Yes, Yes, I am Dramas and this is the Street Stoic Podcast, bringing your daily dose of timeless stoke philosophy remix for the hip hop generation. We are combining ancient philosophy with lyrics and quotes from some of the greatest who ever grace a microphone. Now, with that in mind, let's get things started with your daily shot of inspiration.

Yes, Yes, I am Dramas and this is the Street Stoic Podcast, bringing your daily dose of timeless stoke philosophy remix for the hip hop generation. We are combining ancient philosophy with lyrics and quotes from some of the greatest who ever grace a microphone. Now, with that in mind, let's get things started with your daily shot of inspiration.

Now today we are going to be focusing around the stoic idea of gratitude and man, whenever I am looking for some positivity in my life, I'm looking to just have a little bit of a pick me up. Nipsey Hustle is definitely one of those people who I revisit and today I found a quote from him that I thought really matched up with the idea of gratitude, particularly how I want to talk about it today, and nip says, I'm at peace with what I'm doing. I feel good with what I wake up doing and about my lifestyle. And I think, to me, this speaks to the idea of the importance of gratitude right because gratitude brings peace. That's what Nip is talking about. You know, when you don't feel like there is somewhere else that you want to be right. That is peace right there. And I think a lot of our unhappiness as human beings, it comes from our lack of presence, right, and finding the good in a current situation.

Now today we are going to be focusing around the stoic idea of gratitude and man, whenever I am looking for some positivity in my life, I'm looking to just have a little bit of a pick me up. Nipsey Hustle is definitely one of those people who I revisit and today I found a quote from him that I thought really matched up with the idea of gratitude, particularly how I want to talk about it today, and nip says, I'm at peace with what I'm doing. I feel good with what I wake up doing and about my lifestyle. And I think, to me, this speaks to the idea of the importance of gratitude right because gratitude brings peace. That's what Nip is talking about. You know, when you don't feel like there is somewhere else that you want to be right. That is peace right there. And I think a lot of our unhappiness as human beings, it comes from our lack of presence, right, and finding the good in a current situation.

Right.

Right.

Our inability to find the good in a current situation, I think is probably the root cause of much of the unhappiness that we oftentimes face as human beings.

Our inability to find the good in a current situation, I think is probably the root cause of much of the unhappiness that we oftentimes face as human beings.

Right.

Right.

And I love how he's just sort of, you know, talking about his his lifestyle and it being something that he's proud of, right, And that's obviously a conscious effort in create his lifestyle, and also feeling good about what he wakes up getting to do. Right. That sort of appreciation and that excitement to be able to wake up to something that makes you happy, right, that automatically brings that gratitude if you can kind of get present to all that you're blessed with. And this brings us to a quote from one of the stoics, Seneca, where he says true happiness is to enjoy the present without anxious dependence upon the future, not to amuse ourselves with either hopes or fears, but to rest satisfied with what we have, which is sufficient for he that so wants nothing. The greatest blessings of mankind are within us and within our reach. A wise man is content with his lot, whatever it may be, without wishing for what.

And I love how he's just sort of, you know, talking about his his lifestyle and it being something that he's proud of, right, And that's obviously a conscious effort in create his lifestyle, and also feeling good about what he wakes up getting to do. Right. That sort of appreciation and that excitement to be able to wake up to something that makes you happy, right, that automatically brings that gratitude if you can kind of get present to all that you're blessed with. And this brings us to a quote from one of the stoics, Seneca, where he says true happiness is to enjoy the present without anxious dependence upon the future, not to amuse ourselves with either hopes or fears, but to rest satisfied with what we have, which is sufficient for he that so wants nothing. The greatest blessings of mankind are within us and within our reach. A wise man is content with his lot, whatever it may be, without wishing for what.

He has not.

He has not.

That was a very kind of doctor Susie type of quote right there, But I think it reminds me of another sort of simplified quote that I had heard one time from someone that I had in my other podcast Life, and they said that they had heard once that depression comes from dwelling on the past and that anxiety comes from focusing on the future. And this really resonated with me, and I think it kind of speaks to that idea that both Seneca and Nip are talking about, where the sort of sweet spot is the present moment, right when you're not worried about what's coming next, or you're not fixated on what you don't have, or you're not fixated on what someone else has, but instead you're taking the time to enjoy all that you do have right, all of the luxuries that you have, big or small, and reality is regardless of the situation that you find yourself in right now, there has to be something that you can be present and be grateful for right I mean again, the fact that you're listening to this podcast, which is something that I always tend to bring up from time to time. It puts you in a percentage of people privilege that a lot of others in the world, you know, don't have access to a phone or a computer to be able to listen to something like this at their leisure. Right, even just being grateful for something small like that, knowing that you know things could be far worse and you have a lot to be grateful for, I think begins to unlock your ability to find happiness even in what appears to be mundane everyday life.

