I have no clue, and I’ve been practicing that. (It’s kind of hard.)

I also stopped following the news. If something (important) happened, it will reach me or people will tell me about it. If it’s not important it will stay the kind of noise that doesn’t require my attention.

Don’t get me wrong. Knowledge is great. I love being knowledgable and applying it.

But when it comes to things that are currently happening, I switched from mainstream media to people media (no, not social media). I talk to people, get their perspective of what’s going on, and what matters to them.

On Christmas eve last year, my grumpy aunt was shocked that I hadn’t heard the bad stuff about Greta Thunberg that she had heard (from the news). I asked her to explain it to me but she refused.

So sometimes, people-to-people media doesn’t work but it was also my fault… because I didn’t follow the news. I know. How could I dare?

German translation

12: Ignoriere (den Nachrichtenstrom) - Stoische Seelenruhe

Ich hab keine Ahnung und hab das geübt. (Ist ziemlich schwer.)

Ich verfolge die Nachrichten nicht mehr. Wenn etwas (Wichtiges) passiert ist, wird es mich erreichen oder Leute werden mir davon erzählen. Wenn es nicht wichtig ist, bleibt es ein Störgeräusch, das meine Aufmerksamkeit nicht erfordert.

Versteh mich nicht falsch. Wissen ist großartig. Ich mag es, weise zu sein und Wissen anzuwenden.

Aber wenn es um Dinge geht, die gerade geschehen, bin ich von Mainstream-Medien zu Mensch-Medien gewechselt (nein, nicht Social Media). Ich spreche mit Menschen, finde heraus, was los ist und was ihnen wichtig ist.

Letztes Jahr zu Weihnachten war meine griesgrämige Tante schockiert, dass ich die Negativschlagzeilen über Greta Thunberg, nicht gehört hatte. Ich bat sie, es mir zu erklären, aber sie lehnte ab.

Manchmal funktionieren Mensch-zu-Mensch-Medien eben auch nicht, aber es war auch meine Schuld… weil ich die Nachrichten nicht verfolgt hab. Ich weiß. Wie konnte ich es wagen?

Permalink: naii.io/stoic/12

Exactly one year ago I prepared a 4-months journey in which I challenged myself to validate my startup Studiolist. And these were the words that I had read before I went on the road…

Do what’s in front of you.

Approach every task with a sturdy mind. Do it as if it was your last duty. And disregard everything that can hold you back: Hoax emotions, drama, vanity, and presumptions about your fair share. Forget it.

You do very few tasks but you do them well.

When you clean dishes, excel.

When you walk the dog, join the playful mood of him.

When you wait at the traffic light, enjoy this unplanned break as a pastime and indulge in serenity.

You gain clarity by doing the simple task of doing your job.

And yes, that’s what I did when I successfully validated Studiolist after four months of being on the road. That’s why I’m spending the year 2020 challenging myself to make Studiolist profitable.

German translation

11: Mach deinen Job

Genau vor einem Jahr habe ich eine 4-monatige Reise vorbereitet, in der ich mich herausgefordert habe, mein Startup Studiolist zu validieren. Und das waren die Worte, die ich gelesen hatte, bevor die Reise losging.

Mach was vor dir liegt.

Geh jede Aufgabe mit standhafter Überzeugung an. Tu es als ob es deine letzte Pflicht wäre. Und ignoriere alles, was dich zurückhalten kann: Irritierende Gefühle, Drama, Eitelkeit und Anmaßungen darüber, was dir zustehen sollte. Vergiss es.

Du erledigst wenige Aufgaben, aber diese machst du gut.

Wenn du abwäschst, übertriffst du dich.

Wenn du mit dem Hund spazieren gehst, nimmst du du seine spielerische Stimmung auf.

Wenn du an der Ampel wartest, genießt du diese ungeplante Pause, nutzt sie als Zeitvertreib und gönnst dir völlige Gelassenheit.

Du gewinnst Klarheit durch die einfache Aufgabe, deine Arbeit zu erledigen.

Genau das habe ich getan, als ich für Studiolist vier Monate unterwegs war und mein Startup erfolgreich validiert habe. Deshalb verbringe ich 2020 nun damit, mich herauszufordern, Studiolist profitabel zu machen.

Permalink: naii.io/stoic/11

Check your judgment. It’s your ability to see things clearly in the given circumstances.

Reason and intuition are your friends. They affect what you desire and what you’re averse to. What’s good and bad for you, that’s what your judgment helps you with.

Examine your impulses. What motivates you to act? What are the things that stop you from acting? Are you doing it for a good reason or are you acting carelessly? Your desires affect how you act, just as your judgment defines how you act.

And it all starts with a thought.

Thought becomes word.

Word becomes deed.

Deed shapes who you become.

And who you become shapes your thoughts (again).

Slow down, pause, and breathe.

It’s sabbatical.

Get intentional distance from daily obligations.

1. Rest

2. Travel

3. Project

(pick one)

Every 7th week I take intentional distance from daily obligations.

I want to recharge, prevent burnout/workaholism, and work on other projects, travel, or just enjoy leisure time.

For 7 days I live from day to day. My goal with taking sabbaticals is to work not more than 180 business days per year.

Learn more: https://180businessdays.blog (inspired by Sabbatical.blog from Sean McCabe/seanwes.com)

Healthy habits are your friends. They allow you to persevere no matter the circumstances.

Doing it the way you’ve been doing, that’s when you’re on autopilot. You don’t know what you’re doing. You have mastered a way of thinking and a way of doing. It’s a good thing if your goal is to complete something the most efficient way.

But it’s bad if you intend to stay mentally fresh because your mental muscles stopped developing. It’s as if you’re doing the same workout every other day and you wonder why your body doesn’t react anymore. I even made the experience that my toothpaste stopped working after a while. My teeth no longer accepted its ingredients. So I had to change the toothpaste.

Treat your muscle memory with new impulses. Your mind (and your body) want something new every now and then.

If you do something out of rote behavior, then ask yourself: Is this REALLY the best way to do it?

Do it with the right intentions and do the right thing. Doing the right thing is always the right thing.

And how do you know it’s YOUR right direction?

Tranquility and peace of mind. Or the Greek „euthymia”.

You believe in yourself and trust that you are on the right path. You’re not in doubt and thus resistant to follow the countless directions that all the others seem to be heading to. 1

And this belief you establish through clarity of vision.

Euthymia is when you’re in a cheerful state. Your soul lives calmly and steadily. You don’t need to compare yourself to others and you don’t change your mind every other second when you heard some new exciting piece of information. Fear, superstition, affinities, and other desires don’t disturb you.

So… Identify your path and stick to it. You stick to your path like chewing gum (still flexible), not like a Gorilla Super Glue.

Stay on course, make adjustments naturally, and ignore all the siren calls from the side or in front of you. They wanna steal your most precious asset: your cool.

Further readings

• Summum bonum (and in German: Höchstes Gut)

• Euthymia (medicine)

• Euthymia (philosophy)

1. Ryan Holiday, The Daily Stoic (p. 23 - January 15th), Kindle version ↩︎

Your mind.

Everyone is running around like a chicken with their head cut off. They’re trying to master all the modern-world responsibilities. So many duties, so little time. So much is not important. They invented it themselves.

You’re in jail.

Too much vodka last night.

They also don’t like your face. So, they let you wait 12 hours longer than everyone else there before they called your fiancé.

You know the laws.

And you know they broke them.

Are you losing your cool?

They want you to.

That would give them the official reason to move you to a stricter facility.

Why did you end up here anyway?

Yes, you boozed too much, and yes you were shouting at the police and said the P-word. But they were also bored, looking for a troublemaker like you, and you were an easy pick.

You could shout now. You could scream at them. You could recite all the laws they’ve been violating.

But you know what?

They would then put you into a cell with that dude who happens to have a knife in his hand. And they would look away.

When your options are low, there is always one option to take. You can choose to manage your thoughts and choices.

There is beauty in simplicity because it leads to clarity.

And that’s what undesired, close to hopeless circumstances teach us.

You can always manage your mind.

They cannot break your mind.

I’m part of a theater group. We’ve been working together for 23 weeks now. Currently, we’re in the final stages of finishing our play. Deadline is at the end of January.

Since I’ve taken on the role of a project manager, I work with my co-organizer Carl to ensure that we make progress.

Unfortunately, some challenges stand in the way of our project progress. On the one hand, there’s a lack of initiative by some participants. On the other hand, I experienced stubborn behavior with a fairly large portion of ego.

