I grew up in a world where expecting the worst and working toward the best was a way of life, the way. In this world you would expect nothing and when life delivered nothing you’d be ok with that, life didn’t owe you a dime. That life created resilience and composure, it made me inherently stoic. That world seems to have completely disappeared, replaced by wishful thinking and an unnatural sense of entitlement.
“You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.”
Marcus Aurelius
These are the things that I do engage in to prepare for adversity:
- Reflection – I self reflect and evaluate my actions or beliefs, slightly tuning or changing them as I uncover deeper layers of myself or the outside world
- Negative visualisation (premeditatio malorum) – I frequently contemplate worst-case scenarios so that when life hits hard I am not shocked. I don’t hold a negative view but instead I mentally prepare myself for negative outcomes so that even the slightest positive outcome becomes a win
- Voluntary discomfort – I frequently (and wilfully) expose myself to discomfort. I take cold showers, I sometimes cary heavy burdens over long distances instead of using a car. It clears my mind and makes me appreciate things
- Focusing on what I can control – I’ve found that letting go of the things that aren’t under my control helps me decrease anxiety, while acting on the things that I can control makes me feel (and become) highly productive
- Happiness as a practice – I choose to be happy, I build my happiness through practice and patience