The Stoics were tough on excuses but never cruel to the self. Marcus, in his private notes, corrected himself with patience, not contempt. There's a difference between holding a standard and beating yourself up, and the second one never actually helps. You'd never talk to a struggling friend the way you sometimes talk to yourself. So practice the swap. When you slip, meet it the way you'd meet someone you care about: honest about the miss, but warm, and already looking at the next step. This isn't going soft. A person who treats themselves decently has more strength left over for doing the actual work.

Inspired by the old idea of patient self-correction. Written by Ugo Charles.