Find Yourself with These Five Quotes
Sometimes, the path for us in life isn’t clear. We aspire to do great things, but distractions, failures, and fear can get in the way. Let these meditations from Roman Emperor and Stoic Philosopher Marcus Aurelius guide you back on your path—your way.
“Get back up when you fail. Celebrate Behaving like a Human.”
Rejected after an interview? Your business failed? You were dumped, cheated on, or rejected? Good. When we suffer, we are finally forced to see the reality of a situation. Suffering isn’t necessarily a bad thing in the long term. This clarity forces us to stop procrastinating. It helps us see what led to our failure, which starts to spark that much-needed meaningful change. When I got sick, it was a wake-up call. I finally realized that my habits and lifestyle were harming my body. This realization made me prioritize my health, and I wouldn't have started this blog without that failure. So, cultivate a different relationship with failure. Invite it, survive it, and learn from it, because failure always brings something valuable. Imagine a life without failure - it would be devoid of growth.
“Our life is what our thoughts make it.”
We are extensions of the chattering going on in our heads. Start examining what your mind tells you daily because it shapes your real-life experiences. Change your thoughts, and your life will change. Optimists and positive thinkers are often more successful than pessimists and constant negativity. Optimists act despite their fears, believing everything will work out. Pessimists deter away others, live in anxiety, and don’t take enough action. If you find yourself thinking negatively, notice it and try to turn it into a positive. Stuck in traffic? Use it as an opportunity to practice patience. Lost your job? A great time to discover new career paths and passions. Even if you can’t think of anything positive, say, "Well the universe is teaching me something now. I get to listen and learn." Turning negative thoughts into positives, even if you do it just 10-15% of the time, will impact your outlook on everything.
“Someone despises me, that’s their problem.”
We will never control how others feel about us. Their opinions and emotions are their own, and there is no need to internalize them as our problems. Notice how we guard our property—our house, car, yard, and other personal items with passion and alertness. No one can take them from us. Yet when it comes to the mind, we often give it away freely. Treat your mind as you do your property. Don’t give it away to the opinions and emotions of others.
“Yes, keep on degrading yourself, but soon your chance at dignity will be gone.”
In the long run, a lazy lifestyle creates more work and stress than a disciplined one. Your health, relationships, and overall well-being dig into a deeper hole the longer you allow bad habits to compound. Make the hard but right decisions while you’re healthy and doing well—it will put you ahead. Don’t let bad habits evolve into something worse down the line.
“All you have to do is be attentive to the power inside you and worship sincerely.”
One effective method to unlock your power: quit social media, sugar, and alcohol for a month. Notice how you feel. Often, we underestimate how much strength and potential we have. An easy way to unlock this sleeping giant is to eliminate bad habits and embrace good ones. Numerous straightforward strategies like this can help unleash it. It’s in all of us, but we must make the changes to access it.
By reading this, you’re already on a better trajectory than most people. Reflecting on these words is a step many will never take. The next time you encounter challenges or struggle to find your path, revisit this post - it will be a great source of strength for you during difficult times.
If you liked this, check out my other post on Marcus Aurelius and Stoicism.
