4 Stoic Principles of Mental Strength: Warrior Mind Podcast #427

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In this episode of the Warrior Mind Podcast I’m going to go over the 4 stoic principles to develop mental strength and why it’s so important to your personal success and life satisfaction.

4 Stoic Principles to Develop Mental Strength

These days we hear a lot about Grit, Resilience and mental toughness. These are challenges that should be a past thing in the current world. For the past 2000 years, the solution to such issues has been in our hands. And this is about prior studies by ancient Stoic philosophers.

Stoicism covers a lot of details concerning mental strength. In this article, however, we shall focus on two fundamental states.

First is that people rarely get mentally disturbed by events. Instead, they get bothered by their judgment about different events. According to toga-guys, situations will not be good or bad. Instead, our interpretations are the ones that are either bad or good.

In the second state is the capacity to understand what you can control and what you can’t. And in accordance to stoics, humans have control over their conscious thoughts only. In other words, you cannot control nature, other peoples thought, and at times you will not have abilities to manage your own body.

According to this second principle, when you get angry, it means you have frustrations over something you can’t control. You have a feeling you should be able to control it, and as a result, you feel frustrated. It’s therefore useful to accept there’s a lot of stuff that you cannot control. However, this doesn’t mean you are giving up. When you think you have 100% control power over things, you will always end up being upset when things don’t go as expected.

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These two principles are central to improve mental toughness and resilience. However, there are some steps that you can employ to make them work. And by doing this, you will help improve your mental strength. They include

1. Considering the Worst that could happen

Some people claim that reminding themselves of the worst things that could happen in life is being pessimistic. However, this is not the case. Thinking of the worst part of the situation helps us to stay prepared so that when it occurs, you never get disappointed. When you’re unrealistic, and things go the opposite way, you get frustrated and get upset. Always consider the worst side of a situation that you live to be always prepared. It’ll help you not to give up on your dreams.

2. Employ the Use of a “Reserve Clause”

Using a reserve clause is a sign that you believe part of the issue is not under your control. Good examples include “God willing” or “Fate permitting.” For people who use reserve clause, they rarely give up on their goals when things don’t go as expected. And this is because they know they lack 100% control over situations, and therefore it’s also not 100% their fault when it goes wrong. And this increases your mental strength to resist failure.

In this situation, you focus on what is under your control, and “God willing” it will get well. If it doesn’t, you realize it wasn’t your fault. After thinking about the worst, and using the reverse and still fail, it is time for the third step.

3. Take a “View From Above”

Most of the time when we fail and things drag us down; we forget about our long lives to live and focus on the minor setbacks. However, stoics love it when we take “a view from above.” View yourself from the sky, and realize how small you in comparison to the size of the world. And this doesn’t mean that you’re insignificant. Instead, it helps you realize how small your problems in comparison to the grand scheme of your life. You realize that the situation you are in is a place you have been before and still made it through. According to Daniel Kahneman, a Nobel Prize winner, this is an error he calls “focusing illusion.”

Taking a view from above helps you resist “focusing illusion,” and in return improve on your mental health. It’s the best way to ensure failure doesn’t break your spirit. Instead, you keep pressing towards your goals. However, after challenges turn you down, how do you keep inspired to your goals? We go to step four.

4. Ask “What Would Batman Do?”

Stoics thought of the critical ritual as “contemplation of the sage.” According to them, a role model will be ideal for you when you lack the strength to press forward. A role model will be a person to look up to and feel inspired when you get down. When you think of such a person, it gives you guidance and Fortitude.

When selecting your role model, consider a person whose way of life and characters gets your approval. Always point him to yourself as a standard measure to gauge yourself. The role model works as a ruler to make your crooked life straight. Select a person you admire and want to be. Studies show that thinking of a person you admire helps in making better decisions. Role models are influential people, and reflecting of them will turn you improve on your mental strength.

The Summary

In the above discussion, we look at four Stoics principles to increase your mental strength. First is to think of the worst results from every situation to keep your mind prepared for either of the results. Second is to use a reverse clause to help you persist to your goals after a disappointment. The third one is to take “view from above” to put things in a perspective. It reminds you that, what happened is not the worst thing you ever faced. Finally, ask what Batman would do? Or having a role model to guide your behaviors and gain mental strength.

With the first principle, not many people would agree to think of the worst. However, studies show that there is something positive in considering the lousy side. It can make us happier. And this principle is called “hedonic treadmill” which claims that we get used to good things happening to us. Suddenly we start to take such things for granted, and when we imagine losing such them, we feel grateful and happier.

It means that thinking of the absence of an event from your life would make better your active states than thinking of its presence in you. Therefore, it helps to put things into perspective just as the “view from above.” Don’t forget the reverse clause, and bringing in a role model. Give it a try today and experience the greatness of these four principles.

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