The Guided Meditations of Marcus Aurelius

Episode 20 - Humility Journal Episode

• John Stillman • Season 1 • Episode 20

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In this episode, you’ll be invited to journal on the Stoic principle of humility — the practice of seeing yourself clearly, remaining teachable, and placing truth above ego. Inspired by the teachings of Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus, this episode explores how humility creates space for growth, wisdom, and self-improvement.

Through thoughtful journaling prompts, you’ll reflect on moments of defensiveness, lessons learned through mistakes, and the areas of your life where greater openness and curiosity might help you grow. This episode is not about criticizing yourself, but about developing the honesty and self-awareness that allow meaningful change to happen.

Whether you are new to Stoicism or deepening your practice, this episode offers a calm and reflective space to examine the role that pride, ego, and perspective play in your daily life.

Grab your journal, take a breath, and begin the quiet practice of replacing certainty with curiosity, pride with perspective, and ego with wisdom.

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Hi everyone, and welcome to the Guided Meditations of Marcus Aurelius. I am your host, John Stillman. This is a journaling episode about humility. So if you're new to the podcast, go listen to episode one for an explanation of how this podcast works. If you've already done so, then you know I'm going to give you some prompts to journal about that are connected to this idea. So you're going to need something to write with. In this episode, we'll be journaling about humility, the ability to see ourselves clearly, remain teachable, and place truth above ego. If you're driving right now, this is not the podcast for you. Like our other journaling episodes, this one requires reflection and honesty. Feel free to come back to it later. If you're not driving, grab something to jot your thoughts down on: a notebook, your phone, a tablet, whatever works best for you. So before we get into the prompts, let's take a moment to talk about why humility is such an important stoic virtue. The Stoics recognize that pride and ego often distort our judgment. We want to be right, admired, and validated. Humility helps us see reality more clearly. Marcus Aurelius, despite being one of the most powerful people in the world, regularly examined his own faults and limitations in his writings. He believed that honest self-reflection was essential for personal growth and virtue. Those who assume they already know everything leave little room for learning and improvement. Humility does not mean thinking less of yourself. It means thinking accurately about yourself, recognizing both your strengths and your areas for improvement. Journaling about humility helps us notice where ego gets in the way and where growth is possible. So let's explore that together. As always, feel free to pause whenever you need more time to write. First question. Where in your life do you find it hardest to admit you might be wrong?

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Next question. What is one lesson you have learned from a mistake in the past year? Next. Who has taught you something valuable recently? And what did you learn from them? Next question.

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And what might that reaction be protecting? Final question. What is one area of your life where greater humility could help you grow? Take a moment to look over what you've written. The Stoics understood that growth begins with honest self-examination. Humility helps us replace certainty with curiosity, pride with perspective, and ego with wisdom. Like every Stoic practice, humility is developed over time through awareness and reflection. When you're ready, you can move on to the guided meditation episode on this same topic, where we'll work with these ideas at a deeper level. Thanks for stopping by, and we'll catch you on the next episode.