Focus on What Matters: A Collection of Stoic Letters on Living Well

by Darius Foroux

Why is it so hard to live well amidst the chaos and noise? While you might think this is a problem of the modern world, it's a timeless issue. 2000 years ago, the ancient Stoics talked about the exact same challenges we're facing today,
The answers can be found in the philosophy of Stoicism. I've used the philosophy since 2014 to change my life and career. Focus on What Matters is a collection of 70 letters/essays I wrote about different aspects of life, from happiness, wealth, health to relationships and much more. These letters, inspired by the original works of the Stoic philosopher Seneca, serve as reminders to focus on the right things in our chaotic lives. The goal of the original "Letters From A Stoic" by Seneca was to share Stoic ideas with his friend, Lucilius, who had hedonistic tendencies and lived a busy life. Focus on What Matters is inspired by those letters. It will show you..
In short, this book helps you to live well despite the challenges of daily life.

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Psychology, Personal Development, Mental Health, Productivity

204 pages, Hardcover

Published January 21, 2024

About the author

Darius Foroux (pronounced as Da-reeus Fo-roo) is the author of 7 books, and the creator of 6 online courses.

He writes about productivity, business, and wealth building. His ideas and work have been featured in TIME, NBC, Fast Company, Inc., Observer, and many more publications. Until now, more than 30 million people have read his articles.

Reviews

[Amit · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75 ⭐

GENRE - NON FICTION

PAGES - 273

There is a quote from this book that sums it up for me

" CONSIDER YOURSELF AS AN ACTOR IN A PLAY. THE NATURE OF PLAY — WHETHER SHORT OR LONG — IS FOR THE DIRECTOR TO DECIDE. THE DIRECTOR WILL ALSO DECIDE WHETHER YOUR ROLE IS ONE OF A POOR PERSON, A RICH PERSON, A CRIPPLE, A KING OR A COMMONER.
YOU AS AN ACTOR DO NOT DECIDE THESE THINGS.LIKE AN ACCOMPLISHED ACTOR YOU NEED TO PERFORM THE ROLE ASSIGNED TO YOU IN LIFE SKILLFULLY.THE RESPONSIBILITY OF DECIDING WHAT ROLE YOU PLAY RESTS WITH SOMEONE ELSE."

The book is full of anecdotes, quotes and stories mixed with ancient Greek philosophy on life inspired by Stoics or Stoicism. Stoicism is a school of Hellenistic philosophy that flourished in ancient Greece and Rome.
The author is using one of the Stoic philosophers Seneca who was a philosopher, politician and advisor to the King of the Roman Empire, Nero.

Towards the end of his life Seneca started traveling and writing letters to his friend, Lucilius. This book is inspired by the thoughts and learnings of those 124 letters Seneca wrote to his friend Lucilius.

Absolutely loved the book because it introduces me to Stoicism which before reading this book I wasn't aware of. Also 2000 years ago, ancient Stoics talked about the exact same challenges we are facing today.

Highly Recommended!!
Thank you 😊🙏💚

[Olysavra · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not finish it. It is for hipsters discovering stoicism.

[Denver Kulecho · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very wonderful book. My key takeaways are as follows;

Cease to hope and you’ll cease to fear
I hope to get a new job- I wonder what my new job will look like
Every time you get angry you’re only harming yourself
Anything that doesn’t have a positive impact is useless
Don’t allow another person to make an opinion for you
Only consume things that have a positive impact in your life
When we achieve great things, we do great work and to do work we need to focus
By eliminating most things from your life for sometime you can make great progress
If you truly want to become great, it will require sustains greatness for a long period of time
When you have pain you have the resource of endurance within you
Spend on things that make you a better human
When you want to please everyone in your life you end up harming your own self worth
plan everything in life, just don’t get attached to it
Don’t wish for things to happen the way you like, instead welcome whatever happened as if you wanted it to happen
Life is more better when the present moment is your playground
Wisdom is about having meaning in your life
Dedicate your life to the persist of wisdom
We need to do the hard things to maintain the equilibrium
You never know when it’s your time to check out, so you better enjoy your stay

