A Guide to the Good Life summary

We’ve seen that setting goals is important. But what kind of life goals did the Stoics pursue? They tried to be both virtuous and tranquil, and considered these two qualities to be the crucial tenets for living a good life.

First, let's take a look at virtue. Being virtuous might not bring to mind what modern readers think of when they hear the word “virtue” today; it doesn't mean living like Mother Theresa. To the Stoics, living a virtuous life meant leading the life we were created to live.

Even though a lot of us think of ourselves as fairly noble and reasonable people, we all share one troublesome imperfection: We always want more, even though many of us are aware that getting whatever it is we want won’t ultimately make us happier than we are.

Psychologists Shane Frederick and George Loewenstein call this phenomenon hedonic adaption, and it follows a typical progression: You lust after a new possession, such as a wide-screen TV or a flashy handbag. You buy it and enjoy it for a short while, but soon your new item starts to bore you.

As with the exercise in the previous blink, when we imagine losing certain things, we tend to start enjoying them more in the present. But this principle can be taken even further.

Rather than merely picturing the loss of things that make our lives enjoyable and comfortable, what if we deliberately abstain from them? This is a practice the author calls voluntary discomfort and it’s based on what the famous Roman Stoic Seneca called "to practice poverty." There’s no need to worry, however; you don’t need to starve or flog yourself. In fact, the Stoics only had mild discomfort in mind.

It’s easy to pine over something we want to have but just can’t get, whether it’s a perfect family or that big career break. But these things are largely out of our hands. The problem is that we let them trouble us when we don’t get them.

So what would a Stoic do? They would separate the things they can control from the things that are beyond their influence. They would then abandon the pursuit of uncontrollable things, and focus on finding happiness through that which is within their power.

Everyone knows the feeling of when a stupid comment by a coworker or friend irks you so much that it essentially ruins your day. The Stoics would look at this situation and say that you let others disturb your tranquility. But it’s hard to remain tranquil when dealing with annoying and mean-spirited people, so what can you do?

Topping the grand list of things we cannot change is a bullet point reading "other people," or more precisely, "other people's flaws." Yet, since you sometimes have no choice but to interact with others, it pays to increase your tolerance instead of getting aggravated, which only exacerbates the situation.

The very act of chasing after riches is commonly seen as a desirable and honorable pursuit, as it’s supposed to make us happy. But what do the Stoics think about this and how do they view money?

According to the Stoics, your mental state contributes far more to your happiness than wealth.

Some topics are particularly unpleasant to think about and, for nearly all of us, death is one of them. So how do Stoics deal with it?

Stoics say that when someone we love passes away, the most natural reaction is to grieve. Thankfully, they also offer ways to prevent this grief from consuming us.

Now that we've seen what life advice Stoic philosophers can offer us, how can we develop a Stoic temperament ourselves? Or, to put it differently, why become a Stoic and what are the benefits?

Since Stoicism is a life philosophy, it can give our life direction and meaning. It shows us what is worth pursuing, such as tranquility, and what is not, such as external pleasure. As such, it is a way to greatly simplify our lives.