I’m a fan of Stoic Philosophy. While it may be over 2,000 years old, its practicality is still useful.
These rules to live by will help you have a happier life:
1. If you’re going to learn and succeed, be humble. There is always someone smarter, more successful, and wiser.
2. Find the right scene. Choose your friends and situations. If you want to rise in life, you can’t allow yourself to be held down by others.
3. Protect your time. Seneca said, “We’re tight-fisted with property and money, yet think too little of wasting time, the one thing about which we should all be the toughest misers.” Life is short.
4. Never do anything out of habit. Always think about how you can do things better and always question yourself.
5. Keep it simple — do your job. Approach every task as if it were your last because it very well could be.
6. Adapt and learn from failure. Using your success to justify complacency is common. It’s also easy, which is why most people do it. You can do more and be better.
7. Live below your means. The more you need to work to maintain your needs, the less you will enjoy what you have.
Everything in life comes down to keeping things simple and mastering the basics. That’s how you get the success you deserve.