TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction 3

SECTION 1. 8

The ALKISTIS Method Core Concepts 8

We Begin Where Aristotle Left Off 10

Leadership has two dimensions. 11

Leading Others 12

The Charioteer of The ALKISTIS Method: 13

Diagram of The ALKISTIS Method 16

Ethos­ The Leader’s ‘Edge’ 17

The 5 Core Olympic Values. 20

What are your Priorities,Values and Purpose? 21

Pathos & Logos ­ Your Two Powerful Stallions. 22

Pathos­ Your Black Stallion 23

Logos­ Your White Stallion 24

Authentic Leadership 25

How To Apply The ALKISTIS Method 28

Become The Charioteer Of Your Life 28

Get Out Of Your Comfort Zone 34

‘Askesis’ The Basic Exercises 36

The ALKISTIS Method

SECTION 2. 45

The Foundations of 45

The ALKISTIS Method 45

Scientifically Based Neuro­Coaching 46

Neuroplasticity 47

Neuro Linguistic Programming 47

Top 10 things you need to know about neuro­coaching: 48

Classical Greek Philosophy 52

Socrates 55

The Pursuit of Happiness According to Socrates 58

The Originator of Authentic Leadership ? 60

The Socratic Approach 61

Wisdom from Within 64

Plato 65

The Cave Allegory: Prisoners of Thoughts 67

The Charioteer Allegory: Self Leadership 69

Aristotle 71

What Makes People Happy ? 73

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The Art of Persuasion for Leaders 77

Conclusion 80

The Benefits 81

Links to Lifelong Learning. 83

“I would give up all my technology for an afternoon with Socrates.”

­ Steve Jobs

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Introduction

"Let him who would change the world, first change himself ." ­ Socrates

Back in 2002 through good fortune, I was hired and trained as a seminar facilitator for Dale Carnegie Training (Communication Skills for Leaders). This profession was very appealing for me right from the start.

Soon, I began to research everything on the topic of leadership, public speaking, influence and persuasion... I discovered the brilliant system of Aristotle; He was the first in history to ever write a manual for leaders to help them become more influential, entitled ; ' The Rhetoric '.

In it, Aristotle reveals an effective system, based on three simple secrets. Here were the traits that a leader must develop, in order to have lasting influence upon others; Ethos (credibility/integrity) , Pathos (passion/emotions) and Logos (logic/reason). Along with inspiring great leaders of Greek history, like Alexander the Great, who was mentored

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by Aristotle, the system has become the cornerstone of modern leadership skills training.

Today, Aristotle’s system is still taught in MBA programs at top universities as Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, Yale and other major educational institutions. This is how the world’s top CEO’s are initiated into the priceless ‘Art of Influence and Persuasion’.

I adopted this method and applied it in my work. As I taught its principles, of of influence and persuasion, to managers around the world, I would often videotape their presentations, to show them their progress throughout the seminar; The improvement in most cases was astounding! Many managers went from being fumbling, ineffective and insecure speakers to confident, charismatic influencers .

Many expressed this change to me, as they applied it daily and about how they improved in so many ways:

“It helped me organize my thoughts and clarify the words to make a real impact on others”

”It gave me a more balanced overview and led me to led me to make better decisions”

“My ideas were taken seriously and I managed to influence the company’s expenditure into new markets.”

“My sales doubled in three months!”

“ I stopped pushing people and began inspiring them to action”

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“I am a more confident, effective manager.”

”I learned to share my vision and my team became more self­motivated towards our common goals.”

The positive feedback went on an on... I became so fascinated by the positive results of this system. Somewhere along the line, It occurred to me that these three great secrets of Aristotle where not only a method of “How to Make Friends and Influence people” , as Dale Carnegie put it… There also was a deeper ­ more essential level to be explored;

I realized that Ethos, Pathos and Logos could also serve as a G.P.S. for navigating through life’s dilemmas and lead us to become more confident, influential, and effective as individuals. .. Ultimately, it can serve as a guide to our life’s authentic happiness, success and fulfillment as a whole. This realization led me to conceive The ALKISTIS Method.

