Our 9 Philosophies, expanded.

Welcome to Letters from DEVSOC. A play on words from the Stoic classic - Letters from a Stoic by Seneca.

In this section/blog, we'll just be writing our thoughts. Nothing crazy, just an outlet for us to vent the thoughts that we have whilst navigating the river that is life. Ebbs & flows, ups & downs, yin & yang, we'll cover it all.

Firstly, I'll expand on our nine philosophies. They aren't exhaustive. There are other things that we believe are important, but when I came to write them down on paper, these were the nine that I wrote first, so that must mean something. I'll expand a bit more on each.

1% Daily Marginal Gains. Every. Single. Day. - You don't have to make huge gains every day to get better (at whatever you're trying to get better at). It's small steps that make a big difference. Forget the end goal, break it down into small pieces and religiously focus on those. Every. Single. Day.

Get Humbled. Phys so hard, you're truly humbled afterward. - Phys is our vibe, we're not the fittest, the strongest, or the best. But it doesn't matter. Phys is almost a meditation, it's a way of refocusing you're mind and body to the task in hand. If you had a bad day but you did phys, it was a good day. Not all of it, but some of it should be so rats that afterwards, you're truly humbled.

Be Proactive. Ain't no time like the present. Harden your body & mind today, whilst you can. - Tomorrow could be too late. Don't let time slip away from you. If you have the chance to get the work done, then get it done. You have been gifted with that time. Don't let it disappear forever. It will not return.

Stay Wavy. Don't take it too seriously. It's all a game, play it well. - One of the core meanings of our work. Do not let it all get to you. We're on a huge rock screaming around the vast universe at 1000 miles an hour (depending on what you relate it to), don't let it get to you. Enjoy the ride, there are ups & downs, ebbs & flows, highs & lows. These do not exist without their counterpart - without lows, there would be no highs, it's easy to sit here and write about it, it's harder to integrate it when the world seems to be against you. Go with the flow, enjoy the dance that is life. Listen to some Alan Watts if you want to hear more.

Be A Stoic. If you don't know what Stoicism is, we'll teach you. - "A brief synopsis and definition on this particular school of Hellenistic philosophy: Stoicism was founded in Athens by Zeno of Citium in the early 3rd century BC, but was famously practiced by the likes of Epictetus, Seneca and Marcus Aurelius. The philosophy asserts that virtue (such as wisdom) is happiness and judgment should be based on behaviour, rather than words. That we don’t control and cannot rely on external events, only ourselves and our responses". It's a powerful thought process, that you control how you feel. No one else. If you can master this, you will be a better person for it. The Daily Stoic, Meditations, and Letters From A Stoic are just a few books to get you started.

Be An Enabler. Don't be a disabler. - There's always that one person at work, the one who you give a task to and all you get is problems and hurdles. Be the one who takes those hurdles down, who helps others achieve their task, who adds value to the team. Learn a skill that makes you invaluable, build on it and work towards the goal, don't put things in the way of it.

Good Kit Doesn't Make A Good Soldier. It's down to you, not your kit. - Pretty simple, all the gucci gear in the world wouldn't fix core issues. Go back to basics and get them right.

Stay Humble. Treat all as equals. Have time for everyone, especially when they can't help you. - Get humbled & stay humble. Don't be that dude who only has time for others if there's something in it for you. We're all humans at the end of the day, and you never know how someone could help you. Treat everyone as is you can learn something from them. That old dude that stopped you to ask for bus times - have a conversation with him. He has a whole life under his belt, he's probably learnt some shit. Don't discard the underdog or the least likely person, they're the ones who will surprise.

The Journey Is Long. Fuck, it's a long one. Let's ride it together. We got this. - It is, there's no getting around it. It's a long path we're all on. Let's help each other get to the other end and make a difference on the way. If you help one person a day, make one person laugh, and fix one problem, you've made the world a better place. It's full of bad news, disappointment, and terrible things. Let's change it, let's work together, interdependence is key. We cannot do it alone, we must work as a team.

These are just a few of the things we believe and if you have any thoughts to add, leave a comment below.

- Team DEVSOC