feel resistance in life, don't look at the things happening outside of you, focus instead on what happens inside…. How you frame that issue in your mind. Remember that you are always in control and nobody can put beliefs in your mind.

7. Care less. Don’t ignore everything that’s going on in your life, but stop caring about things you can't control. Free up your internal resources to focus your time and mental energy on things that really matter. The most precious asset is not money, but time. You can always earn money back, but once a single minute of your life has passed, it is gone forever. Don’t spend your time worrying about external forces that are out of your control. Live as you want right now. It’s all within your control so make a decision and choose to have a better life now.

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