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Daily Stoic June Review - Problem Solving
- Alex Chen
- 12 minutes ago
- 16 min read
The Daily Stoic is a book with 366 quotes from Stoic philosophers on how to live a good life. I had previously read this a couple years ago and benefited a lot from it, and I've decided to read it again this year. Every day, I read the quote, the explanation, and then journal my thoughts and reflections. At the end of each month, I review my reflections and summarize the month.
The theme for June is "problem solving", and this article will summarize my June reflections:
Mindset of growth and adaptability
Having faith in ourselves
Wisdom
Calm and focus
1: Mindset of Growth and Adaptability
June 1:
"Indeed, no one can thwart the purposes of your mind—for they can't be touched by fire, steel, tyranny, slander, or anything."
—Marcus Aurelius
Problems, obstacles, and difficulties are inevitable in life. But they don’t have to get us down. Whether we fall or rise in the face of problems is not determined by the problem, but rather by our mindset. Even if “bad” things occur, we can still make good use of it to grow our virtues and abilities. That would be turning an initially bad thing into a good thing.
Ryan Holiday gives some examples:
"If a friend betrays us, our reverse clause is to learn from how this happened and how to forgive this person's mistake. If we're thrown in prison, our reverse clause is that we can refuse to be broken by this change of events and try to be of service to our fellow prisoners. When a technical glitch erases our work, our reverse clause is that we can start fresh and do it better this time. Our progress can be impeded or disrupted, but the mind can always be changed—it retains the power to redirect the path."
Adaptability is not just emphasized in Stoicism. Daoism praises water as the symbol of greatest goodness. Why? One reason is water’s adaptability. It is able to flow around any obstacle.
Buddhism teaches people to always accord with the conditions. That means instead of resisting the way things are and opposing other people, find a way to accept the way things are and use them tactfully to improve yourself and help others.
Thus, a difference between philosophers and common people is that philosophers respond virtuously and effectively towards adversity, while common people sink into negative emotion.
June 3:
"He can't serve in the military? Let him seek public office. Must he live in the private sector? Let him be a spokesperson. Is he condemned to silence? Let him aid his fellow citizens by silent public witness. Is it dangerous to enter the Forum? Let him display himself, in private homes, at public events and gatherings, as a good associate, faithful friend, and moderate tablemate. Has he lost the duties of a citizen? Let him exercise those of a human being."
—Seneca
Another trait of philosophers is adaptability. Their purpose in life is to elevate their virtues and help others in the process. There are infinite paths to achieve this goal, and they are not stubborn or attached to any particular path. If this path doesn’t work, then I’ll find another path. If that path doesn’t work, I’ll find another. Such is the adaptability and determination of a Stoic.
June 30:
"While it's true that someone can impede our actions, they can't impede our intentions and our attitudes, which have the power of being conditional and adaptable. For the mind adapts and converts any obstacle to its action into a means of achieving it. That which is an impediment to action is turned to advance action. The obstacle on the path becomes the way."
—Marcus Aurelius
Again, philosophers aren’t afraid of difficulties. They view them as opportunities to elevate their cultivation. Ryan Holiday gives some more examples:
If someone prevents you from getting to your destination on time, then this is a chance to practice patience.
If an employee makes an expensive mistake, this is a chance to teach a valuable lesson.
If a computer glitch erases your work, it's a chance to start over with a clean slate.
If someone hurts you, it's a chance to practice forgiveness.
If something is hard, it is a chance to get stronger.
This reminds me of a quote by Venerable Master Jing Kong:
"In unfavorable circumstances, accord with the conditions, have no anger or resentment, and all your negative karma shall be eliminated. In favorable circumstances, accord with the conditions, have no greed or irrationality, and all your fortune and wisdom shall manifest."
