Many men reach the latter stages of life wishing they had realized specific key lessons earlier. They could have avoided unnecessary suffering and frustration by internalizing timeless Stoic principles in their youth and prime. Embracing wisdom that transforms virtues, self-mastery, and mindfulness into daily practice leads to true purpose and fulfillment regardless of age or external circumstances.
1. Judge Yourself Only By Your Moral Standards
All too often, men fall into the trap of judging their success and value primarily by external markers – career status, volume of wealth, prestige, and the praise or criticism of others. They form an image of the ideal man in their minds, likely polluted by materialistic values, then feel anxious or self-loathing when they fail to match up to this ideal.
As the Stoic philosophers understood over 2000 years ago, the only accurate benchmark for evaluating a man should be his moral reasoning and conduct. Am I living according to solid ethical principles? Am I governing my behavior out of virtue rather than passion or ego? A Stoic man focuses less on reputation management, hunger for possessions, or pleasing the crowd. He judges himself by the purity of his motivations and the integrity of his actions.
2. Attach Less Importance To External Things
Men naturally fixate on money and material goods, social status, and other worldly possessions as essential parts of their identity and measures of top dogs in the dominance hierarchy. We are born as helpless infants, utterly dependent on external things for survival. This primal dependency can persist into manhood, expressed through an obsession with the latest luxuries, concern over profiles and personas, and endless social comparison about who has the most stuff, influence, or prestige.
Stoicism offers liberation from this exhausting rat race for status and stuff rarely satisfying for long; by realizing that most prized things are transient, fragile, and ultimately outside of your control, you avoid overinvesting importance in them. Health can fail overnight, wealth can vanish in a market crash, and followers can turn fickle. By building inner character through wisdom, justice, courage, and moderation, you cultivate what no one can take from you. Your self-worth can remain unshaken through life’s ups and downs.
3. Master Your Emotions And Impulses
As fighters and hunters, men evolved powerful emotions like anger and solid impulse to act. While these served our ancestors well in overcoming dangers and opponents, the modern landscape poses a different environment. Reacting with rage when cut off in traffic or spouting off impulsively during disputes can seriously damage careers, relationships, and reputations when shared virally online.
Stoics understood the great strength required to master one’s passions and impulses rather than be mastered by them. Through practicing self-discipline, men can pause during triggering events and choose reasoned, ethical responses instead of automatic reactions. By governing our inner world, we remain centered no matter how chaotic external events become. This prevents much self-inflicted suffering from rash words and deeds you later regret.
4. Focus More On The Present Moment
Many men spend endless hours worried about an uncertain future or dwelling regretfully on the past, losing the whole here-and-now experience. Stoics, however, sought to immerse themselves fully in each present moment, neither paralyzed by future fears nor stuck reminiscing about glory days gone by. This enabled them to extract total satisfaction from every interaction, task, and sensation.
By continually grounding attention in the present, you gain greater calm and appreciation for daily life otherwise missed when absorbed in past regrets or future obsessions. Let go of what no longer serves you from the past. Release unrealistic fantasies about some distant perfect future that keeps you perpetually unsatisfied with the mundane moments of today. The present now is genuinely the only place where one gets to live. Each passing moment is another chance to fully apply yourself, spread goodwill, and experience life’s gifts hidden in plain sight.
5. Cultivate Self-Sufficiency
Men often form an unhealthy over-reliance on others for their sense of safety, approval, esteem, and even emotional regulation. They stunt their growth by outsourcing too many of these essential psychic tasks to bosses, friends, or mentors. What others provide, others can take away, suddenly exposing emptiness where an authentic self should reside.
The Stoic ideal is to become self-contained and self-sufficient. A man committed to the examined life builds inner strength that cannot be added or subtracted based on others’ opinions. He approves of himself, feels safe within his skin, and regulates his emotions from the inside out. This enables him to engage freely with others and external events without desperately outsourcing his own growth to a crippling fear of loss. He is cultivating an abundance of wisdom and virtues for use in the turbulence of lean times.
6. Treat Others With Compassion
In selfish pursuits and tunnel-vision goals, men often remain insensitive or antagonistic to those around them. We trample over colleagues to grab promotions, write off outsiders as weak or weird, and ignore those suffering right in front of our eyes.
Stoics however considered it crucial to respect all people equally as brothers and sisters deserving basic dignity. They saw suffering as the result of universal human folly, not individual failure. Hence, compassion rather than contempt is the correct response. Treating everyone with kindness regardless of background facilitates warmer connections. It also keeps your success from coming at the exploitation of others.
Case Study: Learning Stoicism Too Late
Will is a 42-year-old sales executive who has spent his life chasing career success, wealth accumulation, and the approval of others. Though he earned a high salary and a lovely house, he rarely saw his family as he worked long hours to climb the corporate ladder. He also faced constant anxiety trying to maintain a manufactured image as the ideal successful businessman.
Inside, Will felt empty and alone, turning to drink nightly to relieve stress. He couldn’t understand why achieving everything society said he should want didn’t bring lasting fulfillment. With a health scare, divorced from his wife, and estranged kids, Will realizes the costs of ignoring the core aspects of life.
If Will had discovered Stoic wisdom earlier, he may have avoided much suffering. Rather than measuring himself against others, he could have focused on self-mastery, moderation, and justice. Instead of ignoring his family while chasing promotions, Will would have cherished the gift of time with loved ones. Practicing mindful presence would have combated anxious thoughts about maintaining appearances. By cultivating compassion and self-sufficiency, he could have developed emotional resilience.
Though the past can’t be changed, Stoicism’s life-affirming principles still offer Will guideposts toward wisdom and tranquility. Letting go of anger and resentment, Will can rediscover meaning through service to others. By simplifying life goals, he gains time to reconnect with family. Finally facing mortality, Will awakens to the beauty of each passing moment. Though late in coming, Stoic teachings help Will course-correct towards virtuous living.
Key Takeaways
- Assess yourself based on virtuous principles, not external markers like money or status.
- Don’t overvalue materials, things, and status since they are fleeting.
- Harness emotions and impulses through self-discipline.
- Live presently, not dwelling on the unchangeable past or undetermined future.
- Build inner strength to become self-reliant.
- Respect all people and treat them compassionately.
- Appreciate life’s transience by making the most of each moment.
Conclusion
The Stoic philosophers of Ancient Greece and Rome impart timeless wisdom for modern men feeling dissatisfaction, distress, or simply questioning how to live virtuously. By focusing less on accumulating externals like wealth and accolades, which provide only superficial and fleeting satisfaction, and cultivating inner strengths like wisdom, courage, moderation, and justice, a deep sense of purpose and fulfillment arises. Practicing self-mastery, staying grounded in the present, contemplating life’s brevity, and treating others with dignity enables men to fully actualize their potential as moral actors during their precious time on earth. This contributes to human flourishing.