I'd heard about The Daily Stoic quite frequently from multiple people over the course of a year. I figured it didn't hurt it to invest in a book for around $15. I bought a grilled cheese sandwich at a trendy food hall for $12 a, so for $3 more, I could've just bought The Daily Stoic in the first place.

Find out more about stoicism and mindfulness, the timeless wisdom of stoic principles, & how you can integrate modern stoicism into your lifestyle. Continue reading to learn about Ryan Holiday's The Daily Stoic & how it becomes part of your routine.

What Is The Daily Stoic About?

The book mixes the timeless wisdom of stoic philosophy quotes with modern stoicism. You'll find 366 meditations on wisdom, perseverance, & the art of living. There's an ancient stoic philosophy quote for every single day of the year. It features the new translations of Seneca, Epictetus, & Marcus Aurelius. Following the quote, Ryan Holiday shares his insight, anecdotes, & commentary. The book allows you to apply the stoic lifestyle to your daily activity. There's also The Daily Stoic audiobook. Another cool book to read: Rising Strong by Brené Brown.

Each month is organized into a category based on the stoic principles:

Part I: The Discipline of Perception
January: Clarity
February: Passions & Emotions
March: Awareness
April: Unbiased Thought

Part II: The Discipline on Action
May: Right Action
June: Problem Solving
July: Duty
August: Pragmatism

Part III: The Discipline of Will
September: Fortitude & Resilience
October: Virtue & Kindness
November: Acceptance / Amor Fati
December: Meditation on Mortality

Stoic Principles & Timeless Wisdom

It definitely helps to read the beginning of the book because Ryan Holiday quickly covers the basics of stoic principles. When I started, I simply opened the page of the day, read the entry, & wrote something. I didn't know anything about stoic principles. I read the introduction immediately after that first entry. I wasn't really sure what I was working toward & I often have to refer back to the initial stoic principles as I move forward.

Stoic Lifestyle 

My plan is to continuously read it throughout the years, allowing me to soak in the stoic principles over time. I can read back on my entries from the past to show how my stoic lifestyle has changed. Obviously, there's not a huge amount of the book huge amount of writing space on the pages so this won't last forever; it's a short term plan. I've heard of others doing this, even Ryan Holiday himself, so it's worth a shot.

The Daily Stoic Audiobook

If you prefer, buy The Daily Stoic audiobook. Audiobooks are a convenient way to absorb the stoic lifestyle; you can listen to them anywhere. The only downside is you can't write your modern stoicism thoughts down if you opt for The Daily Stoic audiobook versus a physical copy. But if you have no plans to write, the audiobook is a suitable choice!

Stoicism and Mindfulness

Applying modern stoicism and mindfulness to my daily life has benefited my mental health. Rather than overthink everything, I read the timeless wisdom stoic philosophy quotes from The Daily Stoic. It helps to know that philosophers have been wondering the same things as you for centuries. It gives me a more simple way of thinking, just focus on the little quote of the day & the interpretation, then write your own. That's all. Then you can see how the stoic principles show up in your own life or how you can integrate them into your lifestyle.

What Happens If I Miss a Day?

First things first, don't be hard on yourself. Modern stoicism is for fun, for your enjoyment, for your benefit. Don't worry if you miss a day. I've missed my fair share of days & half the time I don't even realize it until I open The Daily Stoic book & notice a missing entry. The days fly by. You're doing your best. If you miss a day, read the timeless wisdom of the stoic philosophy quotes you missed, or save it for next year. It's a personal preference.

Final Thoughts

Sometimes the book feels a bit lackluster or I question how useful the content is. Sometimes the stoic philosophy quotes are so brief, I don't quite grasp what it's supposed to cover. And of course, Ryan Holiday adds his own interpretation. In essence, it's like reading someone's notes on philosophy. If you understand that & approach The Daily Stoic without much expectation, you can certainly learn a couple things from the stoic philosophy quotes as you apply modern stoicism to your mindset.