“Progress is not achieved by luck or accident, but by working on yourself daily
Things are certainly easier when you have more money reach
Do something everyday that improves you and give it your attention
And yet don’t leave angry like them …be true to who you are; caring,sympathetic&kind, stay true to who you’re
Happiness is not only being able to live well with yourself…that’s the foundation
To desire pleasure is to accept pain,when you desire nothing you become emotionally free
Focus on what you control and be free
Success brings problems and breeds greed
Don’t be surprised when you go beyond your goal …keep rowing
Most human beings are obsessed with approval from other human beings because we want to be liked by others
Not judging others quickly will save from misperceiving their actions
Make us of what you can control and take the rest as it happens
History doesn’t repeat itself it rhymes

[Aniruddha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple and straight to the point. Each chapter (letter) could be read randomly at any point.

[Linas Jokubaitis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Atsitiktinai naršydamas „Instagram“ aptikau įdomų postą su ištraukomis iš knygos „Focus on What Matters“. Knygos pavadinimas mane sudomino ir pažadino viltį, kad joje rasiu atsakymus į klausimą, kas gyvenime yra svarbiausia. Būdamas 34 metų vis dar jaučiuosi klaidžiojantis ir nesuprantantis savo gyvenimo prioritetų :)).

Nors universitete lankiau filosofijos paskaitas, stoicizmo filosofijos žinios buvo išblėsusios. Tikriausiai praleidau tas paskaitas. Pasitelkęs „Google“ pagalbą, atradau, kad autorius remiasi žymiausių stoikų – Senekos, Marko Aurelijaus ir Epikteto – idėjomis. Knygos formatas – laiškų rinkinys – taip pat primena Senekos laiškus Lucilijui, kurie knygos autorių sužavėjo savo asmeniškumu ir aktualumu šiandienos žmogui.

Mane sužavėjo, kad knygoje nėra sudėtingų filosofinių išvedžiojimų. Autorius paprasta ir aiškia kalba perteikia stoikų filosofijos principus ir praktiškai pritaikomas vertybes, padedančias siekti gyvenimo balanso.

Knygoje pabrėžiama mintis, kad turime sutelkti dėmesį į tai, ką galime kontroliuoti, ir nukreipti savo resursus nuo to, kas nuo mūsų nepriklauso. Šis principas primena Stephen R. Covey knygos „7 efektyviai veikiančių žmonių principai“ pirmąjį principą – „Būk proaktyvus“.

Sutelkti dėmesį į tai, ką galime kontroliuoti, reiškia sutelkti dėmesį į savo vidinį pasaulį: savo mintis, jausmus, elgesį, vertybes ir tikslus. Būdami proaktyvūs, o ne reaktyvūs, galime sąmoningai rinktis, kur nukreipti savo energiją ir laiką. Valdydami savo vidinį pasaulį, įgyjame galią kontroliuoti savo likimą. Valdydami savo mintis, galime tinkamai reaguoti į išorinius iššūkius. Pavyzdžiui, susidūrę su stresine situacija, galime sąmoningai nukreipti savo mintis į teigiamus dalykus, tokius kaip problemos sprendimas ar pagalbos paieška. Taip pat galime nuspręsti nepasiduoti negatyvioms emocijoms, tokioms kaip pyktis ar baimė. Tokiu būdu galime pasiekti daugiau, gyventi prasmingesnį ir pilnavertiškesnį gyvenimą.

Knyga „Focus on What Matters“ rekomenduoju tiems, kurie:

Ieško būdų, kaip sutelkti dėmesį į tai, kas iš tiesų svarbu.
Nori išmokti valdyti savo mintis ir jausmus.
Siekia gyventi prasmingesnį ir pilnavertiškesnį gyvenimą.

[Deepak · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of those books that I will come back to re read later in life. Key notes from the book:

If you dont have a higher purpose, make the pursuit of knowledge your purpose.
Learning always creates positive energy. And it is okay if you do not apply all that you learn, because you will never know when you will end up applying the learning.

