One of the favourite ways the mind amuses itself is to conjure worst-case scenarios, magnify them and have them on repeat.
Even if one thinks one has secured the future with a foolproof plan, the mind can devise devious ways to ensure that one can never stay relaxed.
Seneca was a Stoic Philosopher in Ancient Rome. He was the advisor to Nero (yup, the same dude who played the fiddle when Rome was burning) for five years of his reign. Seneca was wealthy and powerful when he was Nero’s advisor and tutor.
Seneca, being the Stoic he was, embraced impermanence. Nothing is meant to last forever. So, he conducted an experiment to work with his fears, as he describes to his friend Lucilius Junior in “Letters from a Stoic.”
“Set aside a certain number of days, during which you shall be content with the scantiest and cheapest fare, with coarse and rough dress, saying to yourself the while: “Is this the condition that I feared?”
[…]
“ If you would not have a man flinch when the crisis comes, train him before it comes.”
[…]
“Let the pallet be a real one, and the coarse cloak; let the bread be hard and grimy. Endure all this for three or four days at a time, sometimes for more, so that it may be a test of yourself instead of a mere hobby. Then, I assure you, my dear Lucilius, you will leap for joy when filled with a pennyworth of food, and you will understand that a man’s peace of mind does not depend upon Fortune; for, even when angry she grants enough for our needs.”
To choose to endure hardship gives us an appreciation of the blessings and abundance of the life we have been gifted with.
What experiment do you want to design around your worst fears?
P.S. If you are ready to level up, work with me for 1:1 career coaching. Hit reply, and I’d love to share more.
💌 Siri