Has anyone else noticed the recent surge in the popularity of Wonder Woman and superheroes in general?  

I don’t mean the movies as much as what the characters symbolize.

Super Heroes represents strength, courage, truth, character, and justice. Something we can all use a little bit more of in our lives, especially as we step into a new year and decade.

How do you awaken your inner superhero? 

Recently I became aware of stoic philosophy through the writing of Ryan Holiday. Now I’m obsessed. In a good way. In a way that brings me hope for our collective future.

I find myself wondering, how we got this far along as earth bound beings without universally embracing this ancient philosophy? 

It all starts in the first century AD with Roman philosophers such as Emperor Marcus Aurelius; as well as Seneca,  Epictetus and many more. These men shared timeless wisdom in their writing. Be a person of character, virtue, humility, a person who makes choices with care for the good of all that exists; man, animal, the natural world and the spiritual realm, a person who is not ruled by the drama of emotion.

I’m guessing most of us missed out on learning about this timeless wisdom due to the obvious name problem! I sincerely doubt a marketing firm tasked with sparking interest in this movements ideas would suggest Stoicism, a word that presently represents a lack of emotional engagement with the self and others, a “who cares” I’m going to die anyway attitide, and a “does anything even matter?” mentality. A better description might be “Principlism”, “Do the Right Thingism”, or “Let’s just all be Friendsism”. 

I was first introduced to stoicism by a client, a young man in his mid thirties searching for some simple truths to live by. A short time later I read a post by Cody Tapoler @codytapoler about the tremendously positive influence Ryan Holiday’s @RyanHoliday writings were having on his life. 

I was so inspired by what I read in his post I bought 3 of Holiday’s most recent books and took Cody’s advice to read them in the following order; “The Obstacle is The Way”, “Stillness is The Key”, “The Ego is the Enemy”.  I also subscribed and began listening to The Daily Stoic Podcast, which in 4 minutes each weekday, keeps me on track for living a life of integrity, abundance, purpose and meaning.  

The wisdom presented in stoicism combined with my years of experience and accumulated knowledge on mental wellness, connected relationships, authenticity,  and soul purpose has lit a fire under me. I keep thinking, how can I get this message to more people?

For now, I suggest to my clients and to you, pick up one of these entertaining and easy to read or listen to volumes. They are like history, philosophy, and life strategy manuals all wrapped into one.

If are looking for help to get a handle in your busy reach visit our website https://www.lifeskillsresourcegroup.com/ or 407.355.7378 to schedule an appointment.

Cindy Fabico, MA, NCC, RYT200 Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist MT2724 Licensed Mental Health Counselor MH8555 Founder & CoOwner Life Skills Resource Group