There is Only One Place to Look for Approval
The Daily Stoic3 Dec 2019

There is Only One Place to Look for Approval

We all want to be liked. We want the acceptance of our peers. We want to be chosen. We want the stamp of approval—from the critics, from the crowd, from the market.

This makes sense...except it doesn’t.

Is it not true that most people are not very bright, hold regressive or alarming opinions, and generally follow the herd? And yet somehow we think it’s vindication when they love us? It’s nonsense. It’s pretty strange how much we value the respect of people we don’t respect...and the lengths we’re willing to go to get it.

"If you are ever tempted to look for outside approval,” Epictetus said, “realize that you have compromised your integrity. If you need a witness, be your own." This was something Marcus Aurelius wrestled with more than Epictetus because he was a public person. He saw crowds cheering him in the street. People flocked to court to heap praise on him (before asking for favors). He also had to put up with their jeers and criticisms.

Eventually he realized that he couldn’t pay attention to any of it. He had to hold himself to his own standard—an inner scorecard—and ignore everything else. The clapping was meaningless. The boos were too. What mattered was his own integrity—he had to be his own witness.

And today, so do you. It doesn’t matter what other people say or think. Approval and disapproval are equally meaningless. What matters is what you know is right, and whether you do it.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Avsnitt(2868)

If You Only Read a Few Books This Year, Read These

If You Only Read a Few Books This Year, Read These

Most people don’t read that many books, maybe a few a year at most. So if you’re only going to read a couple books this year, the decision of which ones you choose becomes really important.In today’s ...

15 Feb 13min

11 Stoic Rules For Love

11 Stoic Rules For Love

Love isn’t just an emotion. It’s not just a feeling that hits you out of nowhere. It’s an action, something you can practice and something you can get better at. And while philosophy might not seem li...

14 Feb 24min

This Kindles the Soul | Why You Can't Ignore What's Happening

This Kindles the Soul | Why You Can't Ignore What's Happening

Marcus Aurelius said that if you ever found anything better in life than courage, discipline, justice, and wisdom—the four virtues—it must be an extraordinary thing indeed. Which raises the question: ...

13 Feb 15min

Do Not Delay | Dan Harris & Ryan Holiday on The Pursuit of Wisdom

Do Not Delay | Dan Harris & Ryan Holiday on The Pursuit of Wisdom

Life has a way of stripping all our reasons bare, of humbling our plans and assumptions. We must live, as Marcus Aurelius said, as if death hangs over us. Because it does.👉 Listen to the full convers...

12 Feb 13min

There’s a Rhythm. There’s a Rhythm.

There’s a Rhythm. There’s a Rhythm.

It can feel like everything is falling to pieces. It can feel like you’re lost. It can feel like there’s no hope, no way forward, nothing to do. But that’s just because you’ve gotten rattled.👉 Suppor...

11 Feb 2min

Stephen Greenblatt: Why “This Time Is Different” Is Always Wrong

Stephen Greenblatt: Why “This Time Is Different” Is Always Wrong

Why do the same patterns keep showing up in completely different centuries? In this episode, Pulitzer Prize–winning historian Stephen Greenblatt joins Ryan to discuss how power, fear, ego, and insecur...

11 Feb 55min

You Have to Fight for It | Is There A Dark Side To Stoicism?

You Have to Fight for It | Is There A Dark Side To Stoicism?

It would be wonderful if the world was naturally just, if people were automatically good, always doing the right thing. But of course, they don’t. 📕 Read more stories that will inspire you to live wi...

10 Feb 26min

You Are Responsible For How They Make You Feel | Watch Over Your Perceptions

You Are Responsible For How They Make You Feel | Watch Over Your Perceptions

At the core of Stoicism is the idea that our emotions are our responsibility. No one can make us frustrated. No one can offend us either, Epictetus said, not without us being complicit in the taking o...

9 Feb 8min

Populärt inom Business & ekonomi

badfluence
framgangspodden
varvet
rss-jossan-nina
rss-borsens-finest
uppgang-och-fall
avanzapodden
fill-or-kill
rss-inga-dumma-fragor-om-pengar
24fragor
lastbilspodden
bathina-en-podcast
rss-dagen-med-di
rss-kort-lang-analyspodden-fran-di
svd-tech-brief
borsmorgon
rss-den-nya-ekonomin
kapitalet-en-podd-om-ekonomi
market-makers
montrosepodden