YOU OWN THIS OPTION
"You always own the option of having no opinion. There is never any need to get worked up or to trouble your soul about things you can't control. These things are not asking to be judged by you. Leave them alone."
Marcus Aurelius
I'm on a Stoics kick these days. Hopefully you're keen to follow along while I gush about the timelessness of such wisdom from these ancient philosophers. Can you even handle this quote?
Marcus knew what was really up 😏
We OWN the option of having NO OPINION.
How freeing is that?!
Think of all the time we spend each day thinking about things. About allthethings. How liberating is it to know that the items outside our control really don't need us to think about them.
"These things are not asking to be judged by you. Leave them alone."
The urgency with which he writes almost makes me chuckle at the end. Message received Marcus.I'll leave them alone.
And now that you know this, I challenge you to try something this week. I plan to do the same:
Without judgement, just observation, notice yourself and others as you chat throughout your week. Notice how much time you or those around you spend getting wrapped up in forming opinions about things you really don't need to. Pay particular attention to conversations that cause negative emotions or feelings within your body. When you feel anger, judgement, frustration, anxiousness, stress or worry....ask yourself....do I NEED to have an opinion about this? Does this person speaking NEED to have an opinion about this? Do we have ANY control over this?
And if you determine that you don't have control, release yourself from the false obligation that you HAVE to have an opinion about this thing.
You own the option to just chill out and let things be.
Save that precious energy for thinking constructively about the things you do have control over. You'll move mountains with this shift in focus and energy, in your life and the lives of others.
Have a wonderful day ♥︎