If you want to be successful, you’d do well
to listen to the words of Marcus Aurelius. During his rule, Aurelius found the time to
construct a series of autobiographical writings, now known as the Meditations. In these writings, the Roman Emperor offered
a number of key insights on how to be successful. Here are 10 of the most important insights
for success from the writings of Marcus Aurelius. 1. Focus on giving value
Marcus Aurelius says “That which isn’t good for the hive isn’t good for the bee” Marcus Aurelius believed that we each have
a purpose; something we were created for. We’re each unique, with different gifts,
passions, and purposes and we need to figure out how we can best share this gift with others
because we will only get all we want in life if we help other people get what they want. All of your most highly cherished dreams can
become reality as long as you help enough of those around you get to their personal
mountaintops. Shift from me to we and watch your career,
and your life, become shockingly successful. Be a Value Creator. The problem with society today is that people
are too focused on themselves to care about the needs of others. If you want to be successful then do the little
things with unimaginable passion and off-the-scales excellence. Give your best - to each of today’s pursuits
- and then go farther. Because the more value you can create for
others, the more value they will return to you. 2. Narrow Your Focus
Or as Marcus Aurelius put it “Ask Yourself At Every Moment – Is this necessary?” We have a limited amount of time and energy
to achieve our goals each day. Yet, more times than not, we spread ourselves
thin by chasing too many goals all at once. As a result, we get easily distracted, lose
focus and fail to consistently follow through on our plans. We need to learn to say no to things that
are not necessary. We can follow Warren Buffet’s “2 list
strategy” to prioritize what is important. The strategy is very simple and very effective. Here is how it works – Step 1 - Write down your 25 top career goals. Or, for a more short-term version, jot down
the 25 things you want to achieve this year, or even this week. Step 2 - Take a good, hard look at what you've
written. Out of those 25 items, circle your five most
important goals. The big dogs. The most urgent ones. Step 3 - The items you just circled are in
list A, and the remaining stragglers are in list B. Easy enough, you just made yourself
a short list of priorities. Everything you didn't circle just became your
Avoid-At-All-Cost list. No matter what, these things get no attention
from you until you've succeeded with your top five. Prioritizing, and then limiting yourself to
just five goals, ensures that you’re magnifying the effectiveness of your time and energy. 3. Set Your Discipline in stone
In the words of Marcus Aurelius "Labour willingly and diligently, undistracted and aware of
the common interest”. Discipline is the fundamental action, mind-set
and philosophy which keeps one in a routine and making progress towards whatever one is
pursuing. The basic framework for applying the Discipline
of Action consists of three elements: 1) Taking action. 2) Doing things with a purpose. 3) Doing the right things for the right reasons. Being distressed, or bothered by small things
is instantly is terrible for discipline. You have a goal, you’re working and then
thoughts and distress about something external, which isn’t in your control, de-rails you. The best thing you can do in these circumstances
is to apply Epictetus’ dichotomy of control. Reinforce to yourself what is within your
control and what is out of your control; if you embrace what is out of your control and
accept it, you will experience tranquillity. Be disciplined, and take control over your
impulses and poor instincts. Direct your actions to what you aim to accomplish
and settle for nothing less. 4. Accept the Sacrifices
According to Marcus Aurelius “Never shirk the proper dispatch of your duty, no matter
if you are freezing or hot, groggy or well-rested, vilified or praised, not even if dying or
pressed by other demands”. Success requires some kind of sacrifice. You will not gain something for nothing. That’s not how the world works, and it’s
therefore certainly not something you can bank on. If you’re not willing to make the necessary
sacrifices to attain your goals and objectives, then you will fail to create the momentum
you need to get your desired outcomes. Giving something up could come in the form
of your time, energy or money. You might need to sacrifice one of these things,
or maybe a combination of these things in order to get what you want. Life is a long game and you need to sacrifice
short-term pleasures for long-term success. You will have to endure pain and hardship
without grumble. You have to get your heads down, focus on
what’s within your control, and shut out the rest. 5. Find The Right Scene
Marcus Aurelius wisely advises “Do not waste what remains of your life in speculating about
your neighbors, unless with a view to some mutual benefit. To wonder what so-and-so is doing and why,
or what he is saying, or thinking, or scheming – in a word, anything that distracts you
from fidelity to the ruler within you – means a loss of opportunity for some other task.” The truth is you are the average of the five
people you spend the most time with. This may remind you of your parents warning
you when you were caught spending time with some bad kids: "Remember, you become like
your friends”. Consciously consider whom you allow into your
life. Ask yourself about the people you meet and
spend time with: Are they making me better? Do they encourage me to push forward and do
they hold me accountable? Or do they drag me down to their level? Warren Buffett, says "It's better to hang
out with people better than you. Pick out associates whose behaviour is better
than yours and you'll drift in that direction." 6. Ruthlessly protect your time
In the words of Marcus Aurelius “Not to live as if you had endless years ahead of