That was a very kind of doctor Susie type of quote right there, But I think it reminds me of another sort of simplified quote that I had heard one time from someone that I had in my other podcast Life, and they said that they had heard once that depression comes from dwelling on the past and that anxiety comes from focusing on the future. And this really resonated with me, and I think it kind of speaks to that idea that both Seneca and Nip are talking about, where the sort of sweet spot is the present moment, right when you're not worried about what's coming next, or you're not fixated on what you don't have, or you're not fixated on what someone else has, but instead you're taking the time to enjoy all that you do have right, all of the luxuries that you have, big or small, and reality is regardless of the situation that you find yourself in right now, there has to be something that you can be present and be grateful for right I mean again, the fact that you're listening to this podcast, which is something that I always tend to bring up from time to time. It puts you in a percentage of people privilege that a lot of others in the world, you know, don't have access to a phone or a computer to be able to listen to something like this at their leisure. Right, even just being grateful for something small like that, knowing that you know things could be far worse and you have a lot to be grateful for, I think begins to unlock your ability to find happiness even in what appears to be mundane everyday life.

Right.

Right.

And for me, I relate to this in a really deep way because I've always been somebody who kind of struggled with depression and bits of anxiety. And one of the biggest things that I think has helped me at this point in my life that I've begun to sort of unpack was trying to get hyper present, right, Like, what I realized was that much of my depression would come from thoughts about something other than the present moment. Right in the present moment, I wasn't unhappy, I wasn't suffering, I wasn't you know, without a roof over my head or was without whatever. And I realized that the depression comes from taking myself out of those moments, right, And what I've begun to kind of do now when those bouts of depression begin to kind of creep up or those negative thoughts, is I really just kind of fight back and push back against this narrative in my head about whatever dark thought is popping up, and I try to bring myself to be hyper focused on my current life right and remind myself my current life is amazing, you know, and I have to fixate on all that I do have and all that I have to be grateful for and the fact that I'm breathing and I'm still here. I'm able to have another day on this earth, you know, doing something that I enjoy doing, or giving, you know, my dreams another go, right and listen. It's going to be a back and forth battle, right, But again, it works. I don't find myself sitting in these elongated periods of depression anymore because I'm fighting back, and I'm fighting back with gratitude, which is something that is always available to me. Right now, we have heard from man one of my favorites Nipsey Hustle, one of the Stowic Seneca. I've given you some insight into my own life and how gratitude has just been this incredible tool for me to you know, find happiness and consistently be happy. Now let's talk about how you can make it your mantra for today. But first let's take a quick break and then we'll be right back. All right, so we have heard the words of Nipsey Hustle, one of the Stoic Seneca, myself all on this topic of gratitude, right, and now let's talk about how you can make it your mantra for today. And I think for me, what always tends to be the best pieces of advice are ones that are incredibly practical, right, things that I can apply to my life immediately with little to no effort. And I think one of the best things that I could sort of suggest based upon my own personal experiences, is trying to create a team throughout the day that keeps you in this place of gratitude. Right. And for me, it looks like, you know, waking up and even if I'm exhausted and I'm mad at my alarm for going off, I quickly try to remind myself like, oh man, this is such a blessing that I got to wake up another day, Right, and just keep looking for those little winds, you know, along the way I make my bed. I'm proud of myself that, even though I was half asleep, I took the time to make my bed before I went downstairs. Right, all those little pats on the back that you give yourself are are going to keep adding to that gratitude that fights back against the negative thoughts and again throughout the day, continuing to remind myself of all the positive things. Right, if I check something off my to do list, I make sure I take a second to remind myself of what a great job I'm doing. And all of this sounds a bit silly, you know, a bit sort of mundane, but it's the only way to truly kind of push back against our mind, which loves to sort of reminisce on things from the past or sort of anxiously try and predict the future. And I think that's what creating a routine around just finding gratitude in the smallest things, you know, talking nice to yourself, you know, bigging yourself up when you are completing even the smallest tasks, Like you're then creating your own happiness, right, and you're not waiting for something or some moment or someone to give it to you. And and I think that is sort of what cuts out the middleman. And oftentimes again that middleman ends up being where the depression lies. Right in those moments where you're waiting for something or someone to give you that outside happiness or validation, that's where those depressive thoughts can creep in and really just kind of take a hold of you. So now to recap on this conversation around gratitude, right, you have Nip just talking about the idea of peace, right, and I think the two lines that follow that him talking about being good with his lifestyle and being good with what he wakes up doing. That's him being grateful for his life and the life that he's living, and that is bringing him peace. And what Seneca talks about happiness is to enjoy the present. That idea. I want to remind you of that quote I said, where depression comes from dwelling on the past, anxiety comes from focusing on the future and just remembering, like, we want to exist in that middle ground, right, that sweet spot the present moment that is where your happiness will lie at the end of the day. And then for me personally, I've applied this to my own life. You know, I've taken my own advice here the little practical steps that I'm giving you about how to treat your day each and every day. I've applied those things to my life, and I've seen a drastic difference in my mood or the way that I'm able to bounce back or snap out of, you know, negative thoughts or or you know, just a bad day that I'm having, how I can quickly get back into the present moment and back into being happy and at peace. Right now, with that said, thank you so much for checking out the Streets podcast. Do your best to apply these concepts that we discussed and see everyday life, and I will catch you next time. The Street Stoke podcast is a production of Iheart's micro Dura podcast network. H

