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Unshakable Freedom: Ancient Stoic Secrets Applied to Modern Life
How can we achieve total personal freedom when we have so many obligations and so many demands on our time? Is personal freedom even possible?
Yes, it is possible, said the Stoics and gave us a blue print for freedom. The teachings were lost but have been rediscovered in recent times and form the basis of modern cognitive therapy.
In his new book, Unshakable Freedom, Dr. Chuck Chakrapani outlines the Stoic secrets for achieving total freedom, no matter who you are and what obstacles you face in life. Using modern examples, Chuck explores how anyone can achieve personal freedom by practicing a few mind-training techniques.
Here’s what others have to say about the book:
Choose This Book
Chuck Chakrapani reveals for modern eyes what the ancient Stoics knew: True freedom comes from choosing wisely. Here’s an aligned piece of advice – choose this book.
Robert Cialdini PhD, Author Influence and Pre-suasion
Fast, Interesting, And It Works
Chuck Chakrapani brings Stoic philosophy to the world of today, the world in which we live, love, compete, win, lose, but never escape. Our world. The early Stoics and those who succeeded them have much to teach, but it takes a thoughtful writer to give us this wisdom in the way WE NEED TO LEARN. Chuck is one of those writers. Read this book … it’s fast, interesting, but most of all it WORKS.
Dr. Howard Moskowitz, Chief Science Officer, Mind Genomics Advisors
A Timely And Readable Reminder
We live in a time when happiness and autonomy are commonly equated with higher levels of and options for consumption. This little book is a timely and readable reminder that the path to enjoyment and independence lies elsewhere.
Thomas Dunk PhD, Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, Brock University
[This Book] Can Change Your Life For Good
Unshakable Freedom is a wonderful guide to those who want real freedom and peace in a complex and challenging world. It also vividly portrays many of the leaders and prominent people who have found success by following these principles. It really can change your life for good.
Ashref Hashim, President, The Blackstone Group
For Greater Productivity, Prosperity And Inner Peace
In Unshakable Freedom, Chuck identifies that the only thing stopping us from being happy is ourselves. The stoic tenets outlined, if followed, will lead to greater productivity, prosperity, and inner peace for the reader. Thanks to Chuck for the inspiration!
Dr. Kara Mitchelmore, CEO, Marketing Research & Intelligence Association
Immediately Practical
Chuck Chakrapani has written this wonderful book of timeless, immensely practical messages to help us generate powerful real-world impact and remind us how to stay free and appreciative. Unshakable Freedom provides an immediately practical lesson to gain freedom and personal power.
Sabine Steinbrecher, CEO, The Learning Library
Designed To Improve Quality Of Life
Unshakable Freedom is about finding peace of mind. Stoic philosophy is a tool to address daily travails – big and small. The author has proposed techniques designed to lead to freedom, happiness, and a better quality of life. I recommend that you go through the book slowly, absorb, and practice.
Naresh Malhotra, CEO Global, Novatrek
Yes, it is possible, said the Stoics and gave us a blue print for freedom. The teachings were lost but have been rediscovered in recent times and form the basis of modern cognitive therapy.
In his new book, Unshakable Freedom, Dr. Chuck Chakrapani outlines the Stoic secrets for achieving total freedom, no matter who you are and what obstacles you face in life. Using modern examples, Chuck explores how anyone can achieve personal freedom by practicing a few mind-training techniques.
Here’s what others have to say about the book:
Choose This Book
Chuck Chakrapani reveals for modern eyes what the ancient Stoics knew: True freedom comes from choosing wisely. Here’s an aligned piece of advice – choose this book.
Robert Cialdini PhD, Author Influence and Pre-suasion
Fast, Interesting, And It Works
Chuck Chakrapani brings Stoic philosophy to the world of today, the world in which we live, love, compete, win, lose, but never escape. Our world. The early Stoics and those who succeeded them have much to teach, but it takes a thoughtful writer to give us this wisdom in the way WE NEED TO LEARN. Chuck is one of those writers. Read this book … it’s fast, interesting, but most of all it WORKS.
Dr. Howard Moskowitz, Chief Science Officer, Mind Genomics Advisors
A Timely And Readable Reminder
We live in a time when happiness and autonomy are commonly equated with higher levels of and options for consumption. This little book is a timely and readable reminder that the path to enjoyment and independence lies elsewhere.
Thomas Dunk PhD, Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, Brock University
[This Book] Can Change Your Life For Good
Unshakable Freedom is a wonderful guide to those who want real freedom and peace in a complex and challenging world. It also vividly portrays many of the leaders and prominent people who have found success by following these principles. It really can change your life for good.
