Model Those You Admire (Stoic Lesson #17)

For Week 17 in our 52-week journey from A Handbook for New Stoics, we build on prior lessons' appreciation of what we DO have (for however long that may be) by finding the virtues in others we admire (and may wish to emulate).

As Marcus Aurelius said, "Nothing is more cheering than exemplifications of virtue in the characters of those about us..."

We grow in our own character by not simply avoiding the 'wrong' things, but also by gravitating toward the good ones. Recognizing the virtues in others (whether they are friends, colleagues, mentors, or even people we simply admire from afar) can serve as a "...yardstick against which to measure our own progress."

Everyone has flaws. This isn't seeking out perfection in others, but simply identifying (and then trying to channel) those character traits and virtues we admire in others, in an effort to become better ourselves by raising or changing our emotional state.

Can you identify a few people and a trait you admire in them?

What is your level of cheerfulness BEFORE and AFTER you think about that person and trait? Did it improve?

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Remember this is not about admiring superficial, material, or external traits, this is the person's character (what they have control over vs. success, beauty, health, etc.)

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