Seneca: Guides

We often set out to be better, but somehow end up failing. We set out in January, or on Monday morning, or at a new job to do things differently, but we find ourselves falling into the same bad habits. And if that’s you, well, the Roman Stoic philosopher Seneca has some advice. Years before Seneca, Aristotle argued that there are two ways to become better. There’s a hard way and an easy way. The hard way is to philosophise. You sit down, you rationalise, and you work out a course of action that you have to stick to. But the easy way is to copy somebody that you respect. Live like they do. And so Seneca took this idea and turned it into a powerful visualisation tool. He said that we should choose somebody admirable and ‘keep their image always before our eyes. Make them your guardian and your pattern. And so we can get rid of bad habits with the help of someone standing by.’ So imagine a parent standing next to you, or a respected teacher from your past. Imagine a friend that you admire, or Dame Judi Dench. And as you talk and you behave, imagine that person standing next to you. Imagine them looking on. Because what Seneca, Aristotle, and modern psychology all agree on is that if you behave like somebody else, you will eventually become more like them. We are what we repeatedly do. So the next time you want to be better, or grow in any way, don’t just pull up your socks and give it a go. Imagine a cheerleader by your side. Because one of the best ways to learn anything is to copy somebody who is great at it. And becoming better — becoming more moral — is no different.