With the New Year’s holiday, and the tradition of New Year’s resolutions, just around the corner for many of us, it seems appropriate to recount some simple advice from Epictetus, the famous Stoic philosopher and teacher.

I’m paraphrasing these from a couple different chapters of Arrian’s Discourses of Epictetus, by the way.

We all know, I think, that New Year’s resolutions tend not to last beyond January. Typically one falls short of their resolution, either gives up, feeling that they have failed, or else growing irresolute and lax in keeping to the commitment. Sometimes, too, the resolution itself may not have been suitable. And it can also be the case that life simply changes so much that the resolution either is no longer possible or appropriate. Epictetus’ counsel pertains to at least most of this.

First, when you resolve to do something, and then fall short, don’t allow that to stop you, and don’t become overly discouraged. The falling-short is normal, and is part of the process. Pick yourself back up, and re-commit.

Second, Epictetus attaches a caution to that advice: Don’t let a willingness to accept that you failed and re-commit, cause you to give up too easily. Don’t become too lax about failing, about falling short, when you do actually have to ability to accomplish what you have committed to.

So, be willing to fail and to start right over again, but don’t allow that willingness to weaken your commitment to succeeding.

Thirdly, Epictetus also advises, in a separate discourse, not to take on something that’s well beyond your present ability to carry through to completion.

This doesn’t take away from his advice to put all your attention and energy, fully and completely, into growing and living, in moral and intellectual terms, the best life available to you. Rather, it’s realistic, practice guidance in executing that advice. If something is truly beyond your present abilities, including above all your current moral and intellectual capacities, then getting yourself into such an undertaking or situation has a similar outcome to laxly allowing yourself to fail.

Don’t bite off more than you can chew, but do take a bite, ideally of something healthy, and chew it well. And if life abruptly changes so much that the resolution no longer presently makes sense, recognize and allow for that too.

Happy New Year, and good luck to us all.

---

SeekerFive creates expressive photographic artwork: a few selections on Etsy at elementalexpressive.etsy.com.

---

SeekerFive is gradually collecting and developing resources to aid in philosophical practice and study at philosophicadvising.com.