Thus, no matter if we are in favorable or unfavorable circumstances, we should have the same mindset: to continually elevate our cultivation. In unfavorable circumstances, we need to be ever more cautious and diligent in our cultivation. In favorable circumstances, we need to be vigilant to prevent vices from arising and continue to be diligent in cultivation. In this way, no matter if we are facing problems or fortune, we will constantly be growing and creating a better future.
My Practice
Cultivation is all about changing our bad habits, and one way to do that is to create if-then rules for frequent triggers. I think this is very similar to what Ryan Holiday said about having reverse-clauses. If possible, we should try to predict problems or triggers and set up our reverse clauses in advance while we’re in a calm state of mind.
But sometimes, we’ll get caught off-guard with unexpected problems. When that happens, we should try to calm down, and then think about how we can use the difficulty to cultivate ourselves.
When hearing a principle and examples, it’s important that we can relate to ourselves and make inferences. Below are some examples of reverse clauses that I’ve made for myself that are relevant to my daily life:
When others interrupt me while I’m busy, it’s a chance to cultivate selflessness and humility. Instead of demanding them to be more considerate, I should put down my matter and give them my full attention.
If others don’t keep their promises, it’s a chance for me to practice tolerance and patience. Don’t get annoyed or criticize them. Instead, remind them again with respect, and make sure I set a good example of keeping my promises.
If I or others make a mistake, don’t get critical. It’s a chance to practice calmness and kindness, as well as to extract learnings and create confidence that we’ll do better next time.
If other drivers on the road are very rushed and unsafe, I shouldn’t start complaining about them. It’s a chance for me to practice tolerance and being principled. Whether others do the right thing is not important. What’s important is that I do what’s right.
Adaptability is also related to personality. Some personalities are very quick-on-their-feet and don’t mind unexpected changes. Other personalities prefer to plan everything ahead of time, and when things don’t go according to their plans, they easily get annoyed. That’s my personality. Each personality has their strengths and weaknesses, and we should all hone our strengths and mitigate our weaknesses.
After learning ancient philosophies, I’ve improved on being able to both plan in advance and adapt to inevitable problems. Moreover, in my planning, I will think about possible problems that may arise, mitigation measures, and responses to the problem.
For example, recently I’ve been planning a trip back to China. There are so many things to plan and book, from the plane tickets to train tickets to hotels. There are also many factors that remain unknown, like the health condition of my grandma, which then determines how long I should stay there and whether or not I will take a trip to Taiwan.
But I remind myself: the important thing is that I plan ahead to the best of my ability with the knowledge I have at the time. Chances are, my plans will encounter problems, and when that happens, the important thing is to keep calm and adapt.
In fact, I’ve already had curve balls come up, and I’ve already had to adjust my plans. Whether or not I get frustrated is not dependent on the external matters, but on my attitude. If I want things to always go according to my plans, then of course I’ll get frustrated. But if I expect problems and focus on cultivating my calm and adaptability, then I’ll be calmer and happier.
When I hear “the obstacle is the way”, I think that life doesn’t always give us what we want, but it gives us what we need to grow in our journey. Therefore, obstacles are the way for our growth.
For example, as a teacher, I’m not wishing for really difficult students. But when I reflect on my growth as a teacher, it is truly the tough students that forced me to improve myself. When I improved myself, they improved too, and that gave me more confidence in my learning and practice. Thus, if we want to be true philosophers, and our goal is to continuously grow our virtues, then really, the obstacle is the way.
2: Having Faith in Ourselves
The first criteria to overcoming problems is the belief that we can do it. If we don’t even believe we can do it, then we won’t try. The tougher the challenge, the more faith we must have in ourselves.
June 4:
"Don't forget, though, that you come from a long, unbroken line of ancestors who survived unimaginable adversity, difficulty, and struggle. It's their genes and their blood that run through your body right now… as their viable offspring, you're capable of what they are capable of. You're meant for this."
—Ryan Holiday
June 10:
"If you find something very difficult to achieve yourself, don't imagine it impossible—for anything possible and proper for another person can be achieved as easily by you."
