PEOPLE │Being According to Seneca
At P-ACTA, we often draw on timeless wisdom to help people navigate modern challenges. One of the richest sources of practical philosophy comes from the Stoic thinker Lucius Annaeus Seneca. His reflections on life, presence, and resilience offer a powerful framework for coaching in today’s world.
Seneca’s philosophy was not abstract theory but a method for living well. In his letters and essays, he repeatedly returned to the idea of being, of inhabiting the present moment fully and cultivating inner strength regardless of external circumstances. Let’s explore how his approach can become a practical coaching method we call The Art of Being.
Step 1: Anchor in the Present
Seneca warned against wasting life on the anxieties of tomorrow or the regrets of yesterday.
Coaching practice: Begin each session with a grounding ritual — a breath, a pause, or a simple reflection on what is here now.
Application: When clients are overwhelmed, help them focus on what is within their control today.
Lesson: The art of being starts with presence.
Step 2: Choose Your Perspective
For Seneca, suffering often came not from events themselves but from how we interpret them.
Coaching practice: Invite reframing — “What else could this mean?”
Application: Encourage clients to see obstacles as opportunities to train patience, creativity, or resilience.
Lesson: The art of being means becoming the author of your own perspective.
Step 3: Embrace Simplicity
Seneca lived in Rome’s luxury but preached the freedom of simplicity. He saw that a life overloaded with possessions, roles, and expectations made one less free.
Coaching practice: Ask, “What can you let go of?”
Application: Support clients in simplifying routines, clarifying priorities, and decluttering commitments.
Lesson: The art of being is choosing depth over excess.
Step 4: Practice Inner Dialogue
Seneca’s letters were a form of self-coaching: structured reflections that clarified his values and choices.
Coaching practice: Encourage journaling or letter-writing to the self.
Application: Develop a “Stoic journal” where clients write about challenges and how they responded in line with their values.
Lesson: The art of being matures through conscious reflection.
Step 5: Live as if Life Were Short
Seneca’s famous line reminds us: “It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste much of it.”
Coaching practice: Use time-awareness exercises, asking clients how they want to invest the hours of their life.
Application: Align goals with what truly matters rather than what is urgent or imposed.
Lesson: The art of being is living deliberately, not passively.
Conclusion: The P-ACTA Method of Being
From Seneca we learn that being is not passive, it is an art, a discipline, a daily choice. Coaching inspired by his Stoic wisdom means guiding clients to:
Be present rather than distracted.
Be resilient rather than reactive.
Be simple rather than overwhelmed.
Be reflective rather than automatic.
Be deliberate rather than drifting.
At P-ACTA, we see The Art of Being not just as a philosophy but as a method of transformation: a path to greater clarity, freedom, and purpose.