Let's Talk About Stoic Practice at André's Tortillery

Since the weather has warmed up, we'll be meeting on something pretty close to an actual porch! For our next meeting, we're going to continue a simple daily Stoic routine. Then we're going to talk about how it went. Feel free to come for the discussion on March 29th, even if you don't get a chance to participate.

Anyone is welcome at the discussion. Andre's Tortillery has great food and a good selection of beverages.

The Daily Practice for Beginners:

If you're starting out, there are only two things to do each day. The two steps are:

1. Read and think about Stoic ideas every morning.

The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday (https://www.amazon.com/Daily-Stoic-Meditations-Wisdom-Perseverance/dp/B01MA32SO0/) is built for exactly this purpose. There's a page for every day of the year. Just flip to today's page read about it and let it sink in. The audiobook version is only $7.49 if you'd like to listen while you make your coffee.

2. Think about the day ahead.

Listen to this 4 minute recording after reading and follow the instructions to think about how to make the most of your day ahead. (http://donaldrobertson.name/stoic-mindfulness-and-resilience-training-smrt-2016/week-2-stoic-virtues/download-audio-recording/)

That's it! :)

When we get together again on March 29th, we'll talk about how it went and any Stoic ideas people found useful in getting through their days or in facing challenges.

If you've just joined us, feel free to jump in at any point. Just do it for as many days as you can, and if you miss a day, that's OK. Just pick back up the next day.

More Advanced Options:

Donald Robertson's Daily Routine from the Stoic Therapy Toolkit is a good place to start expanding your practice. Go to https://learn.donaldrobertson.name/p/stoic-therapy-toolkit and download the free 6 page PDF.

On page 4 is a simple outline for daily routine that includes things to do in the morning, throughout the day, and a review of how you did at night. I recommend the evening review in particular.

More Reading Options:

You can read any Stoic writing if you prefer. The idea is to think about Stoic ideas every day then think about how to apply them in the day ahead.

A great collection of Stoic ideas is called The Art of Living (a translation of Epictetus' Enchiridion by Sharon Lebell). These sayings are like snacks for your mind. They give you practical nuggets of wisdom to chew on so you can make better choices as you try every day to become a little bit better as a person.

The kindle version here for less than $12 on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Art-Living-Classical-Happiness-Effectiveness/dp/0061286052/) or for less than $7 on Audible (https://www.amazon.com/Art-Living-Classical-Happiness-Effectiveness/dp/B0000544PO/). It weighs in at 144 pages or 90 minutes of listening.

Free Reading Alternatives:

If money is in short supply you can find the full text of the Art of Living here:
http://michaelpetralia.com/the%20art%20of%20living_epictetus.html. Maybe buy a copy later when you can.

If you prefer the classical language of an older translation, a completely free public domain translation of the Enchiridion is available at the Internet Classics Archive (http://classics.mit.edu/Epictetus/epicench.html).