For over fifteen years now, I have had the honor and pleasure of training managers at some of the world’s leading corporations like Sony, Mercedez, Barclays Bank and TUI.

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In these seminars I was able to test and improve my method for leadership development . Basing it on the insights of mainly three great Ancient Greek philosophers Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, who were the first to analyze Self­leadership, personal excellence, success and authentic happiness, laying down the foundations of Western philosophy.

The ALKISTIS Method seminars and training are offered to both companies and the public at large. It is for those who want to develop themselves, in becoming better communicators, influencers, better leaders and decision makers, both in their profession and in their private lives .

I sincerely hope that this book will inspire you to become the leader you were meant to be and serve in excellence yourself, your profession and your community at large.

Dr. Alkistis Agio

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Testimonial from the UN

“The ALKISTIS Method' resonates deeply with me.... Virtues and character traits such as Honesty, Truthfulness, Integrity, Courage and Industriousness that are enshrined in ''The ALKISTIS Method', are all familiar values which the United Nations proudly represents on a global level.”

Maria ­ Threase Keathing, UK Country Director, United Nations Development Programme

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SECTION 1.

The ALKISTIS Method Core Concepts

The ALKISTIS Method effectively integrates modern, scientifically­based Neuro­coaching approaches, etc, with the ageless wisdom of ancient Greek philosophy to unleash our full potential as a human beings.

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Applied in practice, The ALKISTIS Method can lead to both personal happiness and professional excellence:

Become an influential and effective leader.

Embody and articulate your values, purpose and vision

Make positive, balanced decisions that lead to optimal results and the realization of your goals.

Become your most powerful, self based on your authenticity.

Achieve authentic happiness & success.

Following are the core concepts which encompass the basic teachings of The ALKISTIS Method. The historical and

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scientific foundations of this method, are presented in finer detail second section of the book.

We Begin Where Aristotle Left Off

The first book in history on the art of management, The Rhetoric , was written by the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle. In his book, he presents the concepts of Ethos (credibility), Pathos (emotion) and Logos (logic), as the three traits an orator must have, in order to influence and persuade his audience. These three concepts are still the cornerstones of modern management today.

Ethos refers to the authority or credibility of the presenter, and the appeal to the moral values he shares with his audience. For example, being a notable figure in the field in question, or being introduced by one.

Pathos is an appeal to the audience’s emotions; their hopes and fears. It can be particularly powerful if it agrees with the underlying values of the audience.

Logos is the logical appeal; the data and evidence you can present to support your claims or thesis. The term logic is derived from it.

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This is the basic diagram of Aristotle’s system:

The ALKISTIS Method begins, where Aristotle left off, and builds upon his system with additional insights, inspired by Socrates and Plato, who were teachers of Aristotle.

The unique approach of The ALKISTIS Method is that it broadens the scope of Aristotle to include the power to influence yourself , allowing you to set correct goals and lead yourself to them through informed and balanced decisions. This is the essence of Self­Managed­Leadership.

Leadership has two dimensions.

There are the external and the internal dimensions.. The external or interpersonal dimension of leadership relates to the actual business of making things happen, managing relationships and day to day activities. The internal or intrapersonal dimension is about personal attitude, beliefs,

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emotions and habits. In other words, the ‘core’ of our leadership and how we function as people.

The question is how to manage or ‘lead’ this internal dimension of our being in such a way, that it will bring us the optimum results, on the external dimension. Self­Managed­Leadership is about affecting the outer world from deep within.A leader creates tangible results in the material world.

Leaders, like every other human being, have to deal with their teams, with their people and with uncontrollable, ever changing, external conditions – and they have to deal with themselves. The power of knowing who one is, what one wants, and where one is going cannot be over­estimated in leading ourselves and others.

Here is where the Self­Managed­Leadership skills of The ALKISTIS Method are most essential.

“The core benefit of The ALKISTIS Method suite of executive development programs is achieving new levels of self­knowledge and self­leadership. This enables managers to understand and articulate their own values, purpose and vision and thus become more influential and effective leaders, as well as being deeply fulfilled as human beings .”

