Use Ancient Philosophy To Direct Your Day And Master Yourself

What if the most modern path to success is paved with ancient stones? We take seven time-tested ideas from Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, Lao Tzu, Socrates, Confucius, and Rumi and translate them into clear steps you can use today—less theory, more traction. From owning your attention to mastering your reactions, we map the gap between knowing and doing so you can move through chaos with clarity.

We start by drawing a sharp line between what you can control and what you cannot, then rebuild a day around what matters most. You’ll hear how to stop outsourcing your choices to other people’s opinions, and how to direct your thinking so it works for you instead of against you. We talk about consistency as self-respect, not just productivity; the uncomfortable but liberating work of self-knowledge; and the quiet power of restraint that outperforms status, pressure, and noise. Finally, we bring it all together with Rumi’s reminder to change yourself before you try to change the world, showing how personal alignment naturally scales into impact.

Along the way, you’ll get practical prompts and examples—turning quotes into actions and ideals into habits. If you’ve felt pulled in a dozen directions, struggled with comparison, or wanted a sturdier inner compass, this conversation offers tools you can apply before the day ends. Ancient philosophy, modern results: own your mind, honor your time, choose your standards, and let growth speak for you.

Enjoyed the show? Follow and subscribe, share this episode with someone who needs a reset, and tell us which idea you’ll put into practice first. Your takeaway might spark someone else’s turning point.

Chapters

• 0:00 Opening Quote And Theme
• 0:10 Host Welcome And Setup
• 0:27 Why Ancient Wisdom Still Matters
• 0:56 Seven Tips Overview
• 1:09 Subscribe And Intent
• 1:27 Marcus Aurelius: Control The Mind
• 3:02 Seneca: Treat Each Day As A Life
• 4:01 Lao Tzu: Freedom From Others’ Opinions
• 4:56 Socrates: Thought Shapes Becoming
• 7:05 Confucius: Self-Respect And Discipline
• 7:55 Lao Tzu: Self-Knowledge And Mastery
• 10:28 Rumi: Change Yourself To Change The World
• 13:26 Reflective Recap Of All Seven
• 16:22 Listener Prompt And Connections
• 18:54 Closing, Holiday Note, And Farewell

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:00

The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing. Socrates. Hi guys, my name is Fabio from Journey to Success and welcome. Today we introduce the concept of ancient philosophers and how their wisdom can still offer valuable life acts even today. The profound insights of philosophers, guys, from from thousands of years ago, long before our time at the beginning of technology and the AI, you know, still hold significant value today. Despite the the vast differences in our lifestyles compared to theirs, we can always gain valuable knowledge from the perspectives on life, you know, applying the wisdom to our modern experiences. So today I want to share seven practical tips from ancient philosophers. And uh I hope they stick and that we can learn something from them. But before going forward, as always, please subscribe. Alright, so I know this is the right direction to lead you guys, to drive you, to guide you towards your journey to success. And let's get started, alright? As always. So number one, you have power over your mind, not outside events. Realize this and you will find strength. Marcus Aurelius. In my opinion, there are two types of people at the end of the story, guys. The first group, the first group of people believes that their destiny is already written. Okay? So they think every event is predeterminate and that no matter what they do, they cannot rely solely on will power because events are beyond their control, right? But on the other hand, the second group understands that we do have power over our actions, regardless of external events. And when you realize this, guys, you find strength. You find a big strength and recognize a willpower that is stronger than anyone else, you know? So yes, yes, um unpredictable things can can always happen, you can occur alive, but it in the end, it's a matter of attitude. Sometimes that attitude can lead to a different positive outcome or even change the lives of millions of people, regardless of how your story develops, you know. So you have to remember that. We have to remember that also myself. Number two, Seneca. Seneca said, begin at once to live and count each separate day as a separate life. Consider how much time you spend scrolling on TikTok each day, and how you often lose yourself in activities they they don't contribute anything meaningful to your life, you know. We only have a limited amount of time, guys, a limited amount of time to live. So it's important to invest our time wisely. Like a butterfly that lives for just a couple of weeks, you know. Imagine how different your day would be if uh human beings knew to live for a very short time. So our days would be just would be just I mean, would be different, you know, would feel magical, I think. We would do so many things, and we would achieve so many, so many things, and our way of living would be totally different from now. Focus on what really matters to achieve our goal, you know. Number three, care about what other people think, and you will always be their prisoner. Lao Tzu. In the last episode, we discussed the importance of recognizing that everyone has their own opinion, you know? Their own opinion, their own assumption, and these are shaped by their experiences, shaped by their past events, okay? And when you start to care too much about what others think, you can become trapped in their perspective, their bubble, their trauma. So it may seem like they are trying to reach you, all right, but in reality, it's the other way around. So the sooner you understand this concept, and the quicker you can achieve your success, guys. Number four, the mind is everything. What you think you become, Socrates. Our mind, guys, is like a problem-solving machine. Okay? Always working to find solutions. For example, if you want to become a guitarist, your mind visualizes you with a guitar. You know, if you aspire to be a YouTuber, it pictures you with a microphone and a camera, and so on. Actually, let's focus on the guitarist example. When you think about becoming a guitarist, right, your mind recognizes that you need to buy a guitar. So it envisions you saving money for the purpose. But if you want to improve your skills, your mind may also picture you taking lessons, which requires you to invest in a teacher or a course. And you follow up, you eventually do that, all right? However, our minds can also work against us, leading us to visualize failure. So this can happen if we let negative thoughts take over, okay? Blocking our problem-solving abilities. For example, as you pursue becoming a guitarist again, your mind may bring up excuses like I'll never be good as I'll never be as good as him, or it is too late for me, or my fingers are too small. Also, we can we can add a touch of childhood trauma in the middle and some victim victimhood to the mix, you know, like my parents never encourage me to pursue my dreams, or it's their lack of support that has kept me from becoming a guitarist. I don't know. You know, at the end, you can also add some you can also release any sense of responsibility, and then you're good. Then the cocktail is ready, you know. So it's important to lead your thoughts positively, otherwise, they will start leading you in the wrong direction, guys. Okay, you have to remember that. Number five, respect yourself and others will respect you, Confucius. I remember something I saw somewhere that said you are your own employer and your own client. So this means you are responsible for producing and delivering the results you expect from yourself. Okay. Have I reached the point with my podcast where I know I need to deliver an episode every Wednesday at 11 o'clock, regardless of whether I'm sick or I feel about it. You know, I understand that consistency is crucial to achieving results. So I have to fulfill my commitment to you all. I'm literally both the owner and the employee of this podcast. The better I perform, the better I can serve myself, and the better I can serve you. Number six, knowing others is intelligence. Knowing yourself is true wisdom, mastering others is strength, master yourself is true power. Lao Tzu. Alright, so have you ever noticed how easy it is to read other people, but how hard it is to read yourself. Like you can look at someone and understand what they're doing, what why they're acting a certain way, what they're trying to hide, right? That's emotional intelligence. Very, very big one. It's a useful skill. And it helps you navigate better in relationships, you know, work, life. But knowing yourself, that's another story, that's a whole different level. Because it's one thing to observe others, another thing is to look at your fears, look at your habits, the stories you tell yourself, the patterns that keep repeating, you know. We don't have a complete understanding when we believe we know ourselves fully, honestly. When you start to understand yourself deeply, that's where real wisdom begins, guys. Uh followed by your success. Because the more you understand yourself, the more you know what you want to do in your life. And the quicker, of course, you can achieve your success. That's the part of life schools, nobody teaches you, unfortunately. And the second half of this idea is even more powerful, guys. Mastering others, others is strength, mastering yourself is true power. You can make sure to make an impact on certain people with status, you know, with influence, with pressure, with money. That's what the world, you know, the society usually calls strength. But the real strength, the real power, it's when you can control yourself, where you can uh hold back a reaction, when you can stay calm instead of exploding, when you can keep going, even where your mind tries to pull you back, where you choose discipline over comfort, clarity over chaos, you know, that's mastery. Anyone can try to dominate someone else. Easy, but very few people can master their own minds, alright? And that's what this phrase is really saying. The journey is not about controlling the world, it's about learning how to control yourself. Number seven. Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I'm wise, so I'm changing myself. Rumi. I remember when I wanted to excel in trading, hoping to help others make money. And then when I was also eager to explore motivational speaking, sharing some raw ignorant wisdom that I believed could inspire change in people, you know. However, the truth is that you need to focus on self-improvement first in whatever you want to do in your life, and later the world will take notice. Focusing on others prevents personal growth guys. But if you prioritize self-improvement, people will naturally be inspired to follow you. Okay? The truth is that we often focus on others in our quest to reach the pinnacle of life because we want to fulfill our ego. That's the reality. This desire is frequently driven by our need to fulfill our ego. It can lead to a self-centered approach where we aim to become memorable or to gain hundreds of thousands of followers on our four its social media, for example. I'm not saying that this is right or wrong. There are many layers of awareness in this case, and it is not my place to judge what is correct or incorrect. And personally, guys, I also like to be remembered, you know, for what I do. If I have not, I hope I have served my purpose in giving you a different perspective for at least a few of you. And I'm very happy like that. So that's not the point. The point is that it's important to note that you can lose your sense of direction if you start believing that focusing on others to achieve a certain number of followers or metrics is the only way to improve yourself in your purposes. Okay. So again, yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I'm wise, so I'm changing myself. Climb your own mountains, guys. Climb your mountains and learning along the way. That's the best thing you can do. Because in this way, one day, people will acknowledge uh your journey and choose to follow you. And automatically they they they will do, they will do uh without any any effort from you, you know. I remember I posted this note on on Soupstack one day, which said always fill your own cup first and allow the world to benefit benefit from the overflow. Beautiful note, beautiful note, and it totally aligns with this concept, you know. So now, before we wrap up, let's take a moment to slow down. All right, let's slow down and really sit with what we explore today. Because it's one thing to hear these ideas, guys, and another thing to actually understand them, to feel them, to let them land in a way that might change something in you. So we walked through seven pieces of ancient wisdom today, but what we really did was truly understand seven layers of human life that haven't changed at all, even after thousands of years, you know. So think about the first one from Marcus Aurelius. He basically told you, your mind is yours, the world is not. That's such a simple idea, but it is so it's so hard to apply, you know. We often try to control everything around us people, outcomes, timing, but strength comes from the inside out, not the outside in. When you get that, life becomes lighter, even in the cows, guys. Then we have Seneca. Seneca reminded us of something we forget constantly, you know. Time is short, and yet we live like we have unlimited days. We scroll, we delay, we wait for the right moment, waiting for the right moment. But if today was its own complete life, right, as Seneca suggests, how would you live it? That perspective alone can shift you, can shift your entire way of moving through the world. And then Lao Tzu. Lao Tzu came with another true that hits pretty hard. When you care too much about what others think, you stop living your your your life because you start living theirs, or right, their expectations, their opinions, their fears. But your story is not meant to be a reflection of someone else's experiences, guys. It's meant to be yours. Okay, Socrates. Socrates guided us deep into the power of the mind. How what you think you become. So your mind is constantly building the blueprint for your life, whatever whether you you know it or not. So if your thoughts are small, your life becomes small. If your thoughts are negative, your direction becomes negative as well. Okay. But when you guide your mind with intention, it becomes one of the greatest, greatest tools you will ever have. Okay, and then Confucius reminds us of the foundation of everything: self-respect. You cannot expect others to value what you don't value in yourself. You become your own boss, guys, you your own standard, you know, your own accountability partner. If you don't deliver for yourself, nobody else can do it for you. And then Lao Tzu came again, and this time deeper, you know. Knowing others is useful, knowing yourself is transformational. Mastering others might look powerful, but mastering yourself is the real power. So it's the ability to stay calm, to stay disciplined, to stay focused, even when your emotions or your mind try to pull you in the other direction. That's where success really comes from, guys. Self-mastery, not control over the outside world, you know. And finally, we have Rumi. Rumi closed everything with a message that feels like, you know, the core of today's episode. Before you try to change the world, change yourself. Because, guys, the more you understand your own patterns, your own ego, your own desires, the more aligned you become, you know, and the alignment naturally inspires people. So you don't need to prove anything in your life. You don't need to push, you grow. That's it. And the world responds. If there is something I want you to take away today, it's this ancient wisdom is not old, guys. It it's timeless. It's uh it survives because it's true, you know, and it it keeps guiding us because human nature at the end of the story hasn't changed as much as we think, you know. And uh if even one of these ideas sticks with you, if you know even one of them helps you make a different choice tomorrow, then this episode has done its job. Now I want to hear from you. Which piece of ancient wisdom spoke to you the most today, guys, and more importantly, how are you applying in your own life? Send me a message, share your story, or connect with me on Soupstack. I would try uh to read any message, and uh of course I will I would love to know uh if you you know if you have something to to share with me. And if you enjoyed today's episode, remember to subscribe so you never miss an update. And uh, if someone in your life needs a reminder to slow down, guys, reflect or return to their inner strength, share this episode, share this episode with them. Maybe without knowing, you will change the direction of their life, you know. Thank you so much for being here on journey to success. If you believe in Christmas, well, guys, Merry Christmas! This evening will be relaxing with my family who traveled all the way from Switzerland to visit us in the Netherlands. And uh tomorrow we we will we will have uh uh like 10 people. We invite like around 10 people to eat with us, so it's gonna be fun. And uh but I mean if you don't believe in charismas, well, end your days usual. Alright. Together, we're not just learning from the past, guys. We are using wisdom to build a clearer, stronger future. One step at a time. I'll see you in the next episode. Cheers.