1. You become less affected to what people think about you
Without even thinking about it, our normal default is to constantly worry about other people's opinion of us. Stoicism teaches us that other people's opinions and thoughts are not within our control, therefore should not be our concern. No matter what you do, you can never control other people's feelings, words and behaviour towards you. You can however, control who you want to be friends with, who to listen to, which opinions matter, and which people you want to be spending your time with.
2. You have more awareness on what you can and can't control
Stoicism teaches us that there are things that we have control and things that we don't have control. Understanding this principle enables us to stop wasting time, energy and emotion on things that we can't change, and start focusing on those that we can change. It is irrational to be pissed at the weather because you can never make rain stop, or make the sun come out, but instead, you can change your own location so you don't have to be exposed to those circumstances. According to the stoics, the things that we have control over, are our voluntary actions and our judgements.
3. You become less anxious and depressed
Understanding stoicism makes you realize on focusing on the now, as it is the only real time you can really control. According to Seneca, one of the stoic fathers, "there are more things likely to frighten us, than there are to crush us; we suffer more often in imagination than in reality". Apparently, we are more prone to worrying about future events and how things can go wrong, rather than worrying on the present. By practicing Stoic philosophy, we can stop thinking about what happens tomorrow, and just live in the present.
4. You start being fine with having less rather than wanting more
While most people in our society today think that happiness comes from having more, the stoics believe that true freedom is only found once we start wanting less. Hedonic Adaptation reveals to us that the things we pursue in life, which we think will make us happy, will eventually become a new baseline once we've achieved them and that we will never stop climbing up that ladder. Instead of constantly being on a pursuit of happiness, Stoicism teaches you to start wanting what you already have. If we think about it, simply being alive is more than enough to be thankful for.
5. You'll be more grateful of what you have
The Stoic fathers, Seneca and Epictetus, state that paying attention and giving recognition to the things you already have will bring you true happiness and joy. Stoicism teaches you to develop an attitude of gratefulness - thankful not only for the gifts we receive and our relationships with friends and families, but also for the setbacks and annoyances that that we get, because all these things contribute to the person that we become. Failure gives you a lesson of how not to fail next time. All things that happen, whether they're happy or sad, define the course of your life and you are where you are right now because of all those things.
6. You can learn the practice of Premeditatio Malorum (Premeditation of Evils)
Premeditatio Malorum is the premeditation of unfortunate events that might happen in the future. In our day to day lives, we know that certain things can always go wrong unexpectedly. Doing this exercise gives you the awareness that life is temporary, and increases your realization that anything or anyone can be taken away from you at any given time. This mindset will allow you to become less reactive, if not totally indifferent to unfortunate events that are out of our control.
7. You stay calm and indifferent to highly stressful situations
Stoicism, according to Tim Ferriss (The 4-Hour Workweek), is the best operational system to use for thriving in high stress environments. To continue making effective decisions under harsh circumstances, you have to maintain focus on what you can control, and not on what you can't control. If you make a critical mistake for instance, instead of constantly regretting about that mistake, it is better to keep calm and think logically on how to correct that mistake, or how to move yourself forward. Stoicism dwells on the principle of constantly listening to logic and reason, and not getting lost in emotion.
8. You enjoy life more by living in the present
Sometimes, our minds take us down a path of imagining how bad things are, and the million ways that anything can go wrong. Marcus Aurelius, one of the stoic founders, believes that this mentality will bring us crippling fear and will paralyze us from doing any useful action. Stoicism teaches us to live in the present, forgetting about yesterday and not thinking about tomorrow. The past is done and can't be changed, it is best for us to learn from it but not dwell on it. The future, on the second hand, will have enough troubles of its own, it will come soon enough.
9. You become a more peaceful person
Living in this fast paced world, Stoicism teaches us the forgotten meditative art of stillness. Stillness is the ability to remain calm and focus on reflection, when the world has gone into chaos. To act with zen-like calm, despite how stressful any situation turns into. It is the capability to pause and reflect, when the odds have gone against you.
10. You get focused on building a better character
Stoicism teaches you to despise ego, not because you have to walk a straight and narrower path, but because most of the time, it impedes good judgement and prevents logical action. The stoics believe that living a virtuous life, one that believes in doing the right thing, is the path to true happiness. They accept life as it is without any outward display of emotion. A stoic believes that ego is the true enemy, as it becomes very destructive and irrational when allowed to rule a person's life.
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