Ryan Holiday – Daily Stoic – Taming Your Temper: The 11-day Stoic Guide to Controlling …

IT’S TIME TO TAME YOUR TEMPER.

“The nearer a man comes to a calm mind, the closer he is to strength.” — Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 11.18.5b  

“Anger is the ugliest and most savage of all emotions.” – Seneca

We are living in times of immense anger. An era defined by internal divisions and discourse filled with epithets and takedowns and rage tweets. Our collective blood pressure is through the roof. It feels like we need a defibrillator to shock the country’s heart back into a healthy rhythm.

Of course, some of this anger is warranted. Anger is a natural human emotion. Everyone gets angry. The problem is that we’ve allowed it to take control of us, instead of us taking control of it, and it has begun to take a real toll on our lives.

Do you ever blow up at your friends, coworkers, or loved ones? Do you sometimes lose it behind the wheel stuck in traffic? Or back in coach stuck on the tarmac?

Be honest: when was the last time you lost your temper?

If your temper has ever caused real consequences in your life, you might have a problem with anger. And you are not alone..

That is why we created Taming Your Temper: The 11-Day Stoic Guide to Controlling Anger.

Welcome to a Calmer You …

According to a recent poll, 42% of Americans say they are angrier now than they were last year; 22% report feeling angry “a lot” during the day, which is a 30% increase from the previous year and a level of visceral discontent we have not seen since 2011. This isn’t just bad for our relationships, or for our careers, this is bad for our health.

According to a 2010 study published in the Journal of Medicine and Life, there is a positive correlation between “negative emotions and conditions such as…coronary heart disease.” The same study found connections between anger and bulimia nervosa and diabetes as well.

That is the most insidious part of anger: it is an equal opportunity assailant. No matter your age, your profession, your race or gender, anger can ruin your relationships, submarine your professional goals, devastate your health, and keep you from living the life you want to lead.

The question we have to ask ourselves is, where does this anger come from and how do we control it?

“How much more harmful are the consequences of anger…than the circumstances that aroused them in us.” —Marcus Aurelius  

That is the purpose of this 11-day course. Because we know anger is a problem. We know it holds us back. We know it makes sense to address the problem. What we struggle with–what we have always struggled with–is how.

Once you have your anger problem under control, imagine what you’ll be capable of:

✓ Your relationships with friends and family will improve—they’ll no longer need to walk on eggshells around you ✓ You’ll have more free time—instead of being a slave to your temper, you’ll be able to focus your energy on things you truly care about ✓ You’ll enjoy life more—rather than always being on the verge of exploding ✓ No more grudges! You’ll be able to let go of the things that have been bothering you ✓ Build better habits—create new physical and mental routines to fend off irritation and work through your emotions in a positive way

“We will ensure that we not become angry if we put before our eyes all the vices anger gives rise to and take good measure of them. We must accuse and condemn anger, scrutinize its crimes and expose it to the light of day, compare it with the worst evils so that we can see clearly what it is.” — Seneca  

Anger is a problem that plagues so many of us—but it doesn’t have to be that way. You can solve this problem with Taming Your Temper: The 11-Day Stoic Guide to Controlling Anger. With a few essential tools and the right wisdom, you can leave your anger troubles in the past, . and achieve the peacefulness and clarity of mind that you deserve.

Take the first step in conquering your anger today.