Who is Marcus Aurelius and what did he write?

Marcus Aurelius was a Roman Emperor and stoic philosopher who wrote the Meditations, a guide on self-improvement through critical analysis and taking a cosmic perspective.

How can I train my perception and control my thoughts?

Marcus Aurelius teaches that training your perception and taking control of your thoughts are important for developing a rational mind.

How can I handle frustration with a slow-learning coworker?

Embrace the opportunity to practice patience, become a better teacher, and learn how to integrate new people into the company.

How can I control my emotions, especially anger?

Redirect your emotions instead of suppressing them, considering if your actions will be helpful and finding beneficial ways to express your anger.

How can I make informed decisions and prioritize virtuous behavior?

Consider the big picture, embrace the dichotomy of control, and act virtuously guided by wisdom, justice, temperance, and courage for personal satisfaction and the greater good.

Clear Thinking with Marcus Aurelius: Stoic Teachings

Name: Clear Thinking with Marcus Aurelius: Stoic Teachings
Uploaded: 2023-07-11 00:37:00
Description: The video discusses the teachings of Marcus Aurelius' Meditations and Stoicism, emphasizing the importance of critical analysis, perception training, emotional redirection, embracing challenges, prioritizing virtuous behavior, considering the big picture, and making informed choices for personal satisfaction and the greater good.

This article is a summary of a YouTube video "Marcus Aurelius - How To Think Clearly (Stoicism)" by Philosophies for Life

TLDR The video discusses the teachings of Marcus Aurelius' Meditations and Stoicism, emphasizing the importance of critical analysis, perception training, emotional redirection, embracing challenges, prioritizing virtuous behavior, considering the big picture, and making informed choices for personal satisfaction and the greater good.

Key insights

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"The stoics strongly believed that doing the right thing was the key to individual happiness, and that in order to do the right thing, sound judgement and clear rational thinking was necessary."
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Controlling your emotions, especially anger, is crucial for clear thinking: "The emotion of anger in particular, does us more harm than good...controlling emotions such as anger is done by redirecting emotions."
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Controlling emotions is crucial for rational thinking and making smart decisions.
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"The dichotomy of control is the distinction between what we can control and what we cannot."
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Accepting the possibility of failure and focusing only on what's in your control can lead to inner calmness regardless of the outcome.
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Taking a step back and looking at the big picture can help us realize how small our problems really are in the grand scheme of things.
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Don't limit yourself to just two options when making a decision - consider other possibilities like changing fields or starting a side-hustle.

Q&A

Who is Marcus Aurelius and what did he write?

— Marcus Aurelius was a Roman Emperor and stoic philosopher who wrote the Meditations, a guide on self-improvement through critical analysis and taking a cosmic perspective.
How can I train my perception and control my thoughts?

— Marcus Aurelius teaches that training your perception and taking control of your thoughts are important for developing a rational mind.
How can I handle frustration with a slow-learning coworker?

— Embrace the opportunity to practice patience, become a better teacher, and learn how to integrate new people into the company.
How can I control my emotions, especially anger?

— Redirect your emotions instead of suppressing them, considering if your actions will be helpful and finding beneficial ways to express your anger.
How can I make informed decisions and prioritize virtuous behavior?

— Consider the big picture, embrace the dichotomy of control, and act virtuously guided by wisdom, justice, temperance, and courage for personal satisfaction and the greater good.

Timestamped Summary

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00:00
Develop a rational mind with Marcus Aurelius' Meditations, which teaches self-improvement through critical analysis and taking a cosmic perspective.
🧘‍♀️

02:20
Practice not judging everything based on your first instinct to train your perception on life, according to the Stoics.
🧘

06:10
Redirect, don't suppress emotions - Marcus Aurelius advises to consider the helpfulness of actions and find beneficial ways to express anger.
🧠

08:52
Use anxiety as a tool to challenge yourself and control your emotions, embrace amor fati to accept what you cannot control and focus on what you can.
🧘‍♀️

13:11
Prioritize personal satisfaction and virtuous behavior guided by wisdom, justice, temperance, and courage for the greater good.
🔍

17:30
Seek out good, avoid evil, and choose indifferents to create a calm mind and consider the big picture beyond your own experiences and opinions.
💼

20:03
Consider exploring different fields or starting a side-hustle alongside your current job to make informed career decisions.
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22:12
Consider long-term effects, others' perspectives, well-being, and unconsidered options when making choices.