Leading Others

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No matter who you are, where you work, or what your professional and personal goals are, being able to influence and persuade others is critical for your success , whether it be your audience, your co­workers, your clients, spouse or your ‘unruly’ kids. It leverages the abilities of the people around you, to communicate with them and inspire them to help you achieve your purpose.

Leading Yourself

Leading yourself is where The ALKISTIS Method offers its most unique insights. The two main points it considers are:

That the basics of Aristotle’s system, can also apply to influencing, motivating and persuading oneself.

That the same basics applied to leading others, can become a powerful tool to help you define appropriate goals and take informed, balanced decisions.

One of the core concepts for Self­Managed­Leadership, which is strategically borrowed and developed in The ALKISTIS Method, is the concept of the Charioteer , from Plato’s famous book Phaedrus

The Charioteer of The ALKISTIS Method: The Essence of Self­Managed­Leadership

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Imagine yourself a Charioteer , in charge of leading two majestic horses, one black, one white, to your chosen destination. The Charioteer, reflects a ‘battle in the human brain’; It is a battle that revolves around impulse control, the tug­of­war between getting what you want now and at any cost , and a moderating counterforce . These opposing forces are significant for any leader, of course, since being too impulsive can spell trouble at work and in our private life:

· The Charioteer , represents “ Ethos ”, our true, authentic self, or as Plato has it, our “Soul”. Ideally, This ‘True Self” naturally has integrity and ethos; he is the great leader that will lead us to success and happiness.

The Charioteer can also be envisioned as our ‘inner guide’ ­or what Socrates called his inner guardian of wisdom ‘daimonion’ . S/He controls the reigns and is harnessing two horses:

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· The Black Horse , is “ Pathos ”, all that we feel; our motivation, our hopes and dreams, but also our deepest fears and pain.

· The White Horse , is “ Logos ”, or logic, the part that examines and calculates; The ‘reality­check’ part, that makes sure our hopes and fears are based on truth, strategy, numbers and reason.

All efforts are directed towards the direction of Eudaimonia ­ the Greek word for success, happiness, prosperity or whichever other goal the Charioteer decides. His/her authentic vision acts like a GPS to get him/her there.

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Diagram of The ALKISTIS Method

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Ethos­ The Leader’s ‘Edge’

While, Aristotle, when speaking about Ethos, Pathos and Logos , was referring to the qualities that turn a leader into a great influencer.. .

The ALKISTIS Method borrows this insight and applies it to life as a whole . In this expanded version you are simultaneously the ‘audience’ and the ‘leader’, and you lead your life onto a path to authentic happiness, success and fulfillment. (Eudaimonia)

In The ALKISTIS Method, Ethos becomes you, embodied in the Charioteer and affects the whole of your person. It is with this ‘wholeness’, that we lead others including ourselves.

Of course, leaders are not always virtuous ; Hitler and Stalin, as an extreme example, were very powerful leaders, but they were not good leaders. Leading themselves quite turbulent lives, they influenced people and persuaded them to follow. But they ultimately led their followers to death and destruction because their vision was flawed and their tactics

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lacked virtue or integrity. In the medium or long term, the ends do not justify the means’, in their scenario of Eudaimonia .

This is a very important point, especially when it comes to leading yourself . What are your motives? Where are you leading yourself to? In order to become a good and effective leader or influencer, this essential self­check is required. As Shakespeare wrote in Hamlet: To thy own self be true.

This is what Ethos is all about. Being true to yourself, understanding who you are at your core and figuring out what is best for you , the inner “tribe” you are leading. You are challenged to set your goals as a great leader would, and create the vision that will inspire the whole of you; the one you will ‘attract’ your state of Eudaimonia . Your promised land. Your ‘Ithaca’ . Only then can you guide yourself to it.

*Ithaca (Island­Kingdom in the Odyssey)

This goal may not be readily apparent. You may think, for example, that the goal is to earn as much money as possible and that virtue and all those other lofty ideals should be followed by others­ but not by you, if you can get away with it. Who are you when no one is looking?