—Marcus Aurelius
June 29:
"Of course it's possible to curb our arrogance, control our anger, and be a caring person. How do you think others do it? Certainly their parents weren't perfect; they didn't come out of the womb incapable of ego or immune to temptation. They worked on it. They made it a priority…They became who they are. Just like you can."
—Ryan Holiday
When we feel that our situation is extremely tough, we should remember that our ancestors faced tougher situations. I will think about all the adversity that ancient philosophers faced. Marcus Aurelius faced a lot of illness, which tempered his will. Seneca had a student who became a tyrant king and sentenced him to death, but Seneca remained serene. Epictetus was a slave, but that didn’t stop him from being a renowned teacher in Stoic history.
Confucius was trapped for 7 days without food, rejected by so many rulers, and almost assassinated many times, but that didn’t deter his faith in morality, and he later on became the most revered sage teacher in Chinese history.
Venerable Jing Kong endured so much unfair humiliation. His benefactor frequently disrespected him in front of others, but he always respected her. So many people wanted to “bring down Venerable Jing Kong” because they thought he was promoting a false sutra. Many years later, when he was proven correct, he held no resentment.
These are just some examples that come to my mind, and I remind myself that those heroes were all people. I am a person too. We all have the same blood, genes, and potential. If they can do it, I can do it too, so long as I am willing and persevere in my cultivation.
June 16:
"Don't be ashamed of needing help. You have a duty to fulfill just like a soldier on the wall of battle. So what if you are injured and can't climb up without another soldier's help?"
—Marcus Aurelius
No person achieves greatness alone. We all need the support and aid of others. Wanting to seem almighty and self-sufficient is ego, and ego impedes our growth. Instead, we should be dedicated towards a moral purpose and enlist the aid of others. Humility combined with a worthy aspiration fuels growth.
Habit change research also talks about the importance of accountability. For example, if we want to start meditating, we could find a meditation buddy or keep a streak going. We could also ask someone to give us rewards and punishments based on criteria that we set for ourselves. Not only is there no shame in asking for help, it’s oftentimes the wise thing to do.
My Practice
When I first started learning about philosophy and heard stories of past philosophers and sages, I felt like these people were a different breed, that they were just born sages, and us normal people can’t compare.
Later, I realized that if we try to emulate the things that they did, it seems really hard, but if we try to emulate their virtues in our own situations, then it’s very doable. For example, I can’t imagine being sentenced to death by my own student who became a tyrant king yet still be able to remain serene. But if I encounter a conflict, I could ask myself, “What would Seneca do in my situation? He said that wherever there is another person, there is an opportunity for kindness. He would remain calm and kind.” Then go do it! If they can do it, so can I. Thus, it’s not that hard to emulate the sages.
But what I really admire about sages is that their first reaction towards such tough situations is always so wise and kind. Meanwhile, my first reaction is negative. But even sages weren’t born like that. To attain such a level of cultivation really requires a long period of time.
For example, Marcus Aurelius often reflected on his faults in his journal and urged himself to improve. Stories from Venerable Jing Kong’s earlier years compared to his later years show that he clearly elevated his cultivation as time went on.
Confucius summarized the stages of his cultivation:
“At fifteen, I set my aspiration on learning. At thirty, I established myself. At forty, I had no more doubts. At fifty, I knew my heavenly mandate. At sixty, my ears were attuned. At seventy, I could follow my heart’s desires without overstepping bounds.”
(Original Text: 吾十有五而志于学，三十而立，四十而不惑，五十而知天命，六十而耳顺，七十而从心所欲，不踰矩。)
In other words, Confucius spent 15 years learning and cultivating before he felt that he had a very firm foundation at age 30. Of course, he was probably being humble to say he took 15 years, but still, it certainly wasn’t one or two years. After having a firm foundation established, it took another 10 years of accumulation to reach the point of no doubts, when he could skillfully handle all sorts of unique situations and exceptions.