Ashref Hashim, President, The Blackstone Group
For Greater Productivity, Prosperity And Inner Peace
In Unshakable Freedom, Chuck identifies that the only thing stopping us from being happy is ourselves. The stoic tenets outlined, if followed, will lead to greater productivity, prosperity, and inner peace for the reader. Thanks to Chuck for the inspiration!
Dr. Kara Mitchelmore, CEO, Marketing Research & Intelligence Association
Immediately Practical
Chuck Chakrapani has written this wonderful book of timeless, immensely practical messages to help us generate powerful real-world impact and remind us how to stay free and appreciative. Unshakable Freedom provides an immediately practical lesson to gain freedom and personal power.
Sabine Steinbrecher, CEO, The Learning Library
Designed To Improve Quality Of Life
Unshakable Freedom is about finding peace of mind. Stoic philosophy is a tool to address daily travails – big and small. The author has proposed techniques designed to lead to freedom, happiness, and a better quality of life. I recommend that you go through the book slowly, absorb, and practice.
Naresh Malhotra, CEO Global, Novatrek
163 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 1, 2016
114 people are currently reading
451 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
March 20, 2017
By far the best introduction to Stoicism I have read. I would strongly recommend this as the first book for anyone wanting to learn more about the philosophy. After reading this, I'd recommend moving on to something like "Stoicism and the Art of Happiness" by Donald Robertson. That will take you deeper into all of the topics explored here.
Unshakable Freedom is written in a very engaging and accessible format. Well done to Chuck for breaking down a complex topic so well, and without losing the critical essence of it.
Unshakable Freedom is written in a very engaging and accessible format. Well done to Chuck for breaking down a complex topic so well, and without losing the critical essence of it.
August 17, 2017
Unshakable Freedom, unshakable confidence. Introduced me to Stoic practices via a metaphor of the Stoic Gym. Especially enjoyed the "Marcus' Nine Technique". 4 questions and 5 reminders to help in social situations. This book is full of actionable strategies for "How to live a good life?"
December 31, 2017
Great introduction to the high-level ideas of Stoicism. The book is short and easy to read.
The core idea in this book, and what I've learned from Stoicism more generally, is to put your mind towards things in your control, and not in the things you can't control. This concept allows us to think rationally about fear, anger, resentment, and death, because they are simply not in our control. We can focus on cultivating virtue, the right state of mind, and work towards the things we want in life. However, we should not be attached to the externals we are striving for, because they are not in our complete control.
I am intrigued by the idea of incorporating Stoic practices into my life. However, I would be more confident in the exercises if they are more based on CBT, than ad-hoc. My next stoic book will be by Donald Robertson, and try to pick 1/2 habits to start ingraining into my life.
The core idea in this book, and what I've learned from Stoicism more generally, is to put your mind towards things in your control, and not in the things you can't control. This concept allows us to think rationally about fear, anger, resentment, and death, because they are simply not in our control. We can focus on cultivating virtue, the right state of mind, and work towards the things we want in life. However, we should not be attached to the externals we are striving for, because they are not in our complete control.
I am intrigued by the idea of incorporating Stoic practices into my life. However, I would be more confident in the exercises if they are more based on CBT, than ad-hoc. My next stoic book will be by Donald Robertson, and try to pick 1/2 habits to start ingraining into my life.
June 5, 2021
Brilliant !!
November 29, 2017
This is one of the best books on Stoicism I have read. It is a perfect introduction to Stoic beliefs and principles and the author does a great job of showing how these ancient ideas are applicable to modern day living. Stoic concepts are expressed very clearly and effectively and the book is full of practical exercises, which are very useful in dealing with common problems in everyday life. All in all, this is a deeply interesting and thought-provoking book with real life-changing potential. It has encouraged me to delve deeper into Stoic philosophy and I look forward to exploring some other books recommended by the author!
May 29, 2018
After reading Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus, and some Seneca, I wanted to dig a little deeper into Stoicism. This book was on nearly every Stoicism reading list. It was okay. It serves as a nice introduction: here are the philosophers, here is what they believed, etc. The strength of this book lies in the practical applications of Stoicism to modern life. These principles are peppered throughout the book but are nicely gathered together at the end.
Side note, this book was full of typos.
Side note, this book was full of typos.
March 18, 2021
An excellent primer on stoicism.
April 19, 2020
When my religious faith came up short, and I left that life behind, I felt both liberated and lost. After deconstructing decades of religious theory and practice, I spent several years exploring ancient western and eastern philosophies. The one that has most resonated with me is stoicism, which has experienced such a renaissance in recent years that is almost feels passe' to claim it as a personal philosophy. But for me, stoicism has not been a passing fad. In fact, both ancient and modern stoic writers have filled the void left by religion.
Of the stoic books I've read, this ranks near the top from a straightforward and practicable standpoint. It's rather simple and doesn't break much new ground. For those just starting to explore stoicism, this would be as good a start as any. For experienced stoics, the book provides few new insights, but I still enjoyed the straightforward ideas, affirmations, and the author does provide some new practices and meditations, which I've since implemented.
The term "freedom" is used by the author repeatedly (including in the title) as a pseudonym for eudaimonia (i.e., "the good life," well being, happiness). The author touches on all of the major tenants of stoicism:
- The dichotomy of control: the idea that unless you have complete control over something, you have no control, and should not base any level of well being on it.
- The concept of "preferred indifferents"
- The four cardinal virtues of stoicism: wisdom, justice, courage, and moderation/temperance, and getting off the hedonistic treadmill.
- How feelings of entitlement lead to a great deal of frustration because we are not entitled to much of anything as far as nature or the cosmos are concerned.
The author also provides some techniques and meditations for practicing stoics that I've added to my routines, like pause-and-examine techniques, impersonal projections techniques (e.g., "Things that happen to us are impersonal. Yet we take them personally."), and negative visualization.
The only part that was slightly lacking is the inadequate discussion on balancing stoic acceptance with rational effort. In other words, success - while a preferred indifferent - (at least as defined in modern western civilization) is ultimately not necessary to "live the good life," yet there is still a rational case to be made for striving towards some worldly success.
Otherwise, a straightforward book on stoicism for both new and experienced stoics.
Of the stoic books I've read, this ranks near the top from a straightforward and practicable standpoint. It's rather simple and doesn't break much new ground. For those just starting to explore stoicism, this would be as good a start as any. For experienced stoics, the book provides few new insights, but I still enjoyed the straightforward ideas, affirmations, and the author does provide some new practices and meditations, which I've since implemented.
The term "freedom" is used by the author repeatedly (including in the title) as a pseudonym for eudaimonia (i.e., "the good life," well being, happiness). The author touches on all of the major tenants of stoicism:
- The dichotomy of control: the idea that unless you have complete control over something, you have no control, and should not base any level of well being on it.
- The concept of "preferred indifferents"
- The four cardinal virtues of stoicism: wisdom, justice, courage, and moderation/temperance, and getting off the hedonistic treadmill.
- How feelings of entitlement lead to a great deal of frustration because we are not entitled to much of anything as far as nature or the cosmos are concerned.
The author also provides some techniques and meditations for practicing stoics that I've added to my routines, like pause-and-examine techniques, impersonal projections techniques (e.g., "Things that happen to us are impersonal. Yet we take them personally."), and negative visualization.
The only part that was slightly lacking is the inadequate discussion on balancing stoic acceptance with rational effort. In other words, success - while a preferred indifferent - (at least as defined in modern western civilization) is ultimately not necessary to "live the good life," yet there is still a rational case to be made for striving towards some worldly success.
Otherwise, a straightforward book on stoicism for both new and experienced stoics.
June 6, 2021
About a month ago, I stumbled upon the word and teachings of a “stoic” and was in absolute disbelief and excitement to discover that the way I have naturally cultivated my thinking processes to be similar as to what I was discovering about the ancient practice of stoicism. Due to the similarity in my own thinking pattern and this philosophy, I begun the hunt for a good, introductory book about stoicism in modern day life. That is when I stumbled upon this book that has turned out to be an amazing starter. Not only does it go over the philosophies of stoicism, but it does so in an easy, digestible way for a reader and potential stoic of any level. Furthermore, it includes the ways in which certain words and phrases have changed in meaning throughout time, which helped immensely in understanding the teachings in both the past and present. For me, this book confirmed that my thinking pattern was on the right track for the life I want and the feeling of freedom that I desire, while also expanding on certain ideas and clarifying certain thought patterns that I had yet to flesh out. Another bonus was the way the author included various techniques and practices to strengthen one’s stoic thinking.
10/10 - If you want a great introductory book on the ancient philosophies of a stoic, look no further. You have found your start!
10/10 - If you want a great introductory book on the ancient philosophies of a stoic, look no further. You have found your start!