Socrates had a lot to say about that. He would tell you that virtue is the greatest good in life, because it alone is capable of securing one’s authentic happiness and fulfillment. He advised,

"Be as you wish to seem” ­ Socrates

And it is true, as idealistic as it may sound. Virtue and morality are more than religious or philosophical ideas.

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They are instincts deeply embedded in our DNA. We are the children of people who managed to collaborate and live in groups strong enough to survive through invasions and natural disasters. In order to survive and thrive, our forefathers had to be in some way be loyal to each other , display empathy , respect, forgiveness, cooperation and ‘obey common laws’ They had to be and do all the things we today instinctively consider “good”, so they could function well in their communities and overcome hardships together.

These codes of behaviour, have evolved into our values. Though by no means perfect, basic values, have held our relationships, families and communities together.. If we discard these, we may we never be truly happy, because vision without virtue is naturally flawed.

Think of it this way ­ We all want to live in a better, more civilized, humanistic society . We therefore want virtue and values to exist. We also want to be considered a valued member of that society ; our self­respect demands it.

It follows then, that if we want to be happy, we must be as virtuous and good as we can, otherwise we are inwardly non­aligned. That would create a conflict, anxiety and ‘dis­ease’ inside of us. That’s not the path to Eudaimonia.

“Let he who would like to change the world, change himself first.” ­ Socrates

It is important to realize that Ethos is not just something you wear for outside world. It is something you practice and embody everyday in your life, because even if no one is watching, we ourselves will know. Ethos is an experience of

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the self in our most powerful state. Therefore, Ethos should be the first filter, any decision we make needs to pass through.

Let’s start asking ourselves the fundamental questions that will help us understand and accept our values. Questions which will flesh out our own unique approach to life­ that any self­respecting leader needs to ask, to have influence:

How do I want to I treat people? How would I like to be treated? What do I want the environment I work in to feel

like? What do the words Justice, Truth, Team, Sacrifice,

Honor, etc, mean to me? How can I flourish and excel as a human being and

allow others to do the same? What legacy do I want to leave behind?

The 5 Core Olympic Values.

These are old questions of course, and people have grappled with them before. Religion, politics, philosophy, all have tried to answer them. But from a secular, non­religious point of view the ‘Olympic Ideals’ can hold the answers. These ideals all emanate from core values of wellness of body/mind/spirit, courage, excellence, friendship and respect and many others.

T he ALKISTIS Method groups these ideals in 5 simple categories, naming them its ‘Core Olympic Values’. Naturally, each person is free to determine the values by

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which they live by, but adopting these (secular) universal humanistic values, parallel to one’s religious beliefs, will most certainly bring optimum results; Here is a guide to the values for champions in the games of life .

1. Healthy Body, Mind , Spirit; Fostering all three equally and in balance, on a daily basis through positive habits and rituals.

2. Leadership by Example; as demonstrated by embodying of your values and making personal efforts leading to a positive impact on individuals, systems, organizations.

3. Pursuit of Excellence; as demonstrated by constant self­improvement , the setting of high standards combined with relentless efforts to excel.

4. Humanity, Goodwill, Teamwork, Volunteerism; as demonstrated by collaborating with others, finding common ground, forgiving and helping others, beyond your immediate self­interests in view of a larger understanding of humanity.

5. Self­Managed­Leadership; as demonstrated by understanding our (deeper wisdom and) potential, having mastery over our own actions, body, thoughts and emotions and aligning ourselves with our priorities, values and purpose.

What are your Priorities,Values and Purpose?

In embracing self­leadership as a way of life, it inevitably brings us to consider the theme of purpose.

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Stephen Covey, who wrote The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People , recommends writing a personal mission statement: “Writing or reviewing a mission statement changes you because it forces you to think through your priorities deeply, carefully, and to align your behaviour with your beliefs”.

Aristotle expressed the concept of purpose (* telos in Greek) in relation to the intent of the speaker to persuade the audience­ not the purpose of his life as a whole. One of the core concepts in The ALKISTIS Method, is our personal mission statement and the understanding of how this affects our life as leaders and influencers, within our professional and personal environments, as a whole. It also explores how lack of clarity on this, on the inner level, leads to inefficient leadership on the outer levels.