Seize to hope, seize to fear

Avoid looking into the future for too long

Operate from a place of equanamity

Focus on a personal project that you control (not others, not luck). Writing could be one; fitness could be another.

Dont try to have too many focus areas. Eg if work, family and fitness are focus areas, you might want to let go of something else like a rich social life.

Unhealthy mind - constantly worried about things outside of its control, inconsistent - randomly happy one day and sad another, insecure. Critical to have a mind that is composed irrespective of the situation.

Dont do things that do not align with your inner self.

Choose not to be harmed, and you will not be harmed. It is the stories we tell ourselves that we can control.

Be the same person in every situation. This is just a liberating way of living.

Make your own decisions. Take inputs from others, but do not let others decide for you.

Dont get attached to your plans. When something unexpected happens, be flexible and adjust.

Happiness = chase learning, be in the pursuit of learning.

Just take the next step. Dont fixate on the finish line.

Dont spend all your time between “here” and “there”. Be in the present, enjoy the today.

If you want to be successful at work, you need to pay a price. Do not begrudge this price to pay, or else you will be at inner conflict with yourself. And if you decide not to pay this price, do not expect the outcome either - that will be foolish.

Celebrating other people’s success than being jealous of it - this is a super underrated and overlooked quality.

Being in a constant state of dissatisfaction is the key reason for unhappiness. We forget that we also won the ovarian lottery - being born in a decent country / decent family etc

Practice precision - writing >> speaking

Assess at the end of the day - did you make the most of your day? Physical fitness, reading, work etc etc. If the answer to this question is yes, you are on the right path.

Keep your stoic approach to yourself. That way you do not piss off other people.

We should not be impatient. Impatience makes us treat people poorly

Get off Twitter. Lots of negative news, and most of the things are outside your control. People who consume a lot of news become passive

[Charvi Vitthal · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very crisp and to-the-point book. I like the small bite-sized chapters of wisdom. Being a part of a middle class Indian family, with a mother who loves to read, I have seen many aspects of stoicism and minimalism throughout my life. Still, reading about them served to refresh my memory and reconnect me to my roots. Some teachings were new for me and I enjoyed reading them and the way of thinking described in the book. I took my time reading this book, written in bite-sized chapters of wisdom nuggets, and I might return to it again in the future. This book is a helpful reminder of stoicism and good thought/lifestyle practices that I feel would be helpful to me time and again, specially in moments of distress.

[Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Each topic is brief and precise. When it comes to psychology or an ideology, I, as a reader, am usually focused on the gist of the whole discussion. Here, each letter was brief, which made it easier for me to read. Otherwise, I usually lose interest when the authors start long debates. Overall, it was an interesting read.

[Aastha Gwalani · Rating 5 out of 5]

I believe this is the kind of book which you can't mark as 'done'. (Similar to 'the daily stoic)
It is that book which you can keep near you and pull it up anytime to get you that warm emotional snuggle; a reminder in the form of short letters that life will always have elements beyond your control but living it by focusing on the things that really matter (to you) can make it a worthwhile stride.

Btw, my fav line from the book : History doesn't repeat, it rhymes!

[Tristan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This came at a pivotal point in my life. While nothing new if you're familiar with stoic principles, as someone who has never read an ounce of philosophy, this was the perfect introduction.

[Samuel Adeosun · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is simply a collection of Stoic letters and here is one: :)


Out of all the Stoic philosophers I’ve read, Seneca is the one who spoke most about wealth. After all, he came from a wealthy family and didn’t have to worry about money for most of his life. He also was Rome’s leading intellectual and was the closest advisor of the emperor Nero (who reigned between 54 AD and 62 AD).

But Seneca didn’t have status and wealth for his entire life. The last part of his life was tragic. After he lost his influence in politics, he retreated from active life until 65 AD, when he was accused of being part of a conspiracy to murder Nero. As a punishment, Seneca was ordered to commit suicide, which he actually did without resistance.

