III

Three Stoic quotes. Three practical applications. Three minutes.

Welcome to this week's edition of III by Stoisayings. Today we explore how our choices, perspectives, and approach to life's remaining days shape our journey.

I.

When facing an unwanted circumstance today, try this mental shift: Ask yourself, "If I were to embrace this situation willingly, what would my next action be?" Then take that step. We waste enormous energy resisting what has already occurred. The event itself—the deadline, the conflict, the setback—requires the same amount of your time whether you move through it struggling or flowing. The difference lies in how much additional suffering you create along the way. By choosing to move with rather than against your circumstances, you transform from being dragged by life to being guided by it. Acceptance isn't weakness; it's the foundation of effective action.

II.

Try this today: Write your age at the top of a page. Then write "+" followed by the number of additional years you might reasonably expect. Now ask: "If everything after today were bonus time, what would I stop tolerating? What would I prioritize? Who would I speak to?" This perspective instantly clarifies what matters. We often live caught between regrets about our past and anxiety about our future. Both drain the present of its potential. By mentally closing the book on your previous chapters and viewing each remaining day as an unexpected gift, you strip away the inessential. The question transforms from "What should I do with my life?" to the more urgent and clarifying "What should I do with this day?"

III.

For the next three days, whenever you feel a strong negative emotion, pause and write down: "What happened" versus "My story about what happened." For example: "My proposal was rejected" versus "I'm not good enough and never will be." Notice how the facts are often neutral, while your interpretation creates the suffering. We experience the world not as it is, but as we believe it to be. Most of our emotional pain comes not from events themselves but from the narratives we wrap around them. By separating what actually occurred from your automatic interpretation, you create space to choose a perspective that serves rather than sabotages you. The event may not change, but your experience of it absolutely can.

Until next week, Theo

P.S. Which of these practices might help you most this week? Sometimes the smallest shift in perspective creates the most profound change in experience.