Pathos & Logos ­ Your Two Powerful Stallions.

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Pathos and Logos should be considered together. Ultimately, they serve the same purpose; they pull the chariot that Ethos commands, towards Eudaimonia (Happiness and Success). Individually, they can be thought of as follows:

Pathos­ Your Black Stallion

Pathos is your “passion”; your ability to harness your emotional states to influence and appeal to the emotions of the audience. Aristotle addressed Pathos as part of the art of persuasion, the act of "awakening emotion in the audience so as to induce them to make the judgment desired."

In The ALKISTIS Method, the “audience” is first and above all yourself, then others. Your Pathos is directed at motivating you. It’s how you convince yourself to act one way or the other; how you fan you ambition to carry you forward, and deal with your fear and doubt.

Both are important. Ambition is the accelerator; the force that drives you forward. You need it for courage and energy, to push you into achieving your goal. Fear is the decelerator; the force that tells you to be careful. You need that too. Healthy fear forces you to think. It saves you from trouble. You need both, working in synergy, checking each other without interfering.

Pathos is also about understanding, harmonizing and harnessing the powers of other people’s hopes and emotions. This is a very powerful ability that will greatly increase your chances of achieving your goals and persuading others to see your point of view. To do this properly however, you must feel the passion inside you; you must first believe and be

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aligned with the things you want the others to believe. Integrity is the direct path to reaching people’s hearts. In short, you must have Ethos .

Logos­ Your White Stallion

Logos is your ability to apply logical, objective, realistic and strategic thinking for influencing yourself and others. It’s the proof behind your theories; the evidence that you need to supply your audience, that your are not just a dreamer, wishful thinker, or in panic through illogical fear.

You can not persuade your clients, colleagues, spouse, or children with only words, at least not people who think, and nor should your try. If you have the facts and figures, bring them forward and present them as proof. It’s the most powerful form of persuasion. If you don’t, then you’re being misleading, because you don’t know enough to prove your premise. Your position is weak, and new data needs to be gathered.You have no Ethos.

This is even more important when you are leading yourself, because then you must have to base yourself on the truth and only the truth; A person who lies to himself or lives with half­truths also misleads himself. Half­truths can be related to what we believe about ourselves, others and the world in general.

Logos and Pathos also represent the two sides of our psyche.

Modern science has found that this ‘dual­nature’ of our brain, represented by the two hemispheres. Although the brain should normally be seen as a whole, there does seems

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to be a division of some of its functionality, between the right and left hemispheres, roughly reminiscent to that of Logos and Pathos.

Even modern psychologists, speak of “IQ” (Intelligence quotient) and “EQ” (Emotional quotient), which, again, coincide quite well with the distinction between Logos and Patho s as deduced by Aristotle over two millennia ago.

Authentic Leadership

The concept of “ authenticity ” for a leader can trace its roots back to ancient Greece. Ancient Greek philosophers, like Socrates stressed authenticity and the ubiquitous admonition: “ Know thyself ” in order to lead one’s self and others.

Today, we all are familiar the fact that a leader is more effective through authentic leadership; Qualities like transparency, sincerity, empathy and values can greatly improve a leader’s influence. A uthenticity means acting from your very core with no compromise or fear, accessing all your full potential.

The ALKISTIS Method borrows the approach of Socrates of brutally honest self­inquiry which allows us to come into touch with who we are, how we really feel, what we believe and what we really want to do about it, beyond convenient ’half­truths’. Below is one of the most powerful exercise from The ALKISTIS Method, called ‘ The Truth Shall Set You Free’ ; The purpose of this exercise is to help you to

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question, examine and scrutinize thoughts that shape your life.

ASKESIS: The Truth Shall Set You Free

Bring to mind, a particular belief or thought that worries, distresses or angers you, regarding your personal or professional life.

1. Write down this exact thought and describe it in a sentence. It is something you presently believe about a person or situation. In other words, make a statement about it explaining what you think, feel or experience. It could begin like this: “I feel…” or “I believe… because….”.