What do you think of the stoic lifestyle? How do you integrate stoicism and mindfulness into your life? Have you read The Daily Stoic or bought the audiobook? :]

You're here because you're curious & I like curious people. You're curious about what I'm curious about & that's especially cool. I'm back on a film kick, baby! However, I must be totally honest & admit that I usually break up the movie into two parts, watching it over two different nights. It's easier to split it up. Is that weird? Curious about Carmen? Find out more about me, my travels, my blogging & career background.

Previously on...What I'm Watching, Reading, & Listening to

Make sure to catch up on my latest What I'm Watching, Reading, & Listening to from August 2019. I listened to a hell of a lot of true crime podcasts. But, what's new?! Specifically, I always put on Criminal, Crime Junkie, Morbid, My Favorite Murder, & To Live & Die in LA. I only watched one movie (the new Aladdin film), watched a bunch of TV shows, & read a couple books. Again, here's the blog post so you can read all about it. Okay, now here's what I'm watching, reading, & listening to: basically a bunch of Disney+. Follow me on Instagram.

Keep reading for everything I'm watching on Disney+

Books I'm Reading

Light Filters In: Poems by Caroline Kaufman

I found Light Filters In: Poems as a staff pick at my local library. I liked the cover, & because I judge books by their cover, I checked it out. Light Filters In: Poems is a quick read & after finishing it, I lurked the author, Caroline Kaufman. She's a young bright modern author who speaks about mental illness & I dig it. You should check her out too.

Rising Strong by Brené Brown

Brené Brown's name rang familiar but I hadn't read anything of hers. Again, my local library came to the rescue. Rising Strong was on display front & center. Rising Strong focuses on the power of vulnerability, how we should own our difficult stories & rather than run from them. While some of it seemed repetitive, I found myself taking photos of excerpts to refer to later. Overall worth a read if the concept intrigues you!

Podcasts I'm Listening to

Wine & Crime

Join three childhood friends as they chug wine, chat true crime, & unleash their worst Minnesota accents! Wine & Crime was my Europe trip podcast of choice. I started it on the long haul flight from LAX to Paris. I vividly recall listening to Wine & Crime at my cousin's Parisian apartment while getting ready in the morning. (here's a photo of life in Paris.)

Other than Wine & Crime, I stay caught up on Criminal & Crime Junkie, usually whilst cooking meals with Fred.

I'm reading Rising Strong by Brené Brown at a park in San Diego County.

Movies I'm Watching

Joker

The Joker movie came highly recommended & brings up some interesting dialogue on mental health. I enjoyed the cinematography & thought the Joker movie was well done, albeit the story played out a bit slowly. Worth watching for its stance in popular culture.

Gosford Park

Gosford Park is an oldie but a goodie from 2001 starring Stephen Fry, Michael Gambon, Helen Mirren, Clive Owen, Ryan Phillippe, Maggie Smith, & a slew of other notable actors. Fred & I spotted this on Netflix & thought why the hell not? It's basically a whodunit murder mystery dinner.

The King's Speech

Another random Netflix find that took 3 nights to watch. I had absolutely no clue the premise of The King's Speech revolves around King George VI's stammer. Well, actually it's about his rise to become king as he works with his speech & language therapist.

Monsters, Inc.

Fred & I signed up for a free trial of Disney+ the night it came out (November 12, 2019) & then found out he could get a free year of Diseny+ with his Verizon account. Long story short, Disney+ is my new best friend. We watched Monster, Inc. to test it out.

Brave

I randomly played Brave & was surprised that the lead character, Merida, was voiced by one of the actors in Gosford Park. It's a small world after all. In Brave, Merida doesn't want to follow tradition & get married, choosing to seek her own path. Obviously, there are some mishaps & misfortunes along the way.

Born in China

Disneynature's Born in China surprised me. The commentary had me laughing. The documentary tells the story of popular animals in China over the course of a year, so you can see the animals grow, learn, & live throughout the seasons.

The Aristocats

You really can't go wrong with this 1970s animated Disney classic about rich cats. I hadn't seen The Aristocats in years & years, so it felt like a sweet blast from the past watching it with Fred. It's really...old. The quality & animation itself feels nostalgic.

Everything I'm watching on Disney+

TV Shows I'm Watching

Lizzie McGuire

Hello, childhood. Is that you? I was positively flabbergasted to find out Lizzie McGuire was only two seasons. Did you know that?! Granted, each season has a whopping 30 episodes. It's so weird to watch now because I relate more with the parents, adults, & teachers. Absolutely worth watching, especially if you have tweenagers yourself.

Dr. K's Exotic Animal ER

Disney+ saves the day again. I love animal shows, so I popped this on. Dr. K's Exotic Animal ER shows life at a veterinarian clinic for like birds, goats, bearded dragons, & other exotic animals. It's a unique premise for a show. And Dr. K often mentions that some of these exotic pets (like the adorable teacup-sized monkey) shouldn't even be pets, they should be in their native habitat in the wild.

What books are you reading? What are you watching on Disney+? Do you have a podcast recommendation? Leave a comment. I'd love to know! :]

Jane Austen, Virginia Woolf, Mary Shelley, Louisa May Alcott, Charlotte Brontë, Emily Brontë. These are among the best female authors of all time! They've been around for centuries. We've read them in school.  We know their names. But.....raise your hand if you're here to learn about modern female authors! Hell yeah, me too!

The dictionary definition of the word "modern" states: relating to the present or recent times as opposed to the remote past; it's present-day, contemporary, present-time, present, current, twenty-first-century, recent.

Okay, so not your granny's favorite author. Not a classic female author. Not the best female author of the 19th century or even the 20th century. This is the 21st century, y'all. Bust out your library card or let's face it, just whip out your credit card to buy it off of Amazon. Ok, let's start reading some modern female authors!

If you want to read something career, business, or success related...

Kate White is a bestselling author, professional speaker, & former editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan.  She's magazine royalty! This modern female author is your go-to for career advice. The Gutsy Girl Handbook: Your Manifesto for Success has knowledge nuggets, strategies, & tips for women who want to make their own rules, advance their careers, & get the opportunities they deserve. It's a modern take on White's book from 1995, Why Good Girls Don't Get Ahead but Gutsy Girls Do.

If you're struggling with your identity or world view...

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is an award-winning author of Purple Hibiscus, Half of a Yellow Sun,  & Americanah. Half of a Yellow Sun is inspired by experiences of her parents during the Nigeria-Biafra war, while Americanah revolves around the realities of balancing the delicate mixture of a Nigerian & American life - the perfect read for anyone struggling with their identity, no matter where you live. As a Persian-American, this topic always resonates with me!

If you want to read something funny, satirical, or light-hearted...

Sarah Cooper's satirical book How to Be Successful without Hurting Men's Feelings aims to poke fun at business strategies for females. The book shares how women can succeed in their careers without harming the fragile male ego in the meantime. It's a great read if you're feeling especially bitter at your workplace. Sarah Cooper is hilarious.

If your mom died...

Read The Dead Moms Club: A Memoir about Death, Grief, and Surviving the Mother of All Losses by Kate Spencer. Someone asked me, "Is it sad? Or like supportive??" Of course, it isn't the most cheery of topics, but Spencer writes in a quippy, sassy, frank, & overall empowering way! Someone somewhere might benefit from this modern female author; I know it helped me.

One of my friends said, "Last time you talked about this book, I bought it. Not very far through it yet, but this year will be 10 years since my mom passed. I thought that it was an appropriate read this year! Thank you."

There are many modern female authors to choose from. Just take a moment to stop scrolling or watch someone's story to read, to live, to think for yourself. We absorb technology all day; when was the last time you absorbed the words of a book?

* Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you click &/or make a purchase through certain links on this site or my social media platforms, I may make a commission from that click &/or purchase. It's at no additional cost to you. Learn more about my disclosure. :]