In Chapter 3 of Marcus Aurelius's book called Meditations, Marcus Aurelius reflects on how external pressures and societal expectations can influence one's thoughts and behaviors. He encourages readers to recognize that while external forces, including opinions and judgments from others, can be overwhelming, it is crucial to maintain inner composure and integrity.
Aurelius emphasizes that individuals should not be swayed by the distractions and demands of the external world. Instead, one should focus on cultivating their inner virtues and adhering to their own principles. He suggests that the turmoil and pressures from outside are often beyond one’s control, but how one responds to them is within one’s power.
A key takeaway from this chapter is the idea of maintaining a sense of tranquility amidst chaos. Aurelius advocates for resilience and self-discipline, urging readers to prioritize their moral compass over societal standards. By focusing on rationality and virtue rather than being swayed by emotions, external opinions, and societal judgments, one can better navigate the challenges posed by external pressures. This approach allows individuals to lead a life aligned with their true values, maintaining integrity and composure in the face of chaos.
When Aurelius refers to "a moral compass" this is not to be confused with an "inner compass", although both concepts seem to imply a guiding principle for decision-making, "moral compass" specifically emphasizes ethics, virtue, and moral judgment, which are central themes in Aurelius's writings. Whereas an "inner compass" conveys more of a general sense of self-guidance.
Aurelius discusses the importance of aligning one's actions with virtues such as wisdom, justice, courage, and temperance—qualities that are inherently moral. Therefore, his focus is on cultivating a sense of morality and integrity in the face of external pressures and challenges, which reflects Stoic philosophy's emphasis on virtuous living.
Potential key take aways that Aurelius can offer when dealing with too much pressure and everything being important ::
🐌 Aurelius emphasized the importance of recognizing what is within your control and what is not. When you're under pressure, concentrate your efforts on your own thoughts, actions, and responses, rather than external events or the opinions of others.
🐌 Remember that everything is temporary. The pressures you face and the importance of certain tasks are fleeting. This Stoic idea can provide perspective and reduce the weight of feeling overwhelmed.
🐌 Aurelius viewed challenges as opportunities for growth. Instead of seeing pressure as purely negative, consider how it can help you develop virtues like courage, patience, and wisdom.
🐌 If everything feels important, assess the hierarchy of your tasks. Put things into perspective—ask yourself whether the things you’re stressing about will truly matter in a week, month, or year.
"What if being a loser makes you a real winner?"
- 'Being a loser might actually be a superpower' I am definitely text book exactly that. I am massively winning, but I'm technically a loser in society's terms. It also relates I think in finances. I think it's very important to only spend money on what your soul desires, which usually are incredibly simple things. Most of the things your soul wants doesn't cost any money, but if you grant that to yourself life gets really amazing... Also spending money on what your soul wants - which is usually a kind of spending with which it wants to express itself more in this world - makes you feel like a millionaire while you are technically not. A similar concept to being a loser may make you a winner.
- A soul only needs very little to feel like a millionaire - E.g. My soul once wanted a vintage dress because it was a way of expressing itself more in this world. It was not about the dress at all, but rather about making you feel more like yourself. I think to make your soul happy, you may not need much more than potentially 50-100 usd a month and it will make you feel like a millionaire, if you really tap into what your soul really wants. While others spend so much money on things that just won't make their soul happy. It is a waste of resources in a way.
- Nobody really asks themselves anymore what they really want, but on a soul level. They think asking yourself what you want, is about making vision boards, writing down goals, making bucket lists,... But that's not what I'm referring too. This is much deeper. Like usually your soul wants something like: I want to get away from the world, or possibly it wants to go and buy a tent and spend a weekend in the woods,... it could be literally anything. But it is very likely to not cost anything or very little money to realize your soul's current dream life. I say current because a soul never sees further than one step ahead for some reason so it's not very future focussed, which may help to distinguish between what your soul wants and what you think you want and need. I don't think people have connected enough with themselves to realize that there is a difference between what your soul wants and what you think you want and what you think you need to be truly happy and fulfilled.
- This fast pace - is it actually fulfilling? I think it can be fulfilling if you see it more like expressing poetry. A poem is something you usually cannot write for another, it has to come from within. And just like when you write poetry, people read your poem and then respond to it, and they see something within your words that you didn't realize you put into the poem. Allowing others to read your poetry, gives you a better understanding of who you are, you guide yourself on your journey through it, and you evolve because of it. If you live life expressing poetry, which is a metaphor of course, life can be very fulfilling.
- Of course, a fast paced life with so much to get done, can take away from one's quality of life and especially your ability to find wisdom as you usually need more space in your schedule for that, but I think it also doesn't give you the opportunity to leave the legacy you could have left behind. I've noticed that a busy life doesn't necessarily have to mean less wisdom gained or even less connection, as you can always make time to connect with yourself (like the poetry), and you thus can grow amidst challenges, where there is much more wisdom to be gained amidst the challenges than there would have been if you would have lived a still life.
- And what is busy? If everything you do in a day is like expressing poetry, and you don't spend your time doing anything that is not essential - that is not a contribution to the world - read: a sharing of what inherently can be shared when you just live your life for yourself (making yourself happy) and connecting to yourself. You will naturally gain wisdom, grow your talents, learn new things, evolve your being,... and thus you can share that with the world.
- I have found that you can share with the world what you want to share, offer services that you find interesting to explore in terms of challenges. So the busyness doesn't take away from you, but rather is an expression of you, and the evolution of you. The services you offer become giving to yourself what your soul wants. E.g. maybe you want to start a coaching practice, and you start a coaching program on being too busy. You will have to learn about it yourself to serve your clients, you will meet clients with the same problem, and you may actually grow as a person. Or you offer a creative offering that your soul is interested in exploring for itself, and it really benefits others as well. It doesn't have to be and or, it can be fulfilling and a growing of you, as well as be a contribution to the world.
