Hello Nice Person,
A few weeks ago I posted Thomas Jefferson’s Ten Rules for Daily Life to one of my social media accounts. Though Jefferson described himself as an Epicurean, he also read and recommended Stoic philosophers. I thought the rules were worth considering.
Jefferson’s Ten Rules for Daily Life
- Never put off till tomorrow what you can do to-day.
- Never trouble another for what you can do yourself.
- Never spend your money before you have it.
- Never buy what you do not want, because it is cheap; it will be dear to you.
- Pride costs us more than hunger, thirst and cold.
- We never repent of having eaten too little.
- Nothing is troublesome that we do willingly.
- How much pain have cost us the evils which have never happened!
- Take things always by their smooth handle.
- When angry, count ten, before you speak; if very angry, a hundred.
The language of the rules is a bit awkward, but I think the ideas are understood well enough. Some of them resonate, some involve struggles that aren’t mine at all.
Collecting rules and ideas that we can use for ourselves is an ancient journaling activity. One of the most often quoted books of Stoic philosophy was called “The Handbook” or Enchiridion. It’s a collection of guidelines collected by a student of Epictetus. It includes ideas that are foundational to modern psychotherapy and self-help books around the world. Presumably the student wrote down the ideas so he could remember and practice them.
My Field Notes pocket notebooks are often inscribed “I’m not writing it down to remember it later, I’m writing it down to remember it now.” That’s the idea. Grab the best ideas. Write them down. Figure out which ones should be part of your daily, weekly, or monthly practice.
Maybe Jefferson has some ideas you need right now. Maybe it’s someplace else. But grab those ideas and make them your practice.
My practice is to regularly have meaningful conversations with smart people. It turns out that many of you make that part of your practice as well. Perhaps you are nurturing your career. Perhaps you are building a business. Meeting others is how you grow your circles. That’s why we have planned and executed nearly 600 Tech After Five events. If you are looking to meet new people, reconnect with other professionals, or discover new opportunities. Join us.
Ad astra,
Phil Yanov
Founder, Tech After Five
ps: Scroll down for the YouTube version of the podcast as well as a list of all of our November events!
|
|
