Employing Stoicism to Tackle Difficulties

In his TED Talk, the author and entrepreneur Tim Ferriss talks about how he uses stoicism to face challenges in his life and plan for the future.

In his speech, Ferriss begins by discussing his battle with Bipolar depression and how it made him come very close to committing suicide. He has dealt with over 50 depressive episodes in his lifetime, and he explains that he used the philosophical school of thought stoicism to help him overcome these episodes. Stoicism comes from not letting oneself be controlled by intense emotions, and Ferriss talks about how many people use this school of thought. Ferriss outlines a tool he used to become a stoic and learn to take action – a written exercise where he defined his fears, then defined how to prevent them, or repair them if they do come to be. The exercise then goes on to explore the benefits of an attempt or partial success, as well as the consequences of inaction.

Tim Ferriss encourages viewers to not let fear prevent them from acting on their desires and goals, and ends with the quote: "we suffer more in imagination than in reality."