2. Now a sk yourself­ ‘Is this thought true? On a scale of 1­10 what value would you give it? Write down the number . Now Take the statement you hold as true and proceed to simply question it.

3. Imagine that you are an advocate for that thought …

What is your evidence for that thought? Give proof and arguments. Finally decide on a scale from 1­10, how true is it?

4. Imagine that you are an advocate against that thought. What is the evidence against that thought? Are there circumstances when this thought did not or does apply? Be brutally honest about it. Now, has the context changed? Is it still 100 % true or partly true? This diagram may assist you in this process: What do you see

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here, an old lady (facing forward), or a young lady (facing backwards)?

5. Return to your scale from 1­10 and re­evaluate on how true the statement is now after having reviewed it from both positions.

6. Concerning your original thought, what are the consequences in your life when you continue uphold it as being true? How high is the price in your life for continuing to consider it true?

7. What would your life look like and what would be the results, if the thought was not there at all? Imagine how it would be if you woke up one day and had amnesia about this thought.

8. How would the people who you admire in strength or wisdom handle your original thought differently?

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9. How can you change or modify the original thought, so that it is more objective and can give you more positive results ? Can you redefine or rephrase or change it into an empowering statement?

10. Decide on a plan. Write down your next 3 steps or position to implement concerning your new found statement, that you can commit to

By asking the right questions and shifting our perspective ­ even slightly so, we will gain new insights ­ even solutions, concerning.

How To Apply The ALKISTIS Method

Become The Charioteer Of Your Life

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To apply The ALKISTIS Method, you must first become the Charioteer. (*Through applied neuro­coaching exercises or Askesis as they are called in The ALKISTIS Method.) This is the first “filter” through which everything must pass.

To do this, you need to examine and understand your life in a holistic way, and really distill, what do you want out of your life? How do you want to be and live? What are your personal values? Furthermore, do your values and what you want most, align with your profession or reflected in the mission statement of the company you work for?

When you decide on these, you can commit to these and embrace them with Ethos . There are ample approaches within The ALKISTIS Method and in its teachings to clarify one’s self on this.

This doesn’t have to be done in great detail of course; The point is to force yourself to step back and establish a wider view of your life, your work, and your long term goals; to examine things from a bigger perspective.

Once our Charioteer has clarified our destination, we will begin to harness all the energies towards that direction and result. In this task, we have the help of our two majestic stallions; Logos and Pathos . We must make sure they are balanced and ‘in sync’, throughout the journey.

Logos and Pathos can collaborate; Your hopes and fears are moderated by examining whether they hold true in the real world. In every important decision you have to make, you will face doubts and insecurities. You hope for an outcome, but what if it doesn’t happen? What horrors then? And what

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if it does? Are you afraid of the changes that success will bring in your ‘comfortable’ life? This emotional roller­ coaster you go through before any big decision, can be reduced by knowledge. Doubt is caused by lack of information. It is said that fear has an acronym: (F.E.A.R. ‘ False Expectations Appearing Real .’)

The solution is to examine, analyse, research and generally work on finding more facts and information on everything that has to do with the decision you must take. This is the best way to gain confidence. If this results in you having to change your course, then you must accept it. The more informed your decision is, the better chance it has of being successful.

Logos and Pathos must work together; they gallop in stride, led by the wise hand of the Charioteer, sharing the load, stronger together than either is alone.

This is the concept behind The ALKISTIS Method. It will “ set things straight ” in your mind, giving you the best method for setting the correct destination and reaching good balanced decisions that will lead you there.

With the exercises and training it provides, it becomes a G.P.S. for your mind, with a clear address, to let you achieve your goals in the best possible way.

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Let’s take an example. You are at a crossroads. Your current job is a dead end and you are worried you’ll be stuck there forever. What do you do? There are various ways to approach your dilemma.

First, you may wish to ask take the Socratic Approach and ask­ Is it True that my job is a dead end? Am I perceiving it as end or is it really so? That question in itself could lead to very interesting ideas and insights.

