Stoic Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius kept a personal journal, never intended for publication, in which he maintained notes, lessons and reminders to himself about his practice of Stoicism, an ancient school of philosophy emphasising rational thinking, community, duty, and tranquility.

His notes were discovered following his death and eventually published as To Oneself, but you might know them as The Meditations.

I am not Roman, nor an emperor, and my name is not Marcus.

I am, however, keeping a Stoic journal. You’re reading it. I want to keep it anonymous so I can avoid self-consciousness, but I’m making it public so that others can get a sense of how I’m trying to apply Stoicism to my life. I hope you find it useful.