A few years ago my boss recommended a book when I was looking for a mindset resource for a coworker: The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday. It is a page-a-day read of stoicism principles with quotes from people like Epictetus, Seneca, and Marcus Aurelius accompanied by short wisdoms and calls to action for modern life.
I ended up gifting this book to my dad later that year whose recommended it to others in turn and it’s kind of snowballed in my life. I don’t have a copy at home that I read every day anymore but my dad still forwards me the daily emails occasionally and I follow the Instagram of frequently stoicism reminders. (And it’s showed up before on this blog.)
Ryan Holiday has a couple other books that I haven’t read. The Obstacle is the Way is a favorite of one of my friends and his new book Stillness is the Key came out this year. Last night I went with my friend to see Ryan Holiday at BookPeople where he talked about ways he’s found stillness in his everyday life. A whole book about stillness that doesn’t talk about meditation at all. His talk focused on aspects of his morning routine that sound familiar to me: getting up early, writing, exercising. Finding time to be still before the rest of the world awakes and starts making all that noise.
I liked how he talked about routines becoming habits becoming rituals. Finding a sacredness in doing the same thing every day (along with productivity and mindfulness). It inspired me to continue to recommit to my own morning routine. And to read more of his books plus dive into some books he recommended at the end of his talk (The Second Mountain by David Brooks stands out).
With Love,
Natalie