And for me, I relate to this in a really deep way because I've always been somebody who kind of struggled with depression and bits of anxiety. And one of the biggest things that I think has helped me at this point in my life that I've begun to sort of unpack was trying to get hyper present, right, Like, what I realized was that much of my depression would come from thoughts about something other than the present moment. Right in the present moment, I wasn't unhappy, I wasn't suffering, I wasn't you know, without a roof over my head or was without whatever. And I realized that the depression comes from taking myself out of those moments, right, And what I've begun to kind of do now when those bouts of depression begin to kind of creep up or those negative thoughts, is I really just kind of fight back and push back against this narrative in my head about whatever dark thought is popping up, and I try to bring myself to be hyper focused on my current life right and remind myself my current life is amazing, you know, and I have to fixate on all that I do have and all that I have to be grateful for and the fact that I'm breathing and I'm still here. I'm able to have another day on this earth, you know, doing something that I enjoy doing, or giving, you know, my dreams another go, right and listen. It's going to be a back and forth battle, right, But again, it works. I don't find myself sitting in these elongated periods of depression anymore because I'm fighting back, and I'm fighting back with gratitude, which is something that is always available to me. Right now, we have heard from man one of my favorites Nipsey Hustle, one of the Stowic Seneca. I've given you some insight into my own life and how gratitude has just been this incredible tool for me to you know, find happiness and consistently be happy. Now let's talk about how you can make it your mantra for today. But first let's take a quick break and then we'll be right back. All right, so we have heard the words of Nipsey Hustle, one of the Stoic Seneca, myself all on this topic of gratitude, right, and now let's talk about how you can make it your mantra for today. And I think for me, what always tends to be the best pieces of advice are ones that are incredibly practical, right, things that I can apply to my life immediately with little to no effort. And I think one of the best things that I could sort of suggest based upon my own personal experiences, is trying to create a team throughout the day that keeps you in this place of gratitude. Right. And for me, it looks like, you know, waking up and even if I'm exhausted and I'm mad at my alarm for going off, I quickly try to remind myself like, oh man, this is such a blessing that I got to wake up another day, Right, and just keep looking for those little winds, you know, along the way I make my bed. I'm proud of myself that, even though I was half asleep, I took the time to make my bed before I went downstairs. Right, all those little pats on the back that you give yourself are are going to keep adding to that gratitude that fights back against the negative thoughts and again throughout the day, continuing to remind myself of all the positive things. Right, if I check something off my to do list, I make sure I take a second to remind myself of what a great job I'm doing. And all of this sounds a bit silly, you know, a bit sort of mundane, but it's the only way to truly kind of push back against our mind, which loves to sort of reminisce on things from the past or sort of anxiously try and predict the future. And I think that's what creating a routine around just finding gratitude in the smallest things, you know, talking nice to yourself, you know, bigging yourself up when you are completing even the smallest tasks, Like you're then creating your own happiness, right, and you're not waiting for something or some moment or someone to give it to you. And and I think that is sort of what cuts out the middleman. And oftentimes again that middleman ends up being where the depression lies. Right in those moments where you're waiting for something or someone to give you that outside happiness or validation, that's where those depressive thoughts can creep in and really just kind of take a hold of you. So now to recap on this conversation around gratitude, right, you have Nip just talking about the idea of peace, right, and I think the two lines that follow that him talking about being good with his lifestyle and being good with what he wakes up doing. That's him being grateful for his life and the life that he's living, and that is bringing him peace. And what Seneca talks about happiness is to enjoy the present. That idea. I want to remind you of that quote I said, where depression comes from dwelling on the past, anxiety comes from focusing on the future and just remembering, like, we want to exist in that middle ground, right, that sweet spot the present moment that is where your happiness will lie at the end of the day. And then for me personally, I've applied this to my own life. You know, I've taken my own advice here the little practical steps that I'm giving you about how to treat your day each and every day. I've applied those things to my life, and I've seen a drastic difference in my mood or the way that I'm able to bounce back or snap out of, you know, negative thoughts or or you know, just a bad day that I'm having, how I can quickly get back into the present moment and back into being happy and at peace. Right now, with that said, thank you so much for checking out the Streets podcast. Do your best to apply these concepts that we discussed and see everyday life, and I will catch you next time. The Street Stoke podcast is a production of Iheart's micro Dura podcast network. H