I would be lying if I said that it leaves me cold. It doesn’t. But there is not much I can do about it when people behave as they do. I cannot influence that. I can only try to lead and communicate as a good, proactive example. That’s all.

The Stoics also see it that way.

You can control everything that is within yourself or develops out of you. This includes your point of view, your decisions, your desires, and dislikes.

You have a direct influence on what you think, which path you take, what you want to achieve and what you despise.

You have no influence on external factors like your body. Someone can attack your body and hurt you. And you’d have to swallow that. But it’s up to you how you judge this attack. You also do not control your property, your reputation or your position in the group or society.

When you run a business, you can communicate what you want people to know and how you see yourself. This is marketing. But you cannot control what people interpret from it and what picture they have of you. And that’s branding.

The things you can influence are abundant. They are limitless and independent. How much marketing you do is up to you.

But the things you have no control over are limited, fragile, and dependent.

Ok, this can seem discouraging for you now.

But it doesn’t have to be.

Because it is always up to you to decide what you think about these things or events. I can’t change that a participant in my theater group pretends to be a whiner with negative vibes. But I influence my attitude and how I deal with this behavior. His behavior is neither good nor bad. It is.

So before you want to reach out to exert influence, first look inside. Use the power and leeway that your mind and the power of your interpretation offer.

The outside world, other people, lack of happiness and karma may annoy you. But you can also see them as challenges to test the power of your mind.

The beauty of philosophy is that’s it’s close to everyday life. You can apply your learnings immediately.

So, do you accept the challenge? Then start now.

My friend Matt quit social media 4 months ago, and he couldn’t be happier.

Social media and technology have become a very common addiction. That’s why websites like Digitally Well exist. Their founders, Crystal and Madi, „keep you informed on how to use tech with intention in a world where apps are designed to hijack your attention.“

But there are many other forms of addiction. The recipe for why it works is often the instant gratification or reward that you get.

Endlessly scrolling through your social media feeds, gossiping around or biting nails have become habits. And you’re not in control anymore. They control you.

When I bite my nails, I do it compulsively. I can’t stop it. But when I have days without biting I’m happier and in charge. That’s great.

If we want to know how these small addictions can turn into elephant problems, we need to understand…

How micro habits work

You’re doing something because of the expected outcome of it. But you need to trigger your brain first. This is called a cue, stimulus, or „a bit of information that predicts a reward“, as James Clear says on page 47 of Atomic Habits and following. A cue triggers your brain to start a behavior.

I’m not sure what my cue is for biting nails. It could nervousness (the classic). Whatever it is, there is some kind of hidden problem that I’m solving with it. But a cue itself does nothing if I don’t have a craving to change my current state. In other words, it takes motivation or a reason to act. Like, I don’t crave to biting my nails but I crave the feeling it provides. And sometimes I feel that it’s a lack of salt. So, I’m actually craving the salt that is in the nails. At least that’s what I believe.

A craving is the „motivational force behind every habit“. A cue itself means nothing. I wouldn’t follow through with my behavior if a thought, feeling or emotion didn’t interpret that cue and transform it into a craving.

To complete the habit loop, two more steps are missing: response and reward.

The response is the actual habit you perform. This can be a thought or an action. „Whether a response occurs depends on how motivated you are and how much friction is associated with the behavior“. But you also need to have the skills to perform the habit.

And finally, „the response delivers a reward“. Rewards are the end goal of every habit. 

Clear says:

The cue is about noticing the reward. The craving is about wanting the reward. The response is about obtaining the reward. We chase rewards because they serve two purposes: (1) they satisfy us and (2) they teach us.

[…]

If a behavior is insufficient in any of the four stages, it will not become a habit. Eliminate the cue and your habit will never start. Reduce the craving and you won’t experience enough motivation to act. Make the behavior difficult and you won’t be able to do it. And if the reward fails to satisfy your desire, then you’ll have no reason to do it again in the future. Without the first three steps, a behavior will not occur. Without all four, a behavior will not be repeated.

[…]

the cue triggers a craving, which motivates a response, which provides a reward, which satisfies the craving and, ultimately, becomes associated with the cue.

Cue and craving are in the problem phase. Response and reward belong to the solution phase.

