Choosing Excellence: How to Craft a Beautiful Life with Epictetus

Hey there, Happy Learners! It’s time to buckle up and dive deep into the whirlwind of choices that shape our days and our very selves! Today, we're bringing back our favorite ancient coach, Epictetus, to help us navigate through the game of life with wisdom and a bit of whimsy. So, grab your beverage of choice and let’s unravel the secret recipe to becoming a beautiful human being, straight from the sage himself!

Picture this: every choice you make is like picking a card from a deck—some are aces, others, well, not so much. From deciding between hitting the gym or hitting the snooze button to choosing kindness over convenience, each decision paints a stroke on the canvas of our existence.

Epictetus once laid it out for us in his no-nonsense, Stoic flair: "Then what makes a beautiful human being? Isn't it the presence of human excellence? Young friend, if you wish to be beautiful then work diligently at human excellence." He wasn’t just talking about physical beauty or the kind you’d boast on Instagram. Nope, he was sketching the blueprint of inner beauty—a beauty that dazzles from within and isn’t subject to the whims of fashion or the passage of time.

So, what did he define as human excellence? Let’s hear it straight from the philosopher’s mouth: "Observe those whom you praise without prejudice. The just or the unjust? The just. The even-tempered or the undisciplined? The even-tempered. The self-controlled or the uncontrolled? The self-controlled. In making yourself that kind of person, you will become beautiful - but to the extent you ignore these qualities, you'll be ugly, even if you use every trick in the book to appear beautiful."

Powerful stuff, right? It turns out, the superheroes of virtue we admire—those who act with justice, maintain their cool in chaos, and hold the reins on their impulses—these are the stars we should be running alongside in our cosmic dance through life.

But here’s the most exhilarating part: our past choices, those not-so-great decisions? They don’t define us. They’re like last season's trends—outdated and outpaced by our new, sparkly decisions. Every moment offers a clean slate, a new scene in our personal epic where we can cast ourselves as the hero we aspire to be.

And just like that, each tick of the clock invites us to step up to the plate. Whether you're rebounding from a regrettable choice or riding high on a victory, this moment is your spotlight. Shine in it!

So, fellow Happy Learners, let’s not just drift along with the currents of life's vast ocean. Let’s sail it boldly, navigate it wisely, steering our ships by the stars of virtue and wisdom that Epictetus has illuminated for us. With every choice, we can weave a tapestry of a life well-lived, filled with the beauty of excellence.

Keep your spirits up, your choices wise, and your humor handy, because in this grand adventure of life, every turn, every decision is a chance to craft something beautiful. After all, who knows what marvelous insights today’s choices might bring?

Stay playful, stay engaged, and as always, keep making those beautiful choices, Happy Learners! Remember, in our cosmic journey, every path we take enriches the tapestry of our collective story.