At fifty, he knew with utmost confidence his purpose in life and what he was meant to do for the world. At sixty, his ears were attuned, meaning that he was really good at hearing the true meaning behind people’s words, and that nothing people said could irritate him.
At seventy, he could follow his heart’s desires without overstepping bounds, meaning that his every thought was always naturally aligned with morality. No matter what favorable or unfavorable circumstances he encountered, he always naturally abided in proper thoughts.
Therefore, cultivation takes time, and we need to have patience, determination, and persistence to reach attainment. Having good teachers and friends to support us is in our cultivation journey is also essential.
Although Confucius took 15 years to establish himself and another 10 years to attain mastery, that doesn’t mean everyone needs that amount of time. Teachers hope that their students will surpass them, and we have an advantage compared to Confucius in that we have Confucius’ teachings to learn from. We certainly shouldn’t think we have 15 years and then be lazy. We should learn and cultivate diligently and make our ancestors and teachers proud.
3: Wisdom
When it comes to solving problems, wisdom is critical. Making the right choice leads to smooth sailing. Making the wrong choice creates a chain of further problems.
June 2:
"How beautifully Plato put it. Whenever you want to talk about people, it's best to take a bird's-eye view and see everything all at once—of gatherings, armies, farms, weddings and divorces, births and deaths, noisy courtrooms or silent spaces, every foreign people, holidays, memorials, markets—all blended together and arranged in a pairing of opposites."
—Marcus Aurelius
The way I interpret this quote is to look at situations from multiple perspectives. I often think of a related quote from Liao Fan’s Four Lessons:
“Do not just consider the present action, consider the side effects. Do not just consider short-term effects, consider the long-term effects. Do not just consider the effects on one person, consider the effects on the greater whole.”
When we can see a situation from more perspectives, we get a more complete picture of the situation, which then allows us to make better decisions.
Common people often just think from their perspective in the short-term. Wise people think of unintended side effects, long-term effects, effects on the greater whole, and the perspectives of all related parties. For more on this topic, check out Wise Principles for Great Decisions.
June 9:
"There is no vice which lacks a defense, none at the outset isn't modest and easily intervened—but after this the trouble spreads widely. If you allow it to get started you won't be able to control when it stops. Every emotion is at first weak. Later it rouses itself and gathers strength as it moves along—it's easier to slow it down than to supplant it."
—Seneca
Seneca is saying that every vice has its counteracting virtue. As cultivators, we should know which vices we have and which virtues we are working on to counteract them. To give some examples:
Giving counteracts selfishness and greed
Patience and understanding counteracts anger
Diligent learning counteracts ignorance and doubt
Humility and respect counteract arrogance
Calmness counteracts agitation
Carefulness counteracts carelessness
Moreover, wise people nip problems in the bud, preventing them from accumulating into big problems. Therefore, even small vices should be taken seriously and eliminated ruthlessly, let alone large ones.
June 6:
"Just because you've begun down one path doesn't mean you're committed to it forever, especially if that path turns out to be flawed or impeded. At that same time, this is not an excuse to be flighty or incessantly noncommittal."
—Ryan Holiday
June 22:
"It's been said that the definition of insanity is trying the same thing over and over again but expecting a different result…We must consciously opt to do things differently—to tweak and change until we get the result we're after."
—Ryan Holiday
The reality is, we often do not have 100% information before making a decision, and things are always changing. Therefore, we shouldn’t think that once we make a decision, our work is done. It’s very important to monitor the situation after a decision is made and see if we are getting good results. If not, then we need to promptly reassess and adjust.
June 12:
"In this way you must understand how laughable it is to say, 'Tell me what to do!' What advice could I possibly give? No, a far better request is, 'Train my mind to adapt to any circumstance.'… In this way, if circumstances take you off script…you won't be desperate for a new prompting."
