Introduction

Its 2000 years ago, 130 ad Rome , the atmosphere of ancient entrepreneurship , the architecture and one of the most thriving environments of humanity had ever seen. Teachers studying with their privileged students who could afford in their massive beautiful villas. The roman empire stomps its footprint on our modern world in giving us the roman languages that make up most of western European speakers, science that we use still use to this day and primitive versions of our political system but it also left behind one human who had a lasting impact on our world.

Marcus Aurelius was born in spring of 121 ad to his father versus but adopted, chosen and raised  to become the next emperor. Marcus Aurelius was according to present time roman commoners a good looking thoughtful and widely loved leader. Making his adoptive brother his Co emperor when he succeeded his adoptive father Antonius instead of clinging to his power which was common showcases his character. He would diligently learn and write in greek , the philosophers language when he was introduced to stoicism an ancient philosophy which would be guiding his heart and actions throughout his whole life. He would dot down his ideas in a notebook which would become the impactful book meditations read by leaders and thriving people that came after him until the present.

His intent was never to publish his ideas but to act as a reminder on how he could be the best person he could be. The steps in this book are based on this notebook.

Just like the late kobe Bryant everyone loved Marcus Aurelius but their intent was never about what other people thought of them. Instead they worked on themselves didn’t listen to the chatter of what people told them to do. By building themselves as humans they became individuals on whose knowledge and character billions of people long after they were gone could lean on and aspire to be their own best just as Marcus Aurelius and kobe Bryant did.

A spring day in Rome

Marcus Aurelius was walking down the streets of Ancient Rome long before he was known as an emperor being just a young child just finishing his class he was taught by his former slave became teacher senecas When he left his thoughts of Pythagorean theorem behind he was in the present and couldn’t help but smell  a merchants in his 40s body odor. This made him think back of a time when his mentor who introduced him into stoicism said that you should be such a good person that just like someone who smells good one can’t help but smell what a good person you are. He didn’t have to tell others what a good person he was they would just notice

A lot of people talk about what a good person is or criticize others on what they could do better but really by you being a good person you spread this energy and never have to justify yourself to people that might have had a bad day and make you feel a tiny bit unsure if you are a doing the things a good human does

Just be such a good person people can’t help but smell it.

At the farmers market

Marcus Aurelius is on the blooming farmers market in his favorite time of year. The spring is bringing out the beautiful smelling bouquets of flowers that they sell next to the salted meat and freshly caught fish that day

His aunt had been worried he wouldn’t have enough to eat because he followed a lectin free diet which included avoiding any grains such as wheat and rice and the just introduced tomotooes that had long been thought be poisonous but one of his friends had told him about having a healthy diet which could be a part of being a better person

It wasn’t about the gut health that aristoles talked about even in his Greek times he knew that gut health is vital it was also challenging the mind as a disc

He is picking out the millet one grain he can eat and vegetables when a man in his 50s asks him if he wanted to buy any noodles and sugar coated fruit which are bolts htings he avoids eating due to his diet.

Noodles had been the latest trend in ancient present Rome. All his friends had been trying it but when he explained to the man selling the sugary groceries that he avoids eating it he started making fun of him and told him about how other people were never able to matain and stick to their diets that they had followed to get into the legion , the Roman army.

Instead of talking back to him he thought to himself be tolerant with others and strict with yourself

Trouble with Maximus in school

Marcus Aurelius had been regularly asking his good friend Maximus after class learning foreign language if he wanted to hang out at his villa and lay out in the terrace after having hit the gym relaxin in the summer sun They had been good friends intul this school year where Maximus had been ignoring him and hung out with Lucius and 3 of his friends who liked drinking and living the life of the privileged upperclas of Rome When he went home to see his mentor Apollonius he even started crying. Being a stoic Apollonius embraces emotions and tried to comfortin  marcus Aurelius

But Apollonius knew this was the perfect moment for him to teach Marcus Aurelius an im lesson. Marcus, our brain has only a limited amount it can process and focus on, if you focus on gossip and what this social group thinks you can’t use it for im things that matter to you and even tough Maximus is not hanging out with you sometimes when you become better yourself as a person or what you do people fall away fro that because they don’t want to compare themselves and aren’t improving the same way. I’m sure he’ll come around at some point you’ve been friends since you were 12

This really resonated with Marcus Aurelius Use your Brian’s capacity on things that matter to you like his swimming don’t waste it on gossip or what other people think of you

Sleeping on the bare ground

Marcus aurelius is 16 years old and had been an exited mentee of stoicism since 4 years. His mother is knocking on his door in one of the largest villas in Rome where he had lived ever since being adopted to his emperor father Antoinius. The villas cost up to to 400000 Denali and were built out of Roman cement and the ground of stone. Marcus I’ve told you I support everthing you do with your philosophy stuff but you have to stop sleeping on the bare ground. Reluctantly Marcus gets up into his bed

His mentor had told him true stoics sleep on the bare ground and Marcus Aurelius wanting to be a true stoic went through the slight pain that would go away after using the ground after a few days.

The goal of going through the pain of sleeping on the ground was that in life you don’t  always need to have that warm fuzzy feeling and Marcus liked to do other similar things such as taking a cold bath after his swimming

Marcuses Focus in

Not having listened to his mother he gets up from sleeping on the ground freezing because even tough Rome is in the south of Europe a cold winter storm had hit the city. Being someone who loved summer the 10 degrees Celsius when he stepped out of the villa on his way to the Tiber river felt like freezing temperatures.

He would go swimming with his coach 4 times a week whether that was nearly frozen ice on the surface of the river or feeling good in taking a dip in heating spring.. All his friends got caught up in their day doing fun things like meeting up with each other , eating whatever they want and because the circles Marcus Aurelius around were very privileged they would be able to afford wine and get drunk at the evenings. Even though they had this social life they also wanted to please their parents who belonged to the upper most class of Rome Going to school and doing things that peple were expecting of them Dealing with unnecessary problems in their day to day life getting caught up with what everyone thought about them Marcus dearly loved his friends but he knew he didn’t want to go down that path.

His whole day was us to become better at what he liked doing which was swimming and writing into his notebook stoic ideas. In life he would later say you should spend al your time on getting better at what you like not worrying about social rules or sweating small problems in you day to day life

Moving to Rome

Marcus Aurelius had lived his whole life in Romes Caelian hill where he had been sorrounded upperclas Roman aristocrats But now he was going to move into the most bustling parts of Rome You could compare his new neighborhood to modern ny, he would be closer to his stoic mentors and felt the drive of people there He noticed how he felt being surrounded by challenging mentors and how being in a challenging envi pushed him as a person Marcus Aurelius thought to himself and was surprised how much the environment you are in as a neighborhood or humans shapes him as a person

He wanted to be around individuals that have the energy

Having these experiences thougout the last year he decided to open and jot them down in his notebook his mentor Apollonius had given him for his 19 th birthday.