Stoicism and Happiness with Jonas Salzgeber

Stoicism was created 2,000 years ago by some of the greatest philosophers of all time: Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, and Epictetus among others. Jonas Salzgeber, author of the Little Book of Stoicism, joins the Good Mood Show to discuss how living according to Stoic philosophy is a path to true happiness. Today, Jonas and Matt dive into the book as they break down the happiness triangle and tackle what it takes to express your inner truth and live the highest version of yourself. Here are some power takeaways from today’s conversation: Live your inner truth from moment to moment. We flourish when we’re living the highest version of ourselves. Just be present and focus on what you can control. Take a moment to zoom out and create space for yourself. [05:31] Living Your Truth Live according to your inner truth with virtue, and if you can express your highest self in each moment, you will get there. Now, your inner truth might change on a regular basis and that’s fine. The most important thing is that you’re expressing your inner truth in every moment. Even if that changes, you’re still doing your best. If you don't know what your truth is, go and find it. Look within. Spend time with yourself to ask those challenging questions of what you want to live by and what are the things that are important to you. Then try to live accordingly. [09:10] The Happiness Triangle Center: Eudaimonia - being in harmony with your highest self Bottom left: Arete - expressing your highest self in every moment. Bottom right: Focus on what you can control [21:23] How to Get Yourself Out of Negativity Oftentimes, being aware that you’ve got to remove yourself from that negative presence is enough. If not, zoom out to get some perspective on your situation. Take the bird’s eye view, zoom out, and see yourself from above. Then almost magically, this perspective takes you away from the pain or whatever emotion you have at that moment. Then you can re frame the situation and come from an angle where you try to see what you can learn. Notable quotes: [05:31] "Live according to your inner truth with virtue. And if you do this every moment… you will get there.” [05:47] [13:30] “There are things that are beyond your control and things that are within your control… Focus on the things that are within your control." [13:40] [22:38] “Perspective helps you get some distance… it's so helpful because you get some distance between the situation and you." [22:52] Resources Mentioned: Email Jonas at jonas@njlifehacks.com The Little Book of Stoicism by Jonas Salzgeber The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle Download the Good Mood Toolkit here! THE GOOD MOOD SHOW Podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, Anchor, and more… About the Guest Jonas Salzgeber is the author of the best selling book “The Little Book of Stoicism.” Jonas shares his stoic strategies with people to gain back their confidence so they feel ready to effectively deal with whatever life throws at them.