{"id":4561,"date":"2019-07-15T01:11:53","date_gmt":"2019-07-15T01:11:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailystoic.com\/?p=4561"},"modified":"2019-07-15T01:11:53","modified_gmt":"2019-07-15T01:11:53","slug":"these-things-have-no-power-over-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailystoic.com\/these-things-have-no-power-over-you\/","title":{"rendered":"These Things Have No Power Over You"},"content":{"rendered":"

So much has happened in the past. We\u2019ve messed up. We\u2019ve been hurt. We\u2019ve missed opportunities and we\u2019ve embarrassed ourselves.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So much can happen in the future, as well. Not only can all those same mistakes happen again, but we also have to contend with the uncertainty of the weather, the economy, family obligations, and politics\u2014all of which loom in front.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s amazing that anyone can get anything done with all that occupying their mind. Indeed, that\u2019s sort of the point the Stoics were trying to make. They knew that a person busy kicking themselves over what has happened in the past, or biting their nails over what might happen in the future, is a person who is not busy with life. It\u2019s a person who is not able to be philosophical, productive, or present.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As Marcus Aurelius wrote to himself<\/span><\/a>\u2014and by extension, to us:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRemind yourself that past and future have no power over you. Only the present\u2014and even that can be minimized. Just mark off its limits. And if your mind tries to claim that it can\u2019t hold out against that\u2026well, then, heap shame upon it.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

W<\/span>e have to limit our focus. <\/span>And the key is to focus on what is immediately in front of you. Don\u2019t be paralyzed by the past or intimidated by the future. Don\u2019t be distracted by them either. Even the troubles on your plate can be minimized if you break them into smaller pieces\u2014don\u2019t worry about the big, busy \u201cday\u201d you have to get through, just get through the morning. Just get through the first item on your to-do list.<\/span><\/p>\n

And if your mind wanders, if you start to get distracted, say to yourself, \u201cC\u2019mon. I\u2019m better than this. I\u2019m just going to focus on what\u2019s in front of me. That\u2019s plenty.\u201d That\u2019s what Marcus meant by heaping shame, after all.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So get out there and get after it!<\/span><\/p>\n

P.S.\u00a0<\/i><\/b>This was originally sent<\/i><\/b><\/span><\/a> on July 15, 2019. Sign up today for <\/i><\/b>the Daily Stoic\u2019s email<\/i><\/b><\/span><\/a>\u00a0and get our popular\u00a0<\/i><\/b>free 7-day course on Stoicism.\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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