How to practice Stoicism in daily life

As part of what I call “self-regulation,” I am trying to practice Stoic philosophy, among other things, to help me cope with these difficult times. I wrote about the main Stoic rules a few days before. But practicing philosophy is more than just reading and reminding yourself of its fundamental principles. It’s also about practicing it in everyday life. Of course, that’s easier said than done.

My birthday is coming up in the first week of April. As part of our family tradition, we usually get together on my birthday. We’ve been doing this for many years — regardless of where each one of us is located.

Yesterday, I was supposed to buy tickets for my wife, sister, and mother and book a hotel in Dubai. Immediately, my brain started thinking: “I should get the best hotel in the city.” I cringed when I looked at the steep prices of Dubai accommodation and realized that I couldn’t afford the best. But my brain said, “You can make it work. You can get into debt. You can move money around. After all, it’s your birthday.”

So I picked the best hotel in the city. I started writing down my credit card details, hoping to impress my family…

…and then I remembered what the Stoic philosophy teaches us.

It teaches us that luxury corrupts. A man needs as much room as he needs. A man needs as much food as he needs. Once you go beyond that, you lose sight of what truly matters because luxury has no reference point — you can increase it to infinity — but your…