How Will You Remember This?

Apr 17, 2020

In a time marked by uncertainty, the discussion emphasizes embracing Stoicism. It highlights the importance of focusing on what you can control amidst adversity. Instead of lamenting lost opportunities, the conversation urges listeners to reflect on how they want to be remembered. Seizing the present and transforming downtime into productive moments is crucial. The recurring message is to build resilience and hold oneself accountable in challenging times, turning struggles into opportunities for growth.

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ANECDOTE

Chris Guillebeau's Cancelled Tour

Chris Guillebeau canceled his 40-city book tour due to unforeseen circumstances.
Instead of dwelling on the negative, he focused on what he could control.

ADVICE

Focus on Control

Focus on what you can control, not on what you can't.
Look for the positive and make the most of your current situation.

INSIGHT

Future Reflections

Everyone will remember challenging times.
The question is, will you be proud of how you acted during them?

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Right now, we’re looking at this all up close. It’s in our face. Being stuck at home. Watching business—and money—evaporate. Our plans are cancelled. Opportunities that we so looked forward to are gone, never to return again.

How long will this last? Another month? Another year? How long will we be in the hurt? No one can say.

A couple weeks ago, we interviewed Chris Guillibeau for Ask Daily Stoic, our Saturday podcast, while he was feeling the fresh sting of having to cancel a 40-city tour for his new book, The Money Tree. But instead of feeling sorry for himself, Chris said he was trying to focus on that old idea from Epictetus: go to what you control. Look for the positive. See what you can do with what’s in front of you.

“Everyone is going to remember this,” he said. “We’re all going to have very sharp memories of this time.” The question, he said, is will you be proud of how you used it? How will you feel about who you were in this moment?

Flashing forward like that is a great way to hold your current self accountable. It can be easy to let yourself drift when suddenly the structure and routine of your life is torn away. It’s easy to feel sorry for yourself when your plans are wrecked (imagine being Chris—all the work and preparation and expense lost). But a Stoic has to be stronger than that. A Stoic knows they can’t afford to waste the present—because they know tomorrow isn’t guaranteed.

No, we must seize this moment. We must turn this down time, this dead time, into “alive time” (here’s our challenge to you about that). We can’t get lost in the chaos or the despair or the unpleasantness. We have to get back to work. We have to make the most of what we have. We don’t control what has happened, but we do control how we respond.

And so we will respond well. We will keep going. We will be proud of what we did, and who we were, in this moment. We will make it so we can look back at ourselves—and this experience—fondly.

We can start to earn that pride and positive memory...today.

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