Live like it's 450 B.C.
If people have repeated it for centuries, pay attention.
You know how it feels like your brain is being putty-pulled in 18 different directions?
How a 2-minute video feels way too long?
How the hailstorm of texts, tweets, TikToks, reels, memes, DMs, podcasts, emails, vlogs, articles, and “have you seen this show yet?” each steal a piece of your attention until there’s nothing left to take?
Yeah, me too.
And I’ve realized that it’s impossible to sift through all the information to pick out the good stuff.
Because you’re constantly flooded with more. And more. And more. And the end result is an illusion of progress without having actually taken and applied anything to your life.
Over the last few years, I’ve spent thousands of hours reading old books. And what stands out to me is how applicable so many passages are from centuries-old writings.
So instead of trying to keep up with the ever-changing flow of modern “wisdom,” I’ve subscribed to a simple theory: “If it was true hundreds of years ago, it’s probably true today.”
Here’s what I mean:
“In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.” – The Art of War by Sun Tzu (~450 B.C.)
If you can keep your cool when everyone else is panicking, you’ll be rewarded.
“You have power over your mind — not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” – Meditations by Marcus Aurelius (~170 A.D.)
Nearly 2,000 years ago. Control what you can control. And in your mind, you control everything.
“Remember tonight … for it is the beginning of always.” – The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri (~1308)
Every day is an opportunity to start a new path.
“People can die of mere imagination.” – The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer (~1387)
Your thoughts might not be visible, but they carry tremendous physical power.
“Too much sanity may be madness. And maddest of all, to see life as it is and not as it should be!” – Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes (1605)
Convince yourself the world is conspiring to make you happy. Live in Delusion Land. Fight windmills.
“Beware; for I am fearless, and therefore powerful.” – Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (1818)
Few things will part the sea more powerfully than unchecked ambition and unwavering self-confidence.
“No false pride of foolish ambition to appear as well as others should ever induce a person to live one cent beyond the income of which he is certain.” – The American Frugal Housewife by Lydia Maria Child (1838)
People have tried to keep up with the Joneses for hundreds of years. (Yes, I own and have read “The American Frugal Housewife.” It’s eye-opening and strange and grounding and I’ll be writing about it more in the future.)
“To go wrong in one’s own way is better than to go right in someone else’s.” – Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky (1866)
Live life, don’t let life happen to you.
“The finest clothing made is a person’s own skin, but, of course, society demands something more than this.” – The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain (1881)
A little Buffalo Bill-y but you get the point. The pressure to be who the world says you should be has been around long before social media.
“The simplest pattern, that in which a man was born, worked, married, had children, and died, was likewise the most perfect.” – Of Human Bondage by Somerset Maugham (1915)
You don’t need to start an 8-figure business or write The Great American Novel or have 1 million followers. A quiet life is a great life.
Conditions change and centuries pass and trends shift. But humans? At our core, humans stay the same. So instead of following the latest social media advice or subscribing to another guru, simplify.
Pay attention to the human conditions that have spanned centuries.
Anchor your beliefs to what has always been true.
Learn from the past.
It’ll make things simpler.
And simplicity isn’t mediocrity — simplicity is peace.
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