| On this day 1,903 years ago, the boy who would be king was born. All these years later, why do we still remember and talk about Marcus Aurelius? It wasn't because he was an emperor. It wasn't because of his impressive military record. It wasn't because he amassed great wealth or conquered vast territories. It was because, as Brand Blanshard would observe, of Marcus Aurelius' Meditations (our favorite translation here): Few care now about the marches and countermarches of the Roman commanders. What the centuries have clung to is a notebook of thoughts by a man whose real life was largely unknown who put down in the midnight dimness not the events of the day or the plans of the morrow, but something of far more permanent interest, the ideals and aspirations that a rare spirit lived by. So what were those ideals and aspirations? What did that rare spirit live by? The open pages of Meditations reveal that spirit quite well, for Meditations begins with a section entitled "Debts and Lessons" (we do a full breakdown of Book 1 in How to Read Marcus Aurelius' Meditations (A Daily Stoic Guide)). Across 17 entries and some 2,100 words (a full 10% of the book), Marcus Aurelius takes the time to acknowledge and codify the lessons he had learned from the important people in his life. It's remarkable to remember that this book was never to be seen by the people mentioned—it was purely for his own edification that Marcus wanted to remember his grandfather taught him to be courteous. His father taught him to be manly without ostentation; his mother taught him to be generous; his tutor instilled a positive work ethic; his philosophy tutor told him to 'never be satisfied just getting the gist of things.' We know that Marcus tried to live by the four virtues—in book 3, he said he'd never find anything better in life than courage, discipline, justice and wisdom. In book 10, he added six epithets for himself—values he said that should not be "traded" for any others: Upright. Modest. Straightforward. Sane. Cooperative. Disinterested. Isn't that what we're all pursuing? Isn't that what we are looking for? The virtues, the code that guided that rare spirit of a man? Isn't that what we want to take and apply in our own lives? It's even remarkable to see what Marcus promised would happen if one followed this prescription. "If you maintain your claim to these epithets," he wrote, "without caring if others apply them to you or not—you'll become a new person, living a new life." But reading Marcus Aurelius—while easier than many philosophy books—is not exactly a cakewalk. That's why, as we've been saying, what you need is a coach. Someone to guide you through the book to make sure you squeeze all the practical philosophy out of it. To make you realize why powerful readers have been returning to the book over and over for two millennia. To learn, whether it's your first time reading Meditations or your 100th, how to better apply its wisdom. "Mastery of reading and writing requires a master," Marcus writes. That's the idea behind How to Read Marcus Aurelius' Meditations (A Daily Stoic Guide)—which officially launches today on Marcus's birthday. Like a book club or an annotated version of your favorite book, it's designed to give you context, fill in the blanks, and illustrate how to implement the same "spiritual exercises" Marcus used to improve your own life. Whether you're brand new to Stoicism or ready to finally dive deeper into this philosophy, this course is designed to equip you with the very best tools and wisdom Stoicism has to offer straight from the best example of its virtues.  How to Read Marcus Aurelius' Meditations (A Daily Stoic Guide) is a set of 11 modules—which you can work through at your own pace—and includes… ✓ The conclusive introduction and companion to guide you through a deeper and more personal understanding of Meditations
✓ Hours of videos and podcasts from Ryan Holiday to enrich your reading experience of Meditations
✓ Additional articles, videos, and audio from world-class experts and guests for you to go deeper on your philosophical journey
✓ Journaling and Reflection Prompts—exercises and questions to deepen your engagement with the text and your practice of Stoicism. If you need copies of the book, we have what we think is the best translation you can get of Meditations in both paperback and our premium leather-bound edition. And remember, as Marcus writes, "To live a good life: We have the potential for it." You have the potential for it right now. You don't have to choose tomorrow, as Marcus also reminds us, you can choose today. If you want to live up to your potential, if you want to live a good life starting now, head over to dailystoic.com/meditations and sign up TODAY! | 
