Biță is 16 and quite happy in the shelter, unlike most of the other residents. How did he do it? Well, he’s a true stoic and knows that happiness is built from the inside out, not the other way around. An avid reader of Seneca and Marcus Aurelius, in his 16 years of life, he has learned two simple principles:

– Focus on things as they ARE, not as they SHOULD be, and enjoy them. Because the desire for constant change causes us (and Buddhists know this, not just Stoics) to be permanently dissatisfied or at least insufficiently satisfied with what we already have.

– Time is your most precious resource. Remind yourself daily of two things: memento mori (that you will die) and amor fati (that you must love your fate). Live each day as if it were your last, and it will be a happy day, a day in which you will finally be present, freeing yourself from the torments of past regrets and future anxieties.