—Epictetus
Wisdom is different from knowledge. Learning knowledge is simply memorizing facts. Wisdom is being able to apply principles flexibly to any situation. We have to internalize and digest teachings in order to turn knowledge into our own wisdom. For example, when Ryan Holiday gave examples of reverse-clauses, knowledge is simply knowing those examples. We have to contemplate and relate to our own lives to infer our own examples. That is learning wisdom instead of just knowledge.
My Practice
When I make important decisions, I first make sure my mind is calm, and I give myself plenty of time to consider and reconsider. I try to think from multiple perspectives and seek the advice of wise people. If there are a lot of factors to weigh, I’ll meditate on the decision. When the mind is tranquil, insight arises.
After making decisions, I know that I have to keep monitoring the situation and adjust in the face of new information.
As for counteracting vices, the examples I gave before are all from my own merit-fault journal. By cultivating these virtues, I also prevent the corresponding vices from growing.
In terms of learning, I always try to apply the principles I learn into my own life. Understanding feeds practice, and practice deepens understanding. Once our practice and understanding reaches a certain level, we’ll be able to make inferences and flexibly adapt to different situations.
4: Calm and Focus
Wisdom arises from a calm and focused mind. Thus, we need to practice our ability to calm and focus the mind so that when we encounter unexpected problems, we can handle it effectively.
June 19:
"Don't let your reflection on the whole sweep of life crush you. Don't fill your mind with all the bad things that might still happen. Stay focused on the present situation and ask yourself why it's so unbearable and can't be survived."
—Marcus Aurelius
When we encounter what may seem like a terrible disaster, it’s easy to get really emotional and anxious about the future. However, this is not only not helpful, it’s harmful. Being anxious about the future is not going to make the problem go away, and we might act irrationally and make bad choices due to our negative emotions.
So how can we calm ourselves down? One tactic is to just focus on the present, on the next step. Take it one step at a time.
As long as we can keep doing the correct next step, the future will surely get better. Once we feel calm, we can then try to think more long-term and from multiple perspectives.
June 21:
"We should take wandering outdoor walks, so that the mind might be nourished and refreshed by the open air and deep breathing."
—Seneca
For less serious situations, we can calm and relax the mind by simply going outside for a walk, especially in nature. The principle here is to take timely breaks. The quality of our work and choices depends on the state of our mind. Thus, we need to be aware of our mental state and promptly refresh the mind when it starts getting tired.
My Practice
I meditate every morning to train my focus, and I also practice mantra recitation throughout the day to maintain a calm and clear state of mind. In this way, when sudden problems arise, it’s easier for me to stay calm. If I have to make a big decision, I will also meditate on it.
I’m the type of person that likes to have really long work sessions, and I’ll push through until the end. But sitting too long is not good for our health, so I’ve made a conscious effort to take more timely breaks. It could be as simple as doing some stretches or walking to the kitchen to drink some water. I also like to go for a walk after meals, which aids digestion and clears the mind.
Conclusion
June was all about problem-solving. The most important factor to problem solving is our attitude. If we have a good attitude, we will be able to stay positive, rise to the challenge, and improve ourselves in the process. If we have a bad attitude, we’ll get upset and create suffering.
The Stoics urge us to have an attitude of growth and adaptability. We view everything as an opportunity to elevate our virtues. In this way, there is nothing that cannot be adapted and used to our advantage.
Secondly, we need to have faith in ourselves. No matter how big the problem in front of us, we must have confidence in our ability to handle it. We should remember that our ancestors have handled much bigger problems. They have passed down their DNA and teachings to us, so there’s no reason we cannot handle our problems.
Third, we need to cultivate wisdom. Wisdom allows us to make effective decisions, and wisdom comes from learning and from a calm mind. It’s important to continually learn philosophy and apply it in our daily lives. Understanding and practice mutually fuel each other, allowing us to gradually gain mastery over the teachings so that we can apply the teachings flexibly in a variety of situations. It’s also important to practice calming and focusing the mind every day so that when we encounter sudden problems, we can remain calm and use the teachings.
What problems are you facing currently? How can the teachings from this month help?
Weekly Wisdom #401
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