Prepare For The Storm

The Daily Stoic for February 18th: “Prepare for the storm”.

“This is the true athlete—the person in rigorous training against false impressions. Remain firm, you who suffer, don’t be kidnapped by your impressions! The struggle is great, the task divine—to gain mastery, freedom, happiness, and tranquility.”
—EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 2.18.27–28

Today’s passage uses the metaphor of heavy weather to express how our emotions or passions can blow us away like a hurricane devouring a wooden house.

Following that comparison, it describes how we can predict, like a weather forecast, these outbursts in order to avoid them.

Obviously, this is desirable with negative feelings or destructive sentiments, but what about the positive ones?

Avoiding Vs Conducting

When I am starting a new project, or following a new idea, I am completely driven by passion. Specially if it’s something new and exciting, my mind is buzzing with ideas, and I even get trouble sleeping the first days.

I would actually call that a mind storm.

Is it a bad thing? Probably not, but when misconducted, it can certainly consume my energy.

Sometimes, I’ve burned down before even finishing the concept because I’ve put so much energy on it without a real plan or strategy.

Prepare For The Storm

So even when your passion outbursts are a positive thing that can drive and inspire you, we need to know how to handle this energy and put it to good use.

How do we do that? By getting a compromise between the raw, pure emotion and a good dosis of planification and reality.

The best way of getting that compromise is talking about your idea or project with others, listening to people you trust and really taking their criticism, both positive and negative, into account.

Don’t let their opinions put you down, however. Just consider the pros and cons, but continue with your vision.

That simple reality check will help you aim your passion in a more realistinc and effective direction.

Conclusion

Today’s Daily Stoic, “Prepare for the storm”, uses a comparison with a storm to describe how our emotions can blow us away.

I wanted to use that metaphore to describe how, when starting a new project or following a new idea, full of passion and inspiration, we need to plan and use a reality check to poiint your energy in the right direction.