Or you may wish to consider what is the actual future you want. Homework long overdue….How do you want to be 5­10 years from now? What would you like to do? How important is money and/or power compared to working hours? Are the mission, purpose and values of your company aligned with your ? You have to examine every aspect, first running it through your own Ethos filter. What kind of a person are you deep inside, and what ‘reality’ will bring out the best in you?

Once you have a general idea about the future you want, you can plot how to get there using Pathos and Logos.

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Pathos will compel you on the one hand, raising your hopes that your dreams can be achieved, but on the other hand, it pulls you down with fear and self­doubt; This will make you waver with indecision about how to proceed.

Logos is your way out of this indecision. You look at things objectively, and see: What we really dealing with here? What are your actual chances of succeeding? Your research, and if you discover other opportunities, maybe you will need to adjust your vision.

It’s a complicated process of checks and balances and working to gain knowledge, courage and confidence to feed your dreams; or thwart them if it’s appropriate.

In the end, you’ll have to make a decision. This is very important. Neuroscience tells us that reaching decisions reduces your worry and anxiety and helps you solve problems, even if the decision you reach is only “good enough”.

You can never have all the information, so you can never reach the perfect decision. It will always have a degree of uncertainty in it. The point is that the more you work it through your Pathos and your Logos, the better your decision will be, the less the uncertainty you will face and the happier you will feel about it.

As an inspiration, it may help you to gaze into the eyes of one of the most beautiful and famous statues of the ancient world... The Charioteer of Delphi .

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Photo taken at National Archeological Museum of Delphi

Notice that he is not portrayed struggling, during the race, but at its end , right after the race has been won, when calm and full of happiness, he takes the victory lap in the hippodrome.

His mesmerizing gemstone eyes evoke what the Greeks of the Classical period referred to as Arete (Moral Excellence, True Nobility.

Despite his great victory, there are no shouts or wild celebration, only a calm inner strength. The face and body do not convey arrogance, only a sense of deep, serene self confidence.

He did not succeed through luck or divine providence. He succeed through thought, hard work, and correct decisions. He deserves his/her place at the podium.

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Get Out Of Your Comfort Zone

In ancient Greece, there was once a young man by the name of Demosthenes, who dreamed of becoming a great speaker… but whenever he opened his mouth, he was nervous, shy, and troubled by both a stutter and a speech impediment. Demosthenes however was determined to be a great speaker. To overcome his difficulties, he put pebbles in his mouth and spoke loudly towards the sea for several hours every day. In time, he eliminated his stutter and overcame his speech impediment His voice grew louder, stronger, and more confident. Demosthenes became one of the greatest orators in history.

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What can we learn from this true story?

In order to achieve your point of excellence or improvement in any area of your life­skills, you must be willing to move out of your comfort zone ; No movement­ no progress. So as you go through the curriculum and exercises of The ALKISTIS Method, you must be willing to feel clumsy and awkward and practice regularly…in order for you to move to a higher level of competence. On a scale from 1­10 how high is your commitment to improving yourself ?

The concepts of The ALKISTIS Method need to be assimilated and understand through experience and practice, which is not the same things as knowing intellectually. This requires personal work on your own thoughts, self­observation, honest self­ reflection, a flexible mind which doesn’t presume it understands everything already. Reading, understanding does not necessarily imply that one knows something How many students confuse knowing about the ideas of philosophy with really experiencing them in their life? Therefore practice is important to begin to embody the virtues associated with ‘Areté’ .

“Don’t explain your philosophy. Embody it.”

­ Epictetus

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‘ Askesis’ The Basic Exercises

American philosopher Henry David Thoreau conveyed the problem of modern western philosophy in his book Walden, Life in the Woods.

“There are nowadays professors of philosophy, but not philosophers. To be a philosopher is not merely to have subtle thoughts, [. . .] but so to love wisdom as to live according to its dictates, a life of simplicity, independence, magnanimity, and trust. It is to solve some of the problems of life, not only theoretically, but practically.”

In other words, modern philosophy has become a discourse about philosophy.