So, are you letting seemingly harmless habits run your life?

You don’t need to bite nails, or drink soda or have negative thoughts. But if you do and you do it repeatedly, and you can’t stop, then you’re an addict. Why? Addiction is when you’ve „lost the freedom to abstain“.

Can you abstain? And, ultimately, are you free?

A music producer revealed 10 secrets about music-making. Other producers will hate him for that. He said.

The secrets themselves are not important for today’s message but you can go watch the video on YouTube anyway.

Let’s assume this producer is right. Then the video reveals what it’s actually about, which is truth and…

Your true identity

He said music producers use shortcuts and they don’t reinvent the wheel. They get massive help from mixing and mastering engineers who „do more work than you think“. And they use loops, songwriting formulas, and templates because time in the studio is expensive. That’s why they’re doing it. I think that’s understandable.

Still, if a music producer was asked in a radio interview:

• Who are you?

• What do you?

• Why are you here?

He would say, for example:

• Hi, I’m JayJay, a professional music producer.

• I produce Grammy-nominated music.

• I’m here because God sent me here. (no blasphemy) - or: I’m on a mission to make the world a happier place. (Think of anything meta or meaningful that sounds like you’re not a miserable person.)

Not being in self-promotion mode but telling the truth, how would he answer then? Let’s see:

• I’m George Buttknock. I sit in front of the computer for eight to twelve hours a day. There, I click knobs and buttons to influence acoustic oscillations. This produces sounds that people find pleasing. And they pay me for doing that.

• I never won a Grammy but it sounds nice to say that I was shortlisted with my work. It inflates my ego.

• I’m here because 20 years ago I saw that people pay money for doing something that I enjoy doing. So, I might as well turn this into a career and not only do it for fun.

Sounds very different. And now your perception of Jay or George has turned into a different direction, right?

Nothing sells better than the truth.

Believe or not, these are the words from an agency. It’s what Daniel Harmon, Chief Creative Officer at Harmon Brothers, said.

But back to the music producer because he also talked about competency.

4 Levels of competence

He said:

There’s four levels of competency.

There’s unconscious incompetence which means that you don’t know what you don’t know.

There’s conscious incompetence which means you know that you don’t know.

There’s a third level which is conscious competence. It’s that you know that you know something. […]

Once you practice there at the conscious competence, once you know that you know it becomes […] a habit and this is called the unconscious competence.

The guy then confused the 4th stage a little when he said:

This is where you don’t know that you know something and this is where the majority of professionals are.

So in the flow of what they’re doing, they don’t even know why they’re good. They don’t even know what they’re doing. They don’t even know why they made that decision.

It gets confusing. But he tries to make an argument with the meaning of something that has another meaning. He probably was looking for an angle or hook to sell his premium membership.

However, quoting Wikipedia, this is what the 4th stage of competence looks like and what he wanted to say…

The individual has had so much practice with a skill that it has become “second nature” and can be performed easily. As a result, the skill can be performed while executing another task. The individual may be able to teach it to others, depending upon how and when it was learned.

So, it’s not that the producers don’t know what they’re doing. They know so well that their knowledge has turned into muscle memory. And that’s where it can seem that they’re just in flow all the time.

Ok, so he confused the psychological states of competence or (and that’s maybe more likely) he tried to prepare his sales pitch by bending the definition of it.

Granted.

And on a side note: You can know something and be good at it without being able to express it or sell your knowledge. That’s why artists - who are deeply immersed in their craft - have marketers and managers who do that for them.

But let’s still assume he told the truth by saying:

The pros don’t even know what they’re doing. I had a whole biology degree at Villanova University and all you do in biology is observe patterns. And that’s all I do. I bring it to you in the music production space because the pros don’t even know what makes them great. And I’m sure you can watch any masterclass right now - I’m not bashing any other companies or anything like that - but I’m sure you can watch interviews, YouTube videos, masterclasses and you’ll be like… Wow, they’re literally saying nothing. They don’t even know their own craft.

His point is that high-level producers are just fumbling around because „they know not what they do“.

Sometimes actions speak louder than words, and sometimes that’s what matters. So…

Try the exercise yourself

And answer the three questions:

• Who are you?

• What do you?

• Why are you here?

