Dying Every Day (Stoicism in a Year)

📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribeIn this episode of Dying Every Day, we explore the ancient wisdom behind money, prosperity, and the search for a good life. Drawing on Seneca’s teaching that 'the proper limit to a person’s wealth is first having what is essential, and second, having what is enough,' we examine why chasing more never brings contentment—and why living according to nature frees us from endless craving.With insights from Boethius, who reminds us that fortune’s gifts are always temporary, this meditation invites you to rethink your relationship with money, success, and security. Rather than fearing its loss or worshiping its presence, the Stoics show us how to hold prosperity lightly, use it wisely, and root our peace in the one form of wealth no one can steal: our character, our choices, and our inner clarity.If you’re looking for a deeper, saner way to think about money and happiness—this meditation is for you.---  🖇️ Stay Connected: Newsletter: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/perennialmeditations/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PerennialMeditations---  🦉 Additional Resources: Perennial Meditations archive: https://perennial.substack.com/archiveListen to more podcasts: https://www.perennialleader.com/podcasts

Explore how virtue is not just learned but lived, like training for an athlete. Musonius Rufus emphasizes that character is shaped by daily choices, especially under hardship. Discover the importance of practical exercises, including simplicity and justice, in developing virtue. Habits act as the flywheel of character, strengthened through repetition. Learn how everyday tests, like managing anger, can transform into lasting traits. A practical checklist offers steps to enhance your character daily. Engage with philosophy in an actionable way!

📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribeIn this meditation, we explore Seneca’s powerful teaching on emotional freedom and the art of holding your self-worth within—not in the shifting opinions of others. Seneca writes: “The wise man is invulnerable to insult… He stands above both the applause and the condemnation of the crowd, for he has placed his esteem within his own soul, where honor is incorruptible and peace undisturbed.”Most of us rise and fall with praise and criticism. A compliment lifts us, an insult wounds us, and other people’s opinions quietly dictate our mood. Seneca offers a different path—one rooted in inner stability, clarity, and self-governance. Drawing on a well-known Buddhist teaching about refusing an insult as one would an unwanted gift, and insights from modern psychology on developing an internal source of self-worth, this meditation explores how to become less reactive and more grounded in one's own principles.---  🖇️ Stay Connected: Newsletter: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/perennialmeditations/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PerennialMeditations---  🦉 Additional Resources: Explore the Perennial Meditations archive: https://perennial.substack.com/archiveListen to more podcasts: https://www.perennialleader.com/podcasts

📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribeIn this meditation, we explore one of Seneca’s most profound teachings on wealth, desire, and freedom:“You ask what is the proper limit to a person’s wealth? First, having what is essential; second, having what is enough. If you shape your life according to nature, you will never be poor. If you shape it according to opinion, you will never be rich.”Seneca reminds us that poverty is not measured by what we lack, but by what we crave. True wealth, he says, is found not in accumulation, but in sufficiency — in the quiet realization that we already have what is needed to live well.Drawing on both Stoic and Epicurean wisdom, this reflection explores how simplicity leads to serenity, and how reducing our desires brings more peace than satisfying them ever could. As Epicurus wrote, “If you wish to make someone rich, do not add to his money, but subtract from his desires.”Expect to learn:How to distinguish nature’s needs from opinion’s endless wantsWhy craving more leads to dependence, not freedomHow ancient philosophy offers a timeless cure for modern restlessnessPractical ways to practice the art of enough in everyday lifeThe Stoics and Epicureans both understood this truth: wealth is not the possession of many things, but the mastery of desire. When we stop measuring life by what’s missing, we discover that the cup is already full.---  🖇️ Stay Connected: Newsletter: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/perennialmeditations/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PerennialMeditations---  🦉 Additional Resources: Explore the Perennial Meditations archive: https://perennial.substack.com/archiveListen to more podcasts: https://www.perennialleader.com/podcasts

📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribeDying Every Day (Stoicism in a Year) is a podcast by the Perennial Leader Project (and Perennial Meditations newsletter). Each episode turns a selected passage from Stoic philosophy into a guided meditation designed to help you (and me) contemplate what it means to live a ‘good’ life.---  🖇️ Stay Connected: Newsletter: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/perennialmeditations/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PerennialMeditations---  🦉 Additional Resources: Explore the Perennial Meditations archive: https://perennial.substack.com/archiveListen to more podcasts: https://www.perennialleader.com/podcasts

Explore the transformative power of perception and how it shapes our reactions to life's challenges. Discover Epictetus' wisdom on attitude as our only real control and how fear stems from our judgments. Dive into connections with modern thinkers like Viktor Frankl and Marcus Aurelius, emphasizing the freedom to choose our responses. Engage in practical exercises to identify the stories we tell ourselves and reclaim energy through acceptance, urging listeners to reflect on their frustrations and perceptions.

📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribeDying Every Day (Stoicism in a Year) is a podcast by the Perennial Leader Project (and Perennial Meditations newsletter). Each episode turns a selected passage from Stoic philosophy into a guided meditation designed to help you (and me) contemplate what it means to live a ‘good’ life.---  🖇️ Stay Connected: Newsletter: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/perennialmeditations/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PerennialMeditations---  🦉 Additional Resources: Explore the Perennial Meditations archive: https://perennial.substack.com/archiveListen to more podcasts: https://www.perennialleader.com/podcasts

📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribeDying Every Day (Stoicism in a Year) is a podcast by the Perennial Leader Project (and Perennial Meditations newsletter). Each episode turns a selected passage from Stoic philosophy into a guided meditation designed to help you (and me) contemplate what it means to live a ‘good’ life.---  🖇️ Stay Connected: Newsletter: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/perennialmeditations/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PerennialMeditations---  🦉 Additional Resources: Explore the Perennial Meditations archive: https://perennial.substack.com/archiveListen to more podcasts: https://www.perennialleader.com/podcasts

📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribeDying Every Day (Stoicism in a Year) is a podcast by the Perennial Leader Project (and Perennial Meditations newsletter). Each episode turns a selected passage from Stoic philosophy into a guided meditation designed to help you (and me) contemplate what it means to live a ‘good’ life.---  🖇️ Stay Connected: Newsletter: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/perennialmeditations/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PerennialMeditations---  🦉 Additional Resources: Explore the Perennial Meditations archive: https://perennial.substack.com/archiveListen to more podcasts: https://www.perennialleader.com/podcasts

📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribeDying Every Day (Stoicism in a Year) is a podcast by the Perennial Leader Project (and Perennial Meditations newsletter). Each episode turns a selected passage from Stoic philosophy into a guided meditation designed to help you (and me) contemplate what it means to live a ‘good’ life.---  🖇️ Stay Connected: Newsletter: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/perennialmeditations/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PerennialMeditations---  🦉 Additional Resources: Explore the Perennial Meditations archive: https://perennial.substack.com/archiveListen to more podcasts: https://www.perennialleader.com/podcasts