During those last three years of his life, Seneca wrote his best philosophical work. It was a period defined by simplicity and travel. He wrote:

"The man who needs wealth is afraid of it, and no man enjoys an asset that is a source of trouble. He is eager to add something to it, and while he is concentrating on the increase he has forgotten to use it."

When you believe that being rich is so important that your life depends on it, you will probably do everything to acquire more money.📌

People who think that more money means more happiness usually try their best to make more money. This is the psychology of many people for centuries. The only goal they have is to accumulate more. And in the pursuit of money, those people actually forget why they pursued money in the first place.

A great book about money and investing is The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel, a long - time financial writer, and investor. I highly recommend that book to anyone who wants to have a healthy relationship with money and doesn’t want to fall for the trap of accumulating more for the sake of accumulation.



Highly recommended!

[Rohan Shrivastava · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently finished reading Focus on What Matters by Darius Foroux and it was truly a refreshing experience.
The book is short, simple, and filled with deep wisdom that makes you pause and reflect.
It teaches how important it is to stop wasting energy on things that don’t really matter.
The main message is clear: focus your time, thoughts, and efforts on what truly matters to you.
It reminded me that life is short and we shouldn’t spend it pleasing others or chasing things we don’t even value.
The writing style is very simple and direct — no unnecessary fluff or complicated ideas.
Every chapter is short but meaningful, and each one gave me something new to think about.
It talks about avoiding distractions like overthinking, social media, and seeking validation.
It helped me understand that being productive is not about doing more, but doing what’s actually important.
The book also touches on mindset, peace of mind, discipline, clarity, and confidence.
It encourages you to build a life based on your values and let go of things outside your control.
I really liked how honest and practical the book is — it doesn’t try to sound smart, it just tells the truth.
One of my favorite lines was: “Every time you focus on something that doesn’t matter, you take energy away from what does.”
This book made me rethink how I use my time, especially where my attention goes every day.
It reminded me that saying no to distractions is just as important as saying yes to our goals.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone feeling lost, distracted, or mentally tired.
It’s a great guide to reset your life and focus only on what actually matters.
Overall, I loved it and I’ll definitely come back to it whenever I need clarity or direction.

[Aditi Nayak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written with brevity and simplicity, Darius provides an accessible introduction to key philosophical underpinnings of Stoicism. Peppered with quotes from Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus, Seneca and lesser-known stoics like Musonius Rufus and Zeno, this book relates how the ancient philosophy can be incorporated into daily life to help one expect less, enjoy more and live in alignment with oneself.

[Maher Razouk · Rating 5 out of 5]

‏نحن لا نتحكم في معظم الأشياء في الحياة. سيكون هناك دائمًا قضايا تدعو للقلق. سواء كان ركودًا أو حرباً أو كارثة طبيعية أو احتجاجًا أو مشكلة اجتماعية، فلا يمكنك الهروب من الأشياء السيئة. عليك أن تتعلم اللامبالاة تجاه الأشياء الخارجة عن إرادتك والتي تؤثر على سعادتك.

Darius Foroux

[Hannah Maerix · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reminders I need bcos I’ve been disappointed and harsh on myself lately :”) Super love how it tackled both inner and outer journey !

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This brought me mental peace. But yes I wanted it be better.

[Maja · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 stars

[Velichka Georgieva · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoughtful, grounding read that encourages less reaction and more reflection.

[Patricia Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must to live a peaceful life.

[Phoebe Stanford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy read. Nice vibes

[Viren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read so many books on stoics and their philosophy and this book only adds to their philosophy....Very lucidly, effortlessly application of stoics concepts into daily life....A must read.

[Rolee Agarwal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has the power to change how one looks at life. “You can only control a few things and to lead a happy life, it’s enough to focus on those”. The author had written it during pandemic lockdown of 2020 and even though times were different then, they aren’t any easy now. So much to learn from what the author says in the book and ideas from Stoicism but only if we could retain and implement those learnings in our life.

[Prabhakaran Elumalai]

Good one to waste your time!

[Amit Gandhi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a refreshing take on self-help—easy to read, clear, and genuinely engaging without the usual heaviness. Darius Foroux blends Stoic wisdom with relatable real-life examples, making it practical and accessible for everyday life.

One of the strongest takeaways?
👉 “You'll have a better life if you don't waste your energy on things you can't change.”

It leaves you with a sense of calm and clarity. A great starting point if you're curious about Stoicism—this book might just spark your interest to explore it further. Uplifting, focused, and thought-provoking.

[Bhavyaaꨄ︎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good one.

[Kishan Sangani · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the things I loved about this book is the consiceness of the chapters. Human attention span is small and combined with fast paced life, the small chapters gives us important life lessons that you can consume anytime. And all the chapters are so relatable and brilliantly put. I wish to read this book again after a while to see how much of an impact it has on my life.

[Sorrowka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Buku yang bisa kamu ambil kalau ingin mencari bacaan stoikisme selain dari Henry Mampiring. Cocok untuk orang yang baru menyelami filosofi stoikisme karna buku ini dibagi ke subchapter mini, seperti membaca newsletter atau surat (ya, penulisnya memang terinspirasi dari itu).

Buatku pribadi, aku gak menemukan hal yang baru-baru sekali. Bahkan, penulisnya beberapa kali mengutip buku dari ternama yang membahas stoik juga. Tapi lumayan sebagai self-reminder.

"Tidak ada tindakan acak, tidak ada yang tidak didasarkan pada prinsip-prinsip yang melandasinya"

"Harga diri Anda bergantung pada hal-hal yang tidak bisa diambil dari Anda"

Beberapa bahasan:
- benevolent envy
- autentisitas (komitmen pribadi yang seringkali tarik menarik dengan pengaruh orang lain)
-mortality salience (bagaimana kita diingatkan tentang kematian, dan teringat ritual-ritual yang kita lakukan bersama orang terdekat tidak bisa berlangsung selamanya. Bahwa apa yang kita miliki hanyalah pinjaman dari Tuhan)
- impulsive buying
- kebijaksanaan terlihat dari tindakan

─ ⊹ ⊱ ⊰ ⊹ ── ⊹ ⊱ ⊰ ⊹ ── ⊹ ⊱ ⊰ ⊹ ── ⊹ ⊱ ⊰ ⊹ ── ⊹ ⊱ ⊰ ⊹ ─
Sekalian aku ingin curhat sedikit dari dua kutipan yang aku baca dari buku ini, hihi.
"Persahabatan berdasarkan kenyamanan adalah seseorang dengan kepentingan pribadi hanya akan bersikap baik apabila ada gunanya.

"Untuk menjadi teman yg baik, Jadilah teman yg ingin anda miliki". Tapi anda jg bisa sadar bahwa ada org lain yg tidak ingin membina hub. Emosional atau mengobrol dgn anda. Terima saja, Kita tidak bisa memaksakannya. Msh ada bnyk org yg ingin membina hubungan mendalam dgn Anda.
-> ✍️sebenarnya aku sempat overthinking, "apakah aku salah ketik atau aku pernah buat salah?" .
Tapi ketika aku cek chat lama, bahkan org tersebut tidak membalas ketika aku memberikan concern kepadanya. Saat itu mungkin muncul perasaan semacam kecewa dan marah karna aku langsung "men-doorflam" org tersebut (pertemanannya udh gk relevan, ngapain jg aku liatin status dia klo dia aja gk mau diajak interaksi). Rasanya kaya lbh parah dari sekedar, "people come and go". Tapi lama2 perasaan tersebut teralihkan karna aku msh chatan dgn teman2 ku yg lain. Dan skrng ditambah aku comment di berbagai post yg kusuka dan dapat respon (UHUK, mereka influencer juga jd harus bales biar engagement ya naik, eaaa)

Menurutku dengan adanya Instagram, sekarang kita dimudahkan untuk saling lempar reels yg "memproyeksikan" apa yg ingin kita bicarakan ke org tersebut.

[Bighead_Monster · Rating 4 out of 5]

หนังสือที่ทำให้เราโฟกัสสิ่งสำคัญในชีวิตอย่างถูกวิธีด้วยปรัชญาสโตอิก ศาสตร์แห่งการปล่อยวาง ปล่อยวางให้ใจเบาแบบเข้าใจโลก ผ่านสถานการณ์ตัวอย่างที่ให้ข้อคิดและมาในรูปแบบจดหมาย ที่ทั้งอ่านเข้าใจง่ายและจะทำให้ชีวิตดีขึ้นได้ ควบคุมในสิ่งที่ตัวเราเองทำได้ ให้หันกลับมาทุ่มสุดตัวกับสิ่งที่ใช่เขวี้ยงทิ้งไปถ้าไม่ใช่เรา
.
หนังสือพัฒนาตัวเองเล่มนี้พาเราไปรู้จักที่มาที่ไปของปรัชญาสโตอิก (รวมถึงนักปรัชญา) ชูโรงความปล่อยวาง ให้คนเราได้โฟกัสกับเรื่องสําคัญจำเป็นในชีวิต ผ่านข้อคิดการใช้ชีวิตจากปรัชญาสโตอิก (มีมานานสองพันกว่าปีแล้ว) แต่ปรับให้มีความทันสมัย ประยุกต์มาจนเข้ากับบริบทสังคมปัจจุบันให้เข้าใจง่าย

เป็นประสบการณ์ในชีวิตผสมกับปรัชญาสโตอิกของผู้เขียนที่เรียบเรียงมาเป็นจดหมาย70ฉบับ เต็มไปด้วยวิธีคิด+กลยุทธ์ทางเลือกให้ปฏิบัติตาม แบ่งออกเป็นสองบทใหญ่ ในการมองและคิด คือบนโลกภายในกับโลกภายนอก โลกภายในคือจัดการอารมณ์ความคิดของตัวเราเอง ให้ได้รู้จักตนเองและตัดสินใจให้ดีขึ้น

ชอบที่เขาบอกให้ลองใช้คำว่า ฉันหวัง เปลี่ยนเป็น ฉันสงสัยแทน หวังว่าจะสอบติดเปลี่ยนเป็น สงสัยจังสอบติดคณะไหนแล้วจะเป็นยังไง ให้เราได้ทบทวน+สังเกตพฤติกรรม การโกรธที่ไม่คุ้มค่า การเข้มงวดไปก็ไม่ดี บางจุดมีบอกว่าคิดแบบนี้คือการหลอกตัวเองอยู่มั้ย หนังสือบอกว่าใช่ (ตรง ๆ เลย555) แต่มันได้ผลไง

ส่วนในบทโลกภายนอก เป็นภาพกระทบจากปัจจัยที่มาจากคนอื่น เพื่อน เศรษฐกิจ สังคม ให้ปรับตัวเข้าสังคมด้วยเส้นทางและมาตรฐานที่ตัวเองวางไว้เอง ปล่อยให้ทุกอย่างเป็นไปละทิ้งทุกสิ่งที่เป็นภาระทางความคิดและจิตใจไปเสีย ทำสิ่งที่เราควบคุมได้ ชอบการที่เขาให้เราเป็นพยานให้ตัวเองว่าเราเก่งแค่ไหน

ซึ่งพออ่านจบให้แง่คิดทุกด้านในชีวิต ตัวบทแต่ละบทมันมีความปลงที่ไม่ได้ปลง ปลงที่ยังสู้เพื่อใช้ชีวิตดังหวัง ไม่มีใครตกต่ำลงจากการพยายามทำให้ดีขึ้นได้ สำนวนแปลสมูทดีอ่านได้ง่าย เนื้อหาก็เป็นมิตรไม่ได้มาทรงปรัชญาเข้าใจยาก มีตัวอย่างให้เห็นภาพชัด ยกตัวอย่างสถานการณ์ต่าง ๆ มาประกอบให้ได้คิดตาม

