마르쿠스 아우렐리우스의 스토아적 가르침: 성공의 열쇠

### 마르쿠스 아우렐리우스의 성공을 위한 5가지 가르침
* 👥 주변 사람들의 결점을 판단하기보다는 그들의 좋은 면에 집중하고 그들에게서 배움으로써 **주변 사람들 중에서 스승을 만들어 보세요.**
* 💬 "자신에게 가장 좋은 것이 무엇인지 가장 잘 아는 사람은 바로 **자신**입니다."
* 📉 무의미함, 스트레스, 번아웃을 피하기 위해 꼭 필요한 일을 하고 매 순간 **"이게 꼭 필요한 일인가?"**라고 자문해 보세요.
* 🧠 피해를 입지 않는 것을 선택함으로써 **고난에 대한 인식을 바꾸고**, 그로 인해 피해를 느끼지 않도록 하세요.
* 🌿 가장 짧고 건강한 경로를 택하여 자연의 순리를 따르고, 자신의 자연을 존중하며, 지역 사회 모두에 도움이 되는 방식으로 세상에 기여하세요.

주변 사람들로부터 스승 만들기, 본질에 집중하기, 고난에 대한 인식 바꾸기, 자연의 순리를 따르기 등은 성공을 위한 스토아 철학의 핵심 가르침입니다.

Even though the Stoic teachings are geared towards tranquility, the end goal is living virtuously and in accordance with nature. So, there’s something as being ‘successful’ as a Stoic, which is living a life of virtue. But no matter what we pursue, the works of emperor Marcus Aurelius contain many teachings based on logic and reason that can help us improve our mindset, in order to be successful. Here are five of them. (1) Create your teachers. Marcus Aurelius learned from many people in his close environment. It’s very inspiring to read how he extracts the positive aspects of people and sees these as lessons to incorporate in his own life. For example: From his mother, he learned generosity, from his great-grandfather, he learned to avoid public schools and hire good private teachers, from Diognetus he learned to not waste time on nonsense, and from Maximus he learned self-control. Marcus described many different people as his teachers; from close family members to the Gods.

So, for him, teachers don’t have to be literal
‘teachers’, but they can be anybody. Instead of fault-finding, he focuses on the
good aspects of each individual that he can incorporate in his own life. This can inspire us to do the same: we can
take a good look at the people in our own environment, and instead of judging their
flaws, we can admire them for the good characteristics they possess. We can also look at philosophers, certain
celebrities, and even religious figures to see what they can teach us. Also, people we consider ‘bad’ or ‘toxic’
often have something admirable about them; a trait that we might want to cultivate ourselves. This way, we create teachers out of the people
around us, instead of competitors, enemies, and villains. By working together and benefiting each other,
we’re more likely to become successful than the other way around. The next four teachings are based on the fourth
chapter of Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations.

Let’s start with number two: (2) Stop caring about them. This may sound a bit contradicting to the
previous teaching, but when it comes to other people, Marcus points out the importance of
not caring. I quote: The tranquillity that comes when you stop
caring what they say. Or think, or do. Only what you do. Not to be distracted by their darkness. To run straight for the finish line, unswerving. End quote. Too often, we see people hold back each other. When I started this channel, for example,
many people were skeptical and thought that I’d be better off (and more secure) focusing
on my regular job. In a way, they’re right: the nine to five
jive is generally more secure. But the thing is: they speak from their perspective,
which might be completely different than yours. This doesn’t mean that it isn’t useful
to ask people for advice: but, at the end

of the day, the person who knows what’s
best for you is you. The skeptics didn’t have my vision and my
knowledge, so they weren’t able to visualize my ideas the way I could. Even though I respect their opinions, I didn’t
let these people stop me from continuing my plans. A part of these skeptics probably have good
intentions. But there are those that malevolently try
to sabotage us. When this is the case, the advice of Marcus
Aurelius is king: don’t be distracted by their darkness. Many people are envious. Many people take delight in seeing others
fail. This has more to do with their insecurities
and shortcomings than with ourselves. My book Unoffendable discusses how Stoicism
can help us to care less about what people think, so we can, as Marcus puts it, “run
straight for the finish line, unswerving.” (3) Do what’s essential.

Now, another teaching by Marcus Aurelius can be seen as a form of minimalism. Many people, myself included, have fallen into the trap of doing many things that aren’t relevant, wasting a lot of time and energy. When we don’t have a clear image of what we have to do to reach our goals, we become aimless. The consequence is that we become stressed out, or even burned out. That’s why it’s important to stick with the essentials. I quote: “If you seek tranquillity, do less.” Or (more accurately) do what’s essential—what the logos of a social being requires, and in the requisite way. Which brings a double satisfaction: to do less, better. Because most of what we say and do is not essential. If you can eliminate it, you’ll have more time, and more tranquillity. Ask yourself at every moment, “Is this necessary?” But we need to eliminate unnecessary assumptions as well.

To eliminate the unnecessary actions that follow. End quote. Depending on what we want, doing the essential never fails us. If we want more tranquility in life: do what’s essential. If we want to build a business: do what’s essential, and weed out everything irrelevant. For me, I write down the tasks for the day on the night before. These tasks could be writing a script, shopping for groceries, or any other activity besides laying on the couch. This gives me focus; even before I go to bed. The clarity of what I need to do the next day helps me to sleep better as well. It also shields me from doing stuff that’s not essential, because my tasks are clear-cut. Change your perception. Hardship is part of life. When we’re trying to achieve something, we can expect resistance. Marcus Aurelius experienced many setbacks during his reign as emperor of Rome: the plague, betrayal... and his wife Faustina cheated on him with Cassius, the governor.

of Syria, when he himself was sick. But as the Stoic, he was, Marcus Aurelius stayed grounded, accepting these events as part of nature and thus beyond his control. Whether or not we are harmed by hardship doesn’t depend on the hardship itself, but on the way we look at it. So, it’s a matter of perception. I quote: Choose not to be harmed—and you won’t feel harmed. Don’t feel harmed—and you haven’t been. End quote. Marcus’ advice sounds a bit simplistic, but it’s actually the basis of a popular and widely used method in psychology called cognitive behavioral therapy. This therapy is based on the idea that emotions are rooted in thought. Thus, a certain event isn’t the root of how we feel, but our thoughts about this event are. If we, instead of aversion, develop a neutrality towards the thing we perceive as undesirable, we don’t feel harmed when we incur it.

