1Ancient philosophy is not just about talking or lecturing,
2or even reading long, dense books.
3In fact, it is something people have used throughout history -
4to solve their problems and to achieve their greatest triumphs.
5Specifically, I am referring to Stoicism,
6which, in my opinion, is the most practical of all philosophies
7and therefore the most appealing.
8Stoicism was founded in Ancient Greece by Zeno of Citium in the early 3rd century BC,
9but was practised by the likes of Epictetus,
10Cato, Seneca and Marcus Aurelius.
11Amazingly, we still have access to these ideas,
12despite the fact that the most famous Stoics never wrote anything down for publication,
13Cato definitely didn't.
14Marcus Aurelius never intended his Meditations to be anything but personal.
15Seneca's letters were, well, letters
16and Epictetus' thoughts come to us by way of a note-taking student.
17Stoic principles were based on the idea that its followers could have an unshakable happiness in this life
18and the key to achieving this was virtue.
19The road to virtue, in turn, lay in understanding that destructive emotions, like anger and jealousy,
20are under our conscious control,
21they don't have to control us, because we can learn to control them.
22In the words of Epictetus:
23"external events I cannot control, but the choices I make with regard to them, I do control".
24The modern day philosopher and writer Nassim Nicholas Taleb
25defines a Stoic as someone who has a different perspective on experiences
26which most of us would see as wholly negative;
27a Stoic "transforms fear into caution, pain into transformation,
28mistakes into initiation and desire into undertaking".
29Using this definition as a model,
30we can see that throughout the centuries Stoicism has been practised in more recent history
31by kings, presidents, artists, writers and entrepreneurs.
32The founding fathers of the United States were inspired by the philosophy.
33George Washington was introduced to Stoicism by his neighbours at age seventeen,
34and later, put on a play based on the life of Cato to inspire his men.
35Thomas Jefferson kept a copy of Seneca beside his bed.
36Writers and artists have also been inspired by the stoics.
37Eugène Delacroix, the renowned French Romantic artist
38(known best for his painting Liberty Leading the People)
39was an ardent Stoic, referring to it as his "consoling religion".
40The economist Adam Smith's theories on capitalism were significantly influenced by the Stoicism
41that he studied as a schoolboy, under a teacher who had translated Marcus Aurelius' works.
42Today's political leaders are no different,
43with many finding their inspiration from the ancient texts.
44Former US president Bill Clinton rereads Marcus Aurelius every single year,
45and many have compared former President Obama's calm leadership style to that of Cato.
46Wen Jiabao, the former prime minister of China,
47claims that Meditations is one of two books he travels with
48and that he has read it more than 100 times over the course of his life.
49Stoicism had a profound influence on Albert Ellis,
50who invented Cognitive Behaviour Therapy,
51which is used to help people manage their problems by changing the way that they think and behave.
52It's most commonly used to treat depression.
53The idea is that we can take control of our lives by challenging the irrational beliefs
54that create our faulty thinking, symptoms and behaviours by using logic instead.
55Stoicism has also become popular in the world of business.
56Stoic principles can build the resilience and state of mind required to overcome setbacks
57because Stoics teach turning obstacles into opportunity.
58A lesson every business entrepreneur needs to learn.
59I would argue that studying Stoicism is as relevant today as it was 2,000 years ago,
60thanks to its brilliant insights into how to lead a good life.
61At the very root of the thinking, there is a very simple way of living -
62control what you can and accept what you can't.
63This is not as easy as it sounds and will require considerable practice -
64it can take a lifetime to master.
65The Stoics also believed the most important foundation for a good and happy life is not money, fame, power or pleasure,
66but having a disciplined and principled character -
67something which seems to resonate with many people today.