👋 Hello Dear Stoic!
My name is Jon Brooks.
If you met me in the street, you might not think much was going on beneath the surface. Perhaps I'd come across as just a regular "friendly" guy.
But after some time with me, you might start to question that initial impression...
"Why doesn't he react to things so strongly?"
"How does he seem so calm?"
"Why does he nearly always seem to be in a good mood?
"How does he have the courage and confidence to go after what he chooses?"
If you asked the right questions, you may start to glimpse the invisible philosophy that was guiding my thoughts and actions.
You see, I'm part of a modern wave of practicing Stoics.
I've been practicing Stoicism for over 15 years and I've been a full-time Psychology writer and podcaster since 2014.
I focus on using the ancient philosophy of Stoicism as a blueprint for the art of living while synthesizing it with modern research into happiness and well-being.
The key is in the practice. I don't see Stoicism as simply a fancy set of theories to philosophize over. Instead, I see Stoicism as a set of psychological and emotional skills that we must train at improving.
I like to think of Stoicism as martial arts for the mind, and I use my background in Brazilian jiu-jitsu to help myself and those I teach to approach life as a discipline to be mastered.
Just as we learn a new grappling technique by breaking it into its constituent parts, and practicing again and again until we have mastered it and can use it in the dojo, we can do it with Stoicism and the mind until we are prepared to face any situation.
My goal is to make ancient wisdom accessible and practical so you can begin seeing immediate results starting now. I give people the tools to become braver, wiser, and more patient so that they can become a happier and more confident version of themselves.
📜 The 5 Stoic Handbook Core Tenets
As a Stoic, I uphold certain values that inform my every decision and action. These values, these guiding principles, are as follows:
1) I choose experimentation over untested beliefs
2) I prefer deep simplicity over shallow complexity.
3) I embrace innovation over blind dogma.
4) I believe in leading by example, rather than making empty promises.
5) I prioritize skill acquisition over knowledge alone
🔗 Important Resources
Now that you're on the email list, I will send you new articles and resources but if you want to dive straight into my work and start learning about my self-improvement methods using Stoicism, here's a good place to start:
Free Tools
- 🎙️ The Stoic Handbook Podcast → Here I share weekly free lessons and meditations on Stoic self-improvement
- 📚 The Stoic Handbook Article Archive → View my written work, including my breakdowns of Epictetus' handbook
- 🎥 A Guide to Learning Stoicism → Here's a workshop I did on The Stoa explaining my story and approach to Stoicism
Premium Tools
- 🌊 Stoic Anxiety Mastery → My flagship 4-part fear-destroying course featuring hours of video, dozens of techniques, and 7 epic bonuses
- 💎 Stoic Handbook Premium → Get access to my premium Stoic meditations and lessons for a small monthly subscription