And if we don’t feel harmed, we haven’t
been. Knowing this makes us more resilient on our
path to success because it’s much easier to accept setbacks, and continue despite of
them. (5) Follow nature’s way. The last teaching is a bit similar to the
third one but fundamentally different. The third teaching is ‘do what’s essential’. This means that we do only the things that
are necessary. Following nature’s way means taking the
shortest and easiest route. This idea is also prevalent in Taoism; an
Eastern philosophy that values the path of least resistance. So, how to follow nature’s way? I quote: Take the shortest route, the one that nature
planned—to speak and act in the healthiest way. Do that, and be free of pain and stress, free
of all calculation and pretension. End quote. Well, I admit Marcus’ advice is a bit vague. Although, considering the Stoic end goal he
might be pointing to living virtuously, thus

conformably to Stoic ethics. However, in the second book of Meditations,
he tells us to consider the nature of the world, our own nature, and how we relate to
the world. So, we could ask ourselves: What are my strengths? What are my weaknesses? What activities are most fitting for me? In what way can I contribute to the world,
that fits my own nature? Do I perform better alone? Or do I work better in teams? Et cetera. By respecting our own nature, and just being
who we are, as humans and as individuals, we might discover the shortest and easiest
route to success. There’s no fixed set of criteria when it
comes to following our own nature. We have to find out ourselves what’s right
for us. There’s an ideological and ethical side
to this. From a Stoic perspective, our success must
be a contribution to humanity. One can be a successful drug dealer, but from
an ethical point of view, this person’s

success is tragic for humanity. And not only for humanity, but for the person
itself as well, as this “profession” goes hand-in-hand with great stress, calculation,
pretension, and a risk for violence in the name of greed. As a Stoic, it’s essential to take into
consideration in what manner personal success benefits the world. If it harms the world, it isn’t success. As Marcus states: “My city and state are
Rome—as Antoninus. But as a human being? The world. So for me, “good” can only mean what’s
good for both communities.” Now, that’s it! Thank you for watching.

Don’t Be “Distracted by Their Darkness” | Marcus Aurelius on Success

Einzelgänger

마르쿠스 아우렐리우스의 스토아적 가르침

스토아 철학의 최종 목표는 자연에 따라 고결하게 살며 궁극적으로 성공에 이르는 것입니다.

마르쿠스 아우렐리우스는 주변의 모든 사람들로부터 배우고 그들의 긍정적인 측면에 집중하여 자신의 삶에 접목하는 것이 개인적 성장을 위한 귀중한 교훈이라고 믿었습니다.

그는 다른 사람을 판단하는 대신 사람들에게서 존경할 만한 특성을 찾아내어 스승으로 삼아 상호 이익과 성공을 도모할 것을 권장했습니다.

다른 사람의 의견에 신경 쓰지 않는 것의 중요성

마르쿠스 아우렐리우스는 다른 사람의 말이나 생각에 신경 쓰지 않고 자신의 길에 집중하는 데서 오는 평온함을 강조합니다.

조언을 구하는 것이 유용하긴 하지만 궁극적으로 자신에게 가장 좋은 것이 무엇인지 아는 사람은 자신이라고 강조합니다.

회의론자나 악의적인 의도를 가진 사람들이 목표에 방해가 되지 않도록 하라는 조언은 다른 사람의 의견에 신경을 덜 쓰면 중요한 일에 계속 전념할 수 있기 때문입니다.

평온함과 생산성을 위한 본질주의 수용

마르쿠스 아우렐리우스는 스트레스를 피하고 평온을 얻기 위해 불필요한 일을 줄이고 필수적인 일에 집중할 것을 주장했습니다.

불필요한 작업과 가정을 제거함으로써 명확한 방향과 목적을 설정하여 보다 평화로운 삶을 살 수 있습니다.

명확하고 필수적인 작업을 설정하면 집중력을 높이고 숙면을 취하며 비필수적인 활동을 피할 수 있어 궁극적으로 더 생산적이고 평온한 삶으로 이어질 수 있습니다.

마르쿠스 아우렐리우스의 스토아 철학의 가르침

스토아 철학자 마르쿠스 아우렐리우스는 인지 행동 치료의 핵심 원리인 고난에 대처하는 데 있어 지각의 역할을 강조했습니다.

좌절을 받아들이고 중립적인 관점을 유지하는 것이 회복력과 성공으로 이어질 수 있다는 생각은 그의 가르침의 기본 개념입니다.

마르쿠스 아우렐리우스의 또 다른 중요한 가르침은 고통과 스트레스 없는 삶을 살기 위해 도교의 철학처럼 가장 짧고 쉬운 길을 택하는 자연의 순리를 따르라는 것입니다.

마르쿠스 아우렐리우스는 우리의 강점, 약점, 다양한 활동에 대한 적합성에 대한 자기 성찰을 장려합니다.

그는 성공으로 가는 길로서 우리 자신의 본성을 존중하는 것이 중요하다고 강조합니다.

스토아적 관점에서 그는 진정한 성공은 해를 끼치는 것이 아니라 인류에 긍정적으로 기여해야 한다고 강조합니다.