CREATE YOUR STOIC MORNING ROUTINE Among the habits of most successful people there is both a morning and a nighttime ritual. For some it is meditation, for others, exercise. For many, it is writing a diary, just a couple of pages to capture their thoughts, fears and desires. In these cases, the point is not the activity but the reflection as a ritual. The idea is to take time to look at yourself and examine yourself. As dawn breaks, think: What do I lack for impassivity? What for imperturbability? Who am I? Is it true that I am not body, property, fame? None of these things, but What? I am a rational being. So, what are the claims? Review what you have done: What standards of serenity did I transgress? What did I do that was unfriendly, or unsociable or ungrateful? What did I not do that was necessary for that? Epictetus. Dissertations by Arrian. There were no specific routines for the Stoics to follow throughout the day, but they did advocate taking time for oneself, both to start the day each morning and to end it by reflecting on the day before going to sleep. We do not know if Marcus Aurelius wrote his Meditations in the morning or at night, but we do know that he reserved moments of time alone and in silence, and that he wrote for himself and no one else. It was actually his personal diary, which is why when you read it you do not see a clear order, but rather the same ideas and concepts are repeated several times. Epictetus also recommended that his students keep a diary in which to write down everything that happened to them during the day, having to reflect at the end of the day on what happened. In the mornings ask yourself, What do you want to achieve today? What actions do you have to take to achieve it? What objectives do I have in the short, medium and long term? Do it mentally or write it down in a small diary. the simple fact of putting it on paper will make you reinforce it internally helping you to focus your attention. VISUALIZE YOUR GOALS Visualize how your day will be, from the moment you finish writing until you fall into bed at the end of the day and how you achieve all the goals you have set for yourself. Repeat to yourself mantras, positive affirmations: “You are your habits”, “Life does not get easier, you get stronger”, “I am more than I appear, all the strength is within me”. MORNING ROUTINE Repeat to yourself mantras, positive affirmations. In addition to expressing what we want to achieve and how we will carry it out, the initial preparation should also include a moment of thanks, of gratitude. Be thankful for the first thing that comes to mind that morning, anything, surely even the most mundane thing there are many people who cannot enjoy it; the fact of breathing and being able to enjoy another day, the fact of hot water coming out of the tap, of having a bed where you could rest. Marcus Aurelius was grateful in his diary for the dawn, he saw each day as an opportunity to learn and grow. Finally, at the end of the day and before going to sleep, ask yourself if you achieved the goals you set for yourself, and if you behaved according to your principles, with virtue as the Stoics called it. Recall your day step by step, what did you do well? What did you do wrong? Are you getting closer to your goals? What can you improve? REFLECT AND IMPROVE Reflecting on your day will make you more aware of whether you are following the right path, whether you are acting according to your values ​​and to be able to self-criticize in order to improve. Seneca made the analogy as if he were testifying before a court, when he comes to the end of the day he is accountable, even if it is to himself. The objective of this reflection is not to punish yourself for mistakes, it is to improve. If you have failed, you have the new opportunity the next day to do better. As Seneca said, “Why should I be afraid to review my actions if I can simply say: I forgive you, but try not to do it again.”