Stoicism: what's in your control?
// What the research shows
Right at the start of his Handbook (Encheiridion), the StoicStoicism An ancient school of philosophy teaching you to focus on what you can influence yourself. More in the glossary → Epictetus (c. 50–135 CE) distinguishes between things that are up to us, such as our judgements, intentions and actions, and things that are not, such as our body, possessions and reputation. Distress, according to Epictetus, comes from trying to control the latter. He taught philosophy as a way of life, not as theory. The Handbook itself is a brief summary of his teaching, recorded by his student Arrian.
// In practice
- Outcome vs. process: your genetics, a competition result or whether muscles grow “fast enough” aren't fully up to you. Training, sleep, food and consistency are.
- Measure yourself by what you did, not only by the scale or the mirror.
- With an injury or a plateau, ask: what can I concretely do today?
// Limitations & open questions
This is a philosophical teaching, not an empirical study. It can't be graded A, B or C. Whether it helps you is something to try for yourself.
// Sources
- Primärtext (gemeinfrei)Epiktet – Discourses mit dem Encheiridion, übers. George Long (Project Gutenberg) ↗
- FachlexikonStanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy – Epictetus ↗
// More from Mindset
Goals & if-then plans
“If X happens, then I'll do Y” demonstrably helps you follow through. The effect is smaller than early numbers suggested, though.
Building habits
The “21 days” is a myth. In the best-known study it took 66 days on average, with a huge range. Missing one day doesn't break it.
Self-talk
Deliberate self-talk moderately improves sports performance, especially when practised beforehand.
Mental training & visualisation
Vividly imagining movements does make you somewhat stronger. It doesn't replace real training, though.