Stoicism is renowned to be the most practical of all philosophies. If you are not familiar with the teachings of stoicism and the word "philosophy" makes you cringe, don’t worry! Stoicism is not one of those eerie fairy-tales or rituals but a life-changing guide! A practical guide to help you live a life of virtue. Once you've understood its principles, you will be saying to yourself, “Why didn't anyone tell me about this before?”

As Thoreau put it: “To be a philosopher is not merely to have subtle thoughts, nor even to found a school…it is to solve some of the problems of life not only theoretically, but practically.” Stoicism focuses on the following:

How to become a better version of yourself

How to live a fulfilling and happier life

How unpredictable and brief our life can be

Stoicism was founded by Athens by Zeno of Citium in the early third century BC and was practised by the likes of Epictetus, Seneca and Marcus Aurelius. Bill Clinton rereads Marcus Aurelius every single year, while Wen Jiabao, the former prime minister of China, claims that Meditations is one of two books he travels with and has read it more than one hundred times over the course of his life (Tim Ferriss is also a huge fan of stoicism! I recommend reading his materials: Stoicism 101: A Practical Guide for Entrepreneurs) Below are my top 5 stoic principles that I live by and how I implement them in my everyday life.

1. Ethical Mindfulness

The word used by the Stoics for mindfulness was prosochē, which means paying attention. Living in the present moment is a practical way of living a life of effectiveness. Your current life situation is a net product of your past thoughts and decisions; your actions today are responsible for your future. Stoicism teaches that there is no use in dwelling in the past or daydreaming about the future. What's most important is now and you should pay attention to the task at hand.