Daily Stoic Entry #66: Can I Test My Own Opinion Before Trusting It?

March 7th 2022

Follow along with my personal daily stoic journal, unfiltered, unedited (except for some spelling mistakes).

Morning Reflection:

I don't believe we can be truly a hundred percent objective about opinions and therefore our trust in them. However the act of pausing a moment and reconsidering your opinion away from the context of the moment, can give you a power that others rarely use. Another fallacy we can fall into is the false narrative we tell ourselves about our successes as well as failures. The best way to deal with this is meditation, as far as I've been able to test for myself. I've found the practice enormously helpful in detaching from the stream of thoughts and stories, giving you that moment to consider matters more objectively. Now, you often can't immediately go sit on a cushion and go into a full meditation session but you can be mindful in the moment, that's where the real practice starts.

Evening Reflection:

What are other ways we can test our opinion? Perhaps by taking counsel with those you trust and of who you know have your best interests at heart. Don't let them decide for you though. Always consider your own needs but others can always help you see things you haven't considered before. Thus giving you a different perspective, allowing for a fuller more objective assessment of whatever you're dealing with.

Title prompts are taken from The Daily Stoic Journal by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman.