Conclusion
Meditations of Marcus Aurelius remain as relevant today as they were almost 2,000 years ago. He tries to answer many questions in his writings: Why are we here? How should we live our lives? How should we handle pain and mishaps? How can we protect ourselves against the stresses and pressures of daily life? How can we live with the awareness that someday, we will no longer exist? The main lesson Marcus Aurelius teaches us is to focus on the things we can influence and stop worrying about things outside our circle of control.
Worries waste energy, which is too valuable to lose. We spend so much time in our fights with external circumstances, while what we should do instead is take care of our minds. We should foster peace, acceptance, and resilience; nourish meaningful and deep connections with people around us; pursue virtues; and keep our purpose the queen of our actions
Marcus Aurelius’ thoughts represent the morals of the Stoic philosophy of life. They remind us that as individuals, we must practice virtue, live in the moment, take charge of our thoughts, focus on the things we can control, and ignore any form of distraction.
Our minds and the present moments are our most significant possessions and objects of power, so we should make the most of them.
Try this:
Write down situations beyond your control that continue to drain you emotionally. Then identify and write down the things you can control about those situations — your thoughts and responses. Use this paper as a reminder when you get too emotionally attached to uncontrollable outcomes. You can learn to direct your energy where it serves you best.
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