“…Cheerfulness.
Without requiring other people’s help.
Or serenity supplied by others…” ~Marcus Aurelius
I came across these words in a book I’m reading called “Meditations” by Marcus Aurelius and Gregory Hays. This is an excerpt when he is reminding himself on “How To Act” as a Roman Emperor. I won’t go into who Marcus Aurelius is, other than he was a Roman Emperor that practiced Stoicism.
After reading these sentences, I wondered, How many of us can be happy or calm without other people? How many of us really know what makes us happy on our own?
I began to think about what makes me happy. Golf came to mind. I will go on my own to a course that is close to the house looking for that cheerfulness and calm feeling sometimes. But then I thought about how it really goes, I tee off on the first hole, and the happiness and calm feeling I expected to have goes out the window. More often than I would like, the ball doesn’t exactly end up where I would want it to.
Then I thought about weightlifting. Weightlifting is a place I can genuinely feel happy without other people. Breaking personal records sends chills and excitement through my body. That feeling will last for hours and even a few days and then I pursue more records.
At some point breaking weightlifting records will end. Possibly in the near future for me. Then I will be forced to think about what other types of things I can do on my own to be cheerful. Reading, writing, sharing thoughts come to mind. Growing as a human being.
I challenge you to think about the things that you do on your own that bring cheerfulness and serenity into your life.
Take 5-10 minutes to brainstorm and see what you come up with.