Consider that…

A professional Grammy-nominated music producer is struggling and still hasn’t figured it out. Sometimes they don’t even know who they are and why they’re here.

Then it’s time to cut the pedestal of stardom. Bring them down to your ground because that’s where they are.

And that’s when social status becomes irrelevant and that’s when a 13-year old can produce a globally recognized pop song.

Words turn to works when you apply your philosophy to everyday life.

Listening to these words is not easy. They demand your attention.

But you’re listening to them anyway because it has a purpose.

You want to be freer. You want to have less fear. And you want to achieve a state of inner peace and happiness.

Your desire for tranquility, fearlessness, and freedom is high. That’s what drives you.

Ironically, you could be happy right now if you didn’t want anything. If you just surrendered happiness would be waiting for you. That’s what James Clear says…

Happiness is not about the achievement of pleasure (which is joy or satisfaction), but about the lack of desire. Happiness is simply the absence of desire.

It arrives when you have no urge to feel differently.

Happiness is the state you enter when you no longer want to change your state.

However, happiness is fleeting because a new desire always comes along.

As Caed Budris says, „Happiness is the space between one desire being fulfilled and a new desire forming.” Likewise, suffering is the space between craving a change in state and getting it.

This means…

If you are ok with everything all the time, you are happy. But since you’re not, you struggle and suffer voluntarily. It reminds me of what a friend told me six years ago… Life means to struggle.

And that’s what meditation tries to fight against, by being ok with how you are and who you are in the moment so that you abandon the struggle.

Meditation is about breathing and having a calm mind. When meditating you are deliberate about what you’re thinking.

So, if you always breathe consciously, keep your cool in any situation, and block toxic thoughts from your mind, you are going to be ok and happy.

Identify, separate, and choose.

It’s one thing that something happened to you.

It’s another thing how you react to it.

It’s 4pm. A friend is late. His phone is dead and you start to worry. Your meeting at the café was due one hour ago. You pay for your coffee and go back home.

At 6pm you get a message from him: „Sry, partied too hard. Slept like a stone. U still at café?”

You get angry because how could he have done that? He’s your best friend. You don’t reply and „punish” him with disregard.

Now let’s identify, separate, and choose.

1. Identify: What is the situation?

2. Separate: What can you control? What can you not control?

3. Choose: How do you react to it?

The situation is: Your best friend didn’t show up.

You cannot change that. No amount of texting, calling or yelling at him over the phone will undo what happened. There’s no time machine that would make him show up on time. And there’s no way for you that could have made him less drunk and sleep less long.

This is neither good nor bad.

Your reaction, however, your choice on how to react reveals what’s good or bad.

Does it help both of you if you ignore him? Who are you punishing with that behavior?

US-American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr wrote:

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

Courage to change the things I can,

And wisdom to know the difference.

This became known as the Serenity Prayer. It was adopted and popularized by recovery communities like Alcoholics Anonymous.

If it’s clear to you what parts of the day you can control and what parts you cannot control, you will be happier. And you will have an advantage over other people who run around like a clueless chicken. They’re caught up in trying to win an infinite battle. Well, good luck to them!

You’re not an actor. Of course, you’re not. You’re not playing a role. You don’t make-believe, and you also have a lack of imagination.

Actors play someone fictitious. But leave that aside. Their approach to a script helps you approach what life offers you—the good and bad stuff.

Let’s assume, a tragedy will happen.

The actor knows because it’s written in the play.

You also know because you prepared for it in your daily meditations. The worst outcome is always the likeliest. And that’s the one you’re equipped to handle in the best way possible.

Here’s what actors also do.

Even though the actor knows the storyline, he will step into the scene as if he experienced it for the first time. He doesn’t force feelings and actions, he lets them happen because he’s guided by what his character wants.

You don’t know the storyline. But since you’re running a warmed-up mind you can allow yourself to enter the excruciation and go through the tragedy.

In these times of ordeal not your favorite philosopher’s wise words or your religion will help you. It will be your calm and reasoned mind leading to inner equilibrium that takes care of it.

An actor becomes a character after months and then plays this person naturalistically. You apply the wisdom that you’ve acquired throughout the past years and act out naturally.

Being well-trained, your moments of trouble will still feel dark and cloudy. But managing them will feel like flying an airplane on autopilot.

Life is a stage. Maybe you’re an actor after all.