Hi I’m Matt Schmidt.
For nearly 30 years I have worked in Human Services programs assisting individuals with a variety of social issues. This includes people with addictions, mental health issues and homeless populations. I have also worked with at risk populations like financially exploited seniors.
For twenty years I have worked with long term unemployed people trying to re-enter the workforce. Often these individuals have certain barriers to employment. In other words they have personal struggles that make it difficult to find or maintain work.
The work has often been stressful and challenging. Fortunately as someone who has studied and practiced the philosophy Stoicism for years, I have been able to meet these challenges and cope with the reality these cases bring.
I have often wondered if the people I have worked with over the years had embraced Stoic philosophy could better their lives through it.
To bring improvement in life means developing the right habits. Habits are rituals and behaviors that we perform automatically allowing us to carry out essential activities. The right habits can open the door to living a life of fulfillment.
Whatever you would make habitual, practice it; and if you would not make a thing habitual, do not practice it, but accustom yourself to something else. Epictetus Discourses 2.18.4
This is why Stoic Habits was developed. Stoicism is a philosophy of action. The right actions combined with Stoic principles can bring a life of balance and purpose. Habits guide us in life and the right habits can bring fulfillment.
And since habit is a powerful influence, when we have accustomed ourselves to employ desire and aversion only upon these externals, we must set a contrary habit to counteract this habit, and where the very slippery nature of sense-impressions is in play, there we must set our training as a counteracting force. Epictetus, Discourses 3.12.6