September 21, 2020
Este es un libro fantástico para estos momentos de malas noticias y de absoluta incertidumbre que están haciendo tanto daño. Desde siempre me interesó la filosofía estoica, pero apenas sabía nada de ella. Este libro es una muy buena forma de empezar a conocerla y practicarla. No solo resume el "meollo" de las obras estoicas (como las "Meditaciones" de Marco Aurelio), sino que te da las herramientas para practicarla en tu día a día.
Pienso que vivir al 100% la filosofía estoica (que se resume en que solo te puedes preocupar de lo que puedes controlar, y puede controla muy, muy poco), es muy difícil, pero aplicar una buena parte de sus conceptos supondrá una mejora sustancial en cómo te tomas las cosas y en cómo vives.
Un libro muy, muy recomendable. Ojalá lo leyera mucha gente.
Pienso que vivir al 100% la filosofía estoica (que se resume en que solo te puedes preocupar de lo que puedes controlar, y puede controla muy, muy poco), es muy difícil, pero aplicar una buena parte de sus conceptos supondrá una mejora sustancial en cómo te tomas las cosas y en cómo vives.
Un libro muy, muy recomendable. Ojalá lo leyera mucha gente.
July 27, 2019
Out of all introductions to Stoicism that i have read, this is most simple and at the same time just enough for a beginner.
For someone who's not familiar with roots of Cynicism and Stoicism and who wants more of a self-help book than an academic one (Becker's book or The Cambridge Companion to the Stoics) i would definitely suggest this one.
For someone who's not familiar with roots of Cynicism and Stoicism and who wants more of a self-help book than an academic one (Becker's book or The Cambridge Companion to the Stoics) i would definitely suggest this one.
January 8, 2021
Not a bad book, but definitely a beginner introduction to stoicism. As mentioned in some reviews below the most useful content is probably the practical applications. The book itself contains a lot of unnecessary repetition. I would recommend as an introduction to those who have not read anything on stoicism, and if you already have some experience with it look elsewhere.
July 2, 2018
Practical Stoicism primer
Great book with listed techniques. Ones who don't have the time to read ancient books can refer this which gives many techniques developed from the Stoic masters. A necessary book as you continue to master Stoicism.
Great book with listed techniques. Ones who don't have the time to read ancient books can refer this which gives many techniques developed from the Stoic masters. A necessary book as you continue to master Stoicism.
November 4, 2017
A reminder that common sense works...
March 12, 2018
It's ok, it reads more like an article. Good starting point if you're getting into Stoicism.
May 26, 2018
It's not bad, but it is not a great book on Stoicism. It has a self help feeling to it.
July 26, 2018
great, valuable and practical #stoicism for everyday life
May 8, 2020
رائع، مدخل ممتاز الى الرواقية، وصاحبه يوضّح الكثير ممّا يساء فهمه حول هذه الفلسفة
September 17, 2020
Better than most books on the reinterpretation of stoic philosophy for the modern world but still leaves you wanting for more. Again, a good book for beginners but not for someone who has already dabbled in the Stoic philosophy. A few quotes/techniques from Marcus Aurelius/Seneca/Epictetus are thrown in and discussed. So, you're better off reading the classical works directly. Nothing beats the classics especially, Seneca's Letters from a Stoic.
November 24, 2020
Good read
My first book on Stoicism, which I found easy to read and follow. I think the ideas presented will be beneficial to apply to my life with practice.
My first book on Stoicism, which I found easy to read and follow. I think the ideas presented will be beneficial to apply to my life with practice.
May 8, 2021
Stoicism for beginners, this book provides basic concepts and recommendations for a Virtuous Life living according to nature. I personally enjoyed this one.
March 15, 2022
Good short intro into some of Stoicisms most important teachings and ways to practically use these.
January 27, 2023
Worth reading.
June 11, 2024
Some good stories, could've used a better editing job.
November 19, 2024
One of the best introductions to Stoicism I have read. Straightforward, easy to read, and practical. Excellent!
December 15, 2024
This book changed my life in a good way.If your person is struck with life this may guide you.
January 15, 2019
Good and concise introduction to Stoic ideas and practices.
Each chapter explains a certain Stoic concept, eg. the dichotomy of control, accompanied by relevant (modern or ancient) anecdotes. It ends with a few practical techniques and exercises we can apply in our daily life.
A good amount of useful repetition of ideas, but repeating quotes or one of the charts on the next few pages seemed a bit redundant.
Each chapter explains a certain Stoic concept, eg. the dichotomy of control, accompanied by relevant (modern or ancient) anecdotes. It ends with a few practical techniques and exercises we can apply in our daily life.
A good amount of useful repetition of ideas, but repeating quotes or one of the charts on the next few pages seemed a bit redundant.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews