"We suffer more often in imagination than in reality"
- Seneca

"Every man's life is sufficient. But yours is nearly finished, and still your soul reveres not itself, but seeks your well-being in the souls of others." - Marcus Aurelius

One of the most important and freeing principle of stoicism for me is to learn let go of others perceptions of you, and look into your own self for all the approval and love you seek

Don't confuse your thoughts of pain with pain itself.

Look closely and you will see your mind has a habit of complaining. Like a child throwing a tantrum, it cries out: "I am in pain!" "I am depressed!" "I feel sick!" "This is unbearable!"

Leave these thoughts unchecked and they will overpower you, drowning out your inner reason.

Therefore, in the midst of pain, remember your nature:
You are a philosopher.
This is the fabled arena, and the opponent is worthy.
This is your opportunity to inspire the crowd with courage and composure.

After all, philosophy is useless until used

It is my privilege to love even those who stumble. This love follows as soon as I reflect that they are like me, and they do wrong through ignorance; and above all they do me no harm, for they have not made my ruling faculty worse than it was before.
—Meditations 7.22

Key ideas of this discourse:

1. When you repeat a behavior, it leads to a habit. When you don’t repeat a behavior, it does not lead to a habit.

2. We sustain habits by feeding behaviors associated with them. When we keep feeding anger, for example, we become ill-tempered.

3. We can avoid being carried away by negative passions by not doing the behaviors associated with them.

4. Our behaviors are the result of impressions. Don’t be carried away by emotions. When an impression creates a negative emotion, take a few minutes to examine its true nature.

5. Avoid behaviors that feed a negative habit from the beginning. If you keep postponing, you will reach a stage where you will become too weak to fight them and you will start making excuses.

Read further:
https://www.thestoicgym.com/single-post/2017/08/30/CHOOSE-HABITS-TO-FIGHT-IMPRESSIONS-Epictetus-in-Plain-English-III18

Epictetus holds that the Stoic ought not to be unfeeling like a statue, since he is indeed by nature affectionate (φιλάλληλος), gentle (΄ήμερος), faithful (πιστός), helpful (συνεργητικός), and loving, and so is and ought to be naturally drawn to fulfil all his social, familial, and civic roles as a healthy, mentally attuned human

Epictetus says that family affection (το φιλόστοργον) and fondness (στερκτικόν) are natural human feelings which are compatible with what is reasonable

Epictetus says not only that tender affection (φιλοστοργία) for our own children is natural, but that once we have children, it is not in our power not to love (στέργειν) them.

It is blind passion that the stoic philosopher is against. You should be concious of your love, and sure it is not aimed merely at seeking pleasure.

With regard to whatever objects give you delight, are useful, or are deeply loved, remember to tell yourself of what general nature they are, beginning from the most insignificant things. If, for example, you are fond of a specific ceramic cup, remind yourself that it is only ceramic cups in general of which you are fond. Then, if it breaks, you will not be disturbed. If you kiss your child, or your wife, say that you only kiss things which are human, and thus you will not be disturbed if either of them dies.
- Enchiridion, 3

We are like actors in a play. The divine will has assigned us our roles in life without consulting us. Some of us will act in a short drama, others in a long one. We might be assigned the part of a poor person, a cripple, a distinguished celebrity or public leader, or an ordinary private citizen. Although we can't control which roles are assigned to us, it must be our business to act our given role as best as we possibly can and to refrain from complaining about it. Wherever you find yourself and in whatever circumstances, give an impeccable performance.

Full serenity prayer:

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time; enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will; that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him forever in the next. Amen.

Accept the things to which fate binds you, and love the people with whom fate brings you together, but do so with all your heart. -Marcus Aurelius

We all sorely complain of the shortness of time, and yet have much more than we know what to do with. Our lives are either spent in doing nothing at all, or in doing nothing to the purpose, or in doing nothing that we ought to do. We are always complaining that our days are few, and acting as though there would be no end of them. Seneca

"One day, you and everyone you love will die. And beyond a small group of people for an extremely brief period of time, little of what you say or do will even matter. This is the uncomfortable truth of life. And everything you think or do is but an elaborate avoidance of it. We are inconsequential cosmic dust, bumping and milling about on a tiny blue speck. We imagine our own importance. We invent our own purpose--- We are nothing. Enjoy your fucking coffee"

"For if a person shifts their caution to their own reasoned choices and the acts of those choices, they will at the same time gain the will to avoid, but if they shift their caution away from their own reasoned choices to things not under their control, seeking to avoid what is controlled by others, they will be agitated, fearful, and unstable" - Epictetus, Discourses, 2.1.12

"Life, if well lived, is long enough" - Seneca

In your actions, don't procrastinate

In your conversations, don't confuse

In your thoughts, don't wander

In your soul, don't be passive or aggressive

In your life, don't be all about business

"It's unfortunate that his has happened. No. It's fortunate that this has happened and I've remained unharmed by it"
- Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 4.49A