TURNING LAUGHTER INTO RESILIENCE : A LESSON FROM MARCUS AURELIUS

Humanity is funny: Despite thousands of years of knowledge, we can never seem to get out of our own way.

And the punchline is this:

All of our questions already have answers.

Here’s what I mean…

Recently life threw me a Banana peel, and like a mushroomed-out Mario Kart driver, I slipped on it and spun out of control.

And what was once a promising career ended in a Zoom meeting; in other words, I was laid off.

And when you’re laid off, you feel everything, fear, excitement, joy, pain. Everything.
But as uncertainty sunk its fangs deep into my neck until I felt a prick, I looked up and saw a nearly 2,000-year-old quote that completely changed my thoughts on the situation.

“If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.”

― Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

And damn, is it ever so true.

Let’s take a practical life example. You’ve been hitting the gym harder than a punching bag that owes you money, trying to get ready for a vacation, when one day, you overhear someone snickering at your workout routine, making fun of your efforts. Your self-esteem takes a hit, and you start questioning whether all those hours spent sweating it out were even worth it.

But wait, according to our stoic mentor Marcus, the laughter doesn’t cause the pain; it’s your estimate of their laughter that stings. Now, that’s some powerful knowledge! You can choose to interpret their snickering in multiple ways.

For example, maybe they’re jealous of your dedication, maybe they’re projecting their insecurities, or maybe they’re just having a lousy day and need to laugh at anything to cope. So, the real power lies in your hands. You have the ability to revoke the negative interpretation and reframe the situation. Instead of feeling down, you can embrace the humor in the moment and chuckle along, knowing that their laughter has zero impact on your fitness journey.

And it’s not just fitness; it’s life. Work, relationships, friends. The whole spread.

In essence, Marcus Aurelius is nudging us to develop resilience and emotional mastery. Life will always throw curveballs, and people will always have opinions, but you get to decide how you react to them. It’s like being the director of your own emotional blockbuster. You can edit the script, rewrite the scenes, and choose the emotions you want to star in your movie called life.

Your new job may be hard, but it’s harder in your head than in reality. Your relationship may not be perfect, but it’s better than you think. If you want to get the most out of life, win the battle in your head. Embrace the hard life, my friends, for that’s where the buried treasure lies.

No pirate ever found gold by sipping cocktails on a beach with a tiny umbrella. They did it by spending time out on the water. So, strap on your adventure hats and set sail for the rough seas because life’s biggest rewards are hidden in the wildest storms.

And remember, next time life tosses a banana peel your way, channel your inner Marcus Aurelius and don’t slip on that sucker. Instead, laugh it off, and keep on truckin’.

Turning Laughter into Resilience: A Lesson from Marcus Aurelius