How to Change Direction in Life & Work: Find a New Way Forward

A person holds a vintage compass and map illustrates a change direction in life

Are you thinking of doing something different with your life? How might you experiment with new goals and ambitions? Despite all your efforts to keep moving forward, sometimes your plans simply don’t work out and you discover that a goal isn’t as achievable as you’d originally thought. Adam Alter argues that, rather than throwing your hands up and quitting, you might need a change in direction. If you’re facing failure, here are ways you can change direction in life.

How to Face Difficulties in Life: 3 Areas to Confront Like a Stoic

A woman facing an obstacle in the road and learning how to face difficulties in life.

Do you know how to face difficulties in life? How would a Stoic approach failure and death? William B. Irvine says there are three key areas of life where you can apply Stoic strategies for overcoming adversity. Namely, he discusses how to approach failure, falls from high places, and death as a Stoic would. Here are the three difficult areas of life where you need to embrace your inner Stoic.

Stoicism on Adversity: Using the Framing Effect Against Hardship

A statue punching through a wall, representing Stoicism's adversity method.

What is Stoicism’s adversity methodology? How do the Stoics handle adversity? In The Stoic Challenge, William B. Irvine explains the Stoics’ core strategy of treating adversities as tests of character. He details how to make use of two psychological phenomena to change your relationship to hardship.  Let’s look at what the Stoics said about adversity.

How to Get Out of a Slump: 5 Ways to Kickstart Progress

A worried man holding his hands to his face, wondering how to get out of a slump

Are you stuck in a rut? What are Adam Alter’s recommendations for pushing through the barriers of life? As anyone who feels like they’ve hit a wall knows, the hard part is picking yourself up and pushing on. Alter says that, when you feel like progress has ground to a halt, there are a variety of ways to kickstart it again. Check out how to get out of a slump with Alter’s recommendations.

Stoic Training: 2 Methods to Prepare You for Real-World Challenges

Three philosophers talking in ancient times and practicing Stoic training.

What are the two methods of Stoic training? What do these methods prepare you for? In The Stoic Challenge, William B. Irvine discusses two methods of training you can use to practice the Stoic strategy. Both training methods help you develop resolve and resourcefulness.  Continue reading if you want to practice these methods yourself to become a modern-day Stoic.

How to Cope With Failure: 3 Tactics to Accept Setbacks

A drawing of a woman throwing away a paper with a big red letter F on it illustrates how to cope with failure

Do you know how to cope with failure? What can you learn from failure? Handling obstacles poorly and not persevering through difficult times will set you up for failure, not success. However, certain types of “failure” that we’ve learned to stigmatize are actually crucial stepping stones along your path. Below, Adam Alter suggests some new ways to approach failure.

Feeling Stuck in Your Life and Career? Here’s What’s Causing It

A frowning woman with a wrinkled brow is feeling stuck in her life and career

Are you feeling stuck in your life and career? What are the mental barriers you must overcome to reach success? A problem you’ll probably face in life is hitting a wall, whether it’s in your career, an important relationship, or a creative endeavor. Adam Alter breaks down some common characteristics of this experience, from the inevitable slowdowns in the middle of long-term projects to the traps that can sabotage progress. Let’s look at the factors that are keeping you stuck in a mental hole.

Adam Alter’s Anatomy of a Breakthrough: Overview & Takeaways

A young woman standing in the woods holds an open book

What’s Anatomy of a Breakthrough about? Do you have writer’s block or feel stuck in your personal life? We’ve all felt trapped at some point in our lives when our motivation falters and all our hard work grinds to a halt. In Anatomy of a Breakthrough, Adam Alter proposes a range of solutions that might help you find your way out of the woods. Read below for an overview of Adam Alter’s Anatomy of a Breakthrough.