Hello and welcome to this chocolate chunk of stoic wisdom.
There is also a little bit of NLP wisdom in here as well.
My name is Jackie Wright,
Also known as The Cockney Coach and our talk today is embracing the flow,
Finding love in everything that happens.
Amor Fati,
As it's known in Latin.
So imagine a life where instead of resisting the inevitable challenges and unexpected turns,
You could find a way to embrace them,
Even to love them.
This is the essence of the stoic principle Amor Fati.
It's a Latin phrase meaning love of fate.
It's not about blindly accepting everything passively,
But rather about cultivating a profound appreciation for the entirety of our lives.
The good,
The bad and the seemingly indifferent.
Why is this practice of finding a way to love everything that happens so important?
Why is it so important for promoting positive thinking?
This is because resistance breeds negativity.
When we constantly fight against reality,
When we wish things were different,
When we dwell on what should have been,
We actually create a breeding ground for frustration,
Resentment and unhappiness.
We become prisoners of our own expectations and desires and we can only ever be disappointed by our own expectations.
Amor Fati,
On the other hand,
Shifts our perspective.
It encourages us to see every event,
Every challenge as an integral part of our unique journey,
A thread woven into the tapestry of our existence.
By embracing what is,
We free ourselves from the mental anguish of wishing for a different past or a guaranteed future.
This acceptance opens the door to positive thinking because it allows us to focus on what we can learn,
How we can grow and what opportunities might arise,
Even within difficult circumstances.
It transforms obstacles from roadblocks into potential stepping stones.
So how can we practically cultivate this mindset of Amor Fati in our daily lives?
Here are a few examples.
First of all,
Embrace the unexpected detour.
Imagine you're on your way to an important appointment and you get stuck in unexpected traffic.
I know,
We've all experienced that.
Your initial reaction might be frustration and anger.
When you practice Amor Fati,
You involve acknowledging the situation without immediate resistance.
Instead of focusing on the delay,
Find something positive within it.
Perhaps it's an opportunity to listen to a podcast you enjoy,
To take a few deep breaths and practice some mindfulness or simply observe the world around you.
By shifting your focus from the negative impact to a potential opportunity for something else,
You begin to find a way to accept and even appreciate the unexpected pause.
Another way to do it is to find the lesson in failure.
Consider a time when you didn't achieve a goal you worked hard for.
It's natural to feel disappointment.
Amor Fati encourages you to go beyond the disappointment and actively seek the lessons within the experience.
What did you learn about yourself?
What did you learn about your approach or the situation?
How can this experience make you stronger or wiser in the future?
And by reframing failure as a valuable learning opportunity,
An essential part of your growth,
You begin to love the wisdom it imparts,
Even if the initial outcome was not what you desired.
A third way is to accept the imperfection in others and yourself.
We often suffer because of our expectations of how others should behave or how we should be.
Amor Fati invites us to accept the inherent imperfections in ourselves and those around us.
Instead of dwelling on someone's flaws or mistakes,
Understand their perspective and acknowledge their humanity.
Similarly,
Extend that compassion to yourself.
Embrace your own vulnerabilities and past missteps as part of what makes you who you are.
This acceptance fosters a more positive and compassionate outlook on human nature.
Practicing Amor Fati is a journey,
Not a destination.
It requires conscious effort and a willingness to shift our perspectives.
However,
By learning to find acceptance and even love for everything that unfolds in our lives,
We unlock a powerful source of inner peace and cultivate a truly resilient and positive way of being in the world.
We actually move from resisting the flow of life to embracing it fully,
Recognising that every experience,
Even the challenging ones,
Contribute to the rich and unique tapestry of our existence.
So thank you for joining me for this chocolate chunk of Stoic wisdom.
And as always,
Much love.
