Good Morning Everyone!! Happy Tuesday! We’re only four days out from the weekend, so push through… thoughtfully.

For our main course today we’re going to expand on our reflection theme for this week by analyzing Marcus Aurelius’ method. To burn those calories, we’re going to try a little Stoic journaling exercise. To round it all off, we’ll crack open Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations.

I’m starving, so let’s dig in! Thought Breakfast is served!

Self-reflection is not self-criticism. When Marcus Aurelius wrote his Meditations, he wasn’t attacking himself, but rather using reflection as a return to reason. This is a prime example of a Stoic reflection. Unlike Augustine’s Confessions, the Stoic reflection is not an emotional confession. It’s not an admission of regret or self-criticism. It is simply a daily diagnostic of the soul. You become a doctor of your inner self, diagnosing yourself in order to heal, not to shame.

Examples of this are everywhere in Meditations. We see him say things like:

and not:

This is the line between reflection vs. rumination.

Error is natural. The key to productive reflection is your perception of your own inner dialogue. I was told that when your mind starts to wander in meditation, you bring the attention back to the breath. When your mind wanders during prayer, you bring yourself back to God. When reflecting, you might notice feelings of guilt or shame for even very small or insignificant actions. Notice when reflection becomes emotional. Bring your attention back to the present. And, if it helps, write about it.

Meditations was Marcus Aurelius’ personal journal. He never intended for it to be published for us to read. We see his raw, personal reflections and the wisdom is profound. When Marcus did his reflections, he wrote about it because reading your thoughts back to yourself offers a certain clarity. It doesn’t have to be a book, just a short, direct evaluation of where you are as a person at that moment. It’s a mental sharpening tool that separates opinion from reality.

The Stoics believed that most suffering stems from three things: false assumptions, exaggerated fears, and imagined catastrophes. Stoic reflection exposes the distortion that surrounds these all-too-common handicaps. The reflection forces you to ask “Is this actually a threat?” or “Is this just about my ego?”

This is a contrast to fellow Stoic, Seneca, who we learned from yesterday. Seneca told us that reflection saves time. Aurelius shows us through his method that reflection saves the soul. Seneca told us “watch how you spend your time” and Aurelius tells us “watch how you treat your inner life.”

Psychology agrees with Aurelius on this as well. Modern psych shows us that naming an emotion often reduces the power it has over us. Reflection is curiosity. Rumination is punishment. It’s crucial to recognize the difference.

Try and name one thing you criticized yourself for yesterday, or maybe even this morning. Now grab a pen, and rewrite it using Marcus’ language.

For example, if you said to yourself “I always overthink. I’m awful at this.” then you’d write “I drifted from clarity today; I can return sooner next time.”

This is the tone that reflection should happen under. It’s not emotionless, it’s separating emotion from truth.

“If someone can show me that I am mistaken or looking at things from the wrong perspective, I will gladly change. For I seek the truth, which no one has ever been harmed by.” - Marcus Aurelius Meditations 8.51

Aurelius, in his private journal, displays humility, openness, and rationality. He’s showing that error is not failure, but misperception. The key is being willing to correct the misperception. This is where Marcus unknowingly models the right form of reflection: correction, not shame.

He redefines self-examination when he says “no one has ever been harmed by truth.” The truth can feel painful, of course. But Marcus is insisting that accepting truth does not wound us, refusing it does. It’s not an indictment, or evidence of failure. It is liberation from false judgments.

The goal isn’t to be perfect in every moment, but to leave room to grow, and not punish ourselves for not being fully grown already. Love truth more than ego. Love clarity more than pride. That is the heart of reflection, and the soul of growth.

Munch on that for today. Stop punishing yourself when the part of you that notices your mistakes is the same part that wants you to grow. And as always, come back tomorrow for another steaming hot plate of Thought Breakfast!

PS — if you want to support this newsletter, clicking that link below keeps this whole thing running.

Thank you for reading along with us today! If you enjoy this content, and want to start your days grounded in thought and mindfulness, I suggest you have a seat at our table! Smash that button below to check out more editions and subscribe!

Remember to stay mindful, smell the flowers, and take it easy.

Chef Ricky - Thought Breakfast

P.S.

This is a developing project, we want your feedback! You might notice some style changes and content updates as we progress. Take the journey with us!