you. Death overshadows you. While you’re alive and able - be good.” The old saying is “time is money.” But we sure don’t act like that. If people came up to you all day asking for
$20 you’d tell them to get lost. But people do come up to you all day via email,
via text, or via phone call asking for your time. And you just hand it on over. Plain and simple, you need to treat your time
more like money. Be more miserly with hours than dollars. Why? You can get more money in this life. But you can’t get more time. Today there are endless interruptions in our
days: phone calls, emails, visitors, unexpected events. The number of people who stand ready to consume
one's time, to no purpose, is almost countless. The difference between successful people and
really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything." Because when you say no, you're protecting
your time and your energy to focus on the big and important items in your life. 7. Live below your means
Marcus Aurelius had asked “What's left to be prized? This, I think — to limit our action or inaction
to only what's in keeping with the needs of our own preparation ... it's what the exertions
of education and teaching are all about — here is the thing to be prized”
Warren Buffett, whose net worth is approximately $65 billion, lives in the same house he bought
in 1958 for $31,500. John Urschel, a lineman for the Baltimore
Ravens, makes millions but manages to live on $25,000 a year. Why? It's not because these men are cheap. It's because the things that matter to them
are cheap. Their lifestyle is the result of prioritizing. They cultivate interests that are decidedly
below their financial means, and as a result, any income would allow them freedom to pursue
the things they most care about. This kind of clarity around what they love
most in the world means they can enjoy their lives. It means they'd still be happy even if the
markets were to turn or their careers were cut short by injury. Marcus Aurelius famously sold many of the
palace furnishing to pay down his empire's debt. He didn't need luxuries, and they were weighing
him and his people down. The more things we desire and the more we
have to do to earn or maintain those achievements, the less we actually enjoy our lives — and
the less free we are. 8. Keep It Simple, Do Your Job
To quote Marcus Aurelius “Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should
be. Be one.” The problem with most of us is that we overthink
things. What should I wear? Do they like me? Am I eating well enough? What's next for me in life? Is my boss happy with my work?” We talk and talk about what we want to do,
but most of the time never really ‘step up’ and do anything. There is no need to talk and talk about what
one should be, just do. In the end people will not remember you for
what you said you would do, but for what you actually accomplished. We need to simplify and focus just on what's
in front of us. We don't need to get lost in a thousand other
distractions or in other people's business. Set goals for yourself and accomplish them
because there is no point in saying you’ll do something if you don’t really mean it. When someone says they will do something or
be someone and actually accomplish that they become respected by their peers. Those people are someone you can count on. 9. Constantly adapt and learn from failure
Marcus Aurelius advises us “The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way”. Every obstacle you face is the way to advance
your next action. What stands in the way becomes the way. Obstacles are uncomfortable, stressful, and
can be scary. Sometimes it can feel so overwhelming that
you’re not sure how to keep going. We fail because most of us do same thing over
and over again but expect a different result. We tell ourselves that today we won't get
angry, or overeat, - but then don't actually do anything differently. We try the same routine and hope it will work
this time. Failure is a part of life we have little choice
over. Learning from failure, on the other hand,
is optional. We have to choose to learn. We must consciously opt to do things differently
— to tweak and change until we actually get the result we're after. Bill once said that "It's fine to celebrate
success but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure." 10. Live A Life Centered On Principles, Not Wealth,
Awards, Family or Power. Finally for this video, Marcus Aurelius points
out “Something good should be a source of pride, correct? ‘Yes.’ And can one really take pride in a momentary
pleasure? Please don’t say yes”. When Marcus was made emperor, he named his
step-brother Lucius Verus to be co-emperor. He did not need to do this. He did not need to share this power, but he
believed it was the right thing to do. And throughout his reign appears to have followed
his own advice about success and loss perfectly: “To accept it without arrogance, to let
it go with indifference.” Like a true Stoic, he treated success and
failure the same - he was immune to the seduction of external events. Similarly, when we experience success, we
must make sure that it doesn’t change us—that we continue to maintain our character despite
the temptation not to. Maybe you worked hard, you made some smart
bets and here you are, successful. Maybe someone acquired your startup for an
unbelievable sum. Maybe you’re an athlete and your team just
won a championship. Maybe you just won a coveted award in your
field. Humility is the antidote. It is the necessary ingredient to add in good
times, when we are experiencing success and feeling on top of the world. The reality is that we're all guilty of thinking
we know it all, and we'd all learn more if we could set that attitude aside. As smart or successful as we may be, there
is always someone who is smarter, more successful, and wiser than we are. We regularly see this type of thinking in
some of the most successful business leaders. They are humble and actively solicit feedback
and learn from anybody they meet. If you like this video, do make sure to check
out our Stoicism playlist and for more videos to help you find success and happiness, don’t
forget to subscribe to us. Thanks for watching.
