Why you should define your fears instead of your goals | Tim Ferriss | TED

0:12 – 4:21

A Stoic's Superpower for High-Stress Environments

One week, Tim Ferriss was a happy college senior. The next, he was sitting in the back of his minivan, planning his own suicide. The only thing that stopped him was a series of lucky coincidences, and that element of chance terrified him. This moment launched a methodical search for a way to manage his emotional ups and downs, a particularly vital skill given his bipolar depression, which has subjected him to over fifty major depressive episodes. He didn't find his answer in modern psychology, but in an ancient philosophy: Stoicism. This isn't about being emotionless, like a cow standing impassively in the rain. Ferriss points to modern stoics like New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick, and historical figures like George Washington, who had a play about a Stoic performed for his troops at Valley Forge to keep them motivated. He suggests thinking of Stoicism as an "operating system for thriving in high-stress environments." Its core practice is training yourself to separate what you can control from what you cannot, and focusing exclusively on the former. This discipline decreases emotional reactivity, a skill Ferriss calls a superpower. For a quarterback who misses a pass, a CEO who makes a rash decision, or a college student in a downward spiral, the ability to manage emotional reactions can be the difference between a lost game and a lost life.