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Stoicism for purpose and direction

Many people feel lost not because they lack ambition but because they lack a direction that feels like theirs. The Stoics approached purpose differently from modern advice about passion. They asked what a human being is for, and answered: to live well, to act with wisdom, courage, justice and self-control, and to be useful to others.

That gives you somewhere to start even when you cannot name a career or calling.

The work of a human being

Marcus Aurelius, reluctant to leave his bed on a cold morning, reminded himself that he was rising to do the work of a human being. He did not wait to feel inspired. He linked the day to something he valued, then got up.

Duty as a compass

The Stoics spoke of kathekonta, appropriate actions: the duties that follow from your roles as a parent, friend, colleague, citizen. When the big question is too large, ask a smaller one: what is the appropriate action in front of me today?

Exercises

1. Write your roles. List the roles you hold and one thing a good person in each role would do this week.
2. Pick a virtue for the month. Choose wisdom, courage, justice or temperance, and note one daily opportunity to practise it.
3. Run an evening review. Ask where you acted in line with your values and where you did not. Direction is built from repeated small alignments.
4. Try something useful. Volunteer, teach, build, repair. Meaning often arrives after action rather than before.

In their own words

“In the morning when thou risest unwillingly, let this thought be present: I am rising to the work of a human being.”

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 5.1 (George Long translation)

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Keep reading

• Marcus Aurelius and the Meditations
• A Stoic morning and evening routine
• The dichotomy of control