ภาพรวมเล่มนี้ดีทีเดียว อ่านแล้วได้ข้อคิดเยอะมาก ตัวอย่างสถานการณ์ที่ยกมาก็อ่านง่ายไม่วิชาการจ๋า ให้ความสําคัญกับเรื่องที่จําเป็น ยกมาจากคำสอนก็จริงแต่ก็ไม่ใช่โทนสั่งสอน อ่านแล้วให้ได้ลองมองตามแนวคิด เพื่อเรียนรู้การสร้างภูมิคุ้มกันทางใจขณะที่เราอยู่ในยุคแห่งความวุ่นวายเช่นปัจจุบันนี้

วรรคที่ชอบ

- ต้องการที่จะเห็นอีกคนประสบความสำเร็จและมีความสุข สำหรับผมแล้วนี่คือมิตรภาพที่แท้จริง

- ความพยายามยามเป็นอาหารหล่อเลี้ยงจิตวิญญาณอันสูงส่ง

- จงอย่ากล่าวว่า ฉันสูญเสียบางสิ่งไป คุณแค่คืนสิ่งนั้นไปเท่านั้น

[Neel Mazumdar · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is common to think that being Stoic is being emotionless. This book challenges that misconception by diving deep into how ancient Stoics found solutions to many of life's common problems and timeless emotions.

The book is divided into two major sections: the Inner and Outer Worlds. There are multiple subsections on topics like managing emotions and thoughts, knowing yourself better, making decisions, living a fulfilled life, building a better version of yourself, pursuing success, building wealth, managing your career, dealing with people, and dealing with hard times. Each subsection has a bunch of short letters where the author talks about principles and views with his personal stories and examples.

The reason I didn't give a 5-star rating is that the author's writing flow is a little disruptive. He jumps topics somewhat suddenly at times, and some stories/examples didn't feel relevant to the principle being talked about, or they were just weak stories or analogies. It's hard to describe, but a sense of wholeness was missing from what was otherwise a very intriguing and thoughtful body of work. The writing style sometimes felt like that of a freelance writer rather than an author.

With that out of the way, there's no denying that the content is highly valuable and thoughtfully presented. I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of new perspectives I learned from this read. Stoicism is a genuinely practical philosophy that can help anyone find stillness, hope, joy, and purpose in their everyday lives.

It is fascinating to see how ahead of their time the ancient Stoics were. The questions they contemplated are still relevant in the modern world, and the solutions are still valid. I will be applying the learnings from this book and philosophy in my life, especially during tough times. If you're going through hard times, this book is a great uplifter and motivator that reminds you to focus on what you control and take the rest as it happens.

[Riya Joseph Kaithavanathara · Rating 5 out of 5]

" By celebrating other people's success like it's your own, you grow stronger."

BOOK: Focus on what matters
AUTHOR: @dariusforoux
GENRE: #motivation , #selfhelp
RATING: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

The author discovered stoicism in 2015, when he was facing a challenging time in his life. The author has felt influenced and inspired by philosophers like Seneca, Epictetus etc which leads to the book " focus on what matters" and I find it truly enlightening and focused on the purpose of altering our life the way it is going to be the most helpful and productive for us. The book explains simple topics that we all know in a calm and steady pace, which makes this book rightfully fall under the category of "self help" , as per the meaning of the word, so does every motivational books should be, it's the things we know but someone is helping us put it into perspective in a more focused or arranged manner, someone is reassuring and pointing out to us, to go in that direction we should have. The quotes and ideas in this book are so striking, I took 10 days to read this book, I was going in a steady and slow pace by bringing it into my work , as a way to calm myself down when difficult situations arise at work. And the book has thoroughly helped the same.

" You're better off , mentally and professionally by being really focused on the things that matter to you."

"Too many of us listen too much to what others say and think. In our endless quest to please the people in our lives , we become the product of what others want."

" No matter what happens in life, you will be okay. When you can go through life that way, nothing will have the power to hold your mind captive."