Philosophy is a practice not a theory. Unlike modern academia, philosophy was, first and foremost, about learning how to live well­ not only thinking about it. A philosophy school in Golden Age of Greece was meant to transform the lives of their students; To break their chains...and realize their potential. The same applies to self­managed­leadership. It's all about applying oneself on all levels.

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The insights philosophy give are viewed as a way of life and become our daily practice towards personal excellence . The the Greeks so rightly stated, « Συν Αθηνά και χείρα κίνει » meaning that the help of the Goddess Athena is good, but you need to apply yourself too.

The practice and application of what one knows is called ‘Askesis’ in Ancient Greek and is the key to success. As we all know, on the road towards personal excellence, ‘practice makes perfect’.

Askesis (pronounced ask­e­sis) means: rigorous ‘training’,’practicing’ and ‘self­discipline’ from Greek askein ‘to exercise’. Hence an ‘ ascetic’ is someone who ‘practices’, a practitioner towards improving and mastering one’s physical, emotional and mental abilities

The Askesis, in The ALKISTIS Method, help us to apply and practice the concepts not merely intellectually, but to practice upon ourselves each day. This practical application

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leads to personal change that opens one to a new level of awareness, knowledge, understanding and perspective.

The Askesis are taught through a Neuro­Coaching approach that is scientifically proven and therefore effective.

Neurocoaching is a fusion of applied neuroscience, performance psychology and neurolinguistics. The emphasis is on neurology and engaging the whole nervous system, multiple ‘brains’, spinal cord and peripheral nerves in high performance and wellbeing.

Here following is an introduction to the Askesis Series I­IV.

Further details may be found in this life­altering e­course can be found at http://www.alkistis.net/e_learning.html

Askesis Series I.

The Personal Mission Statement

Setting Our GPS right ­

The Askesis Series I, concern posing fundamental questions about; who we are, what are our natural innate abilities, what we truly want in our life, what is important, what our values are and how (ideally) would our life reflect meaning and purpose for us?

This groundwork involves forming the central axis, from where our life revolves, flourishes and from where we make our decisions. Self­leadership cannot exist without knowing who one is, what one wants and where one is going .

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Having asked such fundamental questions, we can better understand our profession and how we can best serve and excel in our chosen field. Inevitably, this means finding harmonious alignment between our personal mission statement and the mission statement of the company or organization we work within. When this alignment happens, we function at our greatest potential. As conscious leaders, we have the power to influence our co­workers, our teams, and our clients.

The most important idea in this Askesis series, is to come to terms with the fact that we can actually conceive a vision of our life which embraces all our aspects. As Socrates taught; our life is not a fated thing, dependent on the ‘whims of the gods’, it is in our hands.

Askesis Series II.

Steering Your Ship During The Journey

Asking the critical questions along the way ­

The Askesis Series II, concern asking the right questions, to release blocked emotions and to ‘correct’ our limiting beliefs, and misconceptions about ourselves, others, our environment ­ and the world in general.

Socrates was famously known to have stated­ “I know that I know nothing ” . That seemingly simple statement, is the most powerful tool/weapon you will ever need on your life’s journey.

Therefore in this section anything which sets a hindrance or blocks our path to Eudaimonia and Self­leadership, will be faced. As we clear and heal ourself along the way, using the

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Askesis, we also will discover something quite amazing, known in quantum physics as the ‘observer effect’.

The observer effect is the fact that by simply observing a situation or phenomenon necessarily changes that phenomenon. Physicists have found that even passive observation of quantum phenomena (i.e. observations that do not directly act upon the phenomena), can actually change the phenomena .

Askesis Series III.

Life Skills for Self­Mastery

Harnessing our mental, emotional and physical states.

The Askesis Series III in this section, concern gaining a deeper understanding of our psycho­physiological states, how they affect us and how we can we can harness their potential.

Mastering one’s body, mind and emotions is the greatest sign of managed­self­leadership. The Charioteer is in control of his beautiful horses, riding the carriage onto victory. However, let it be stated here, that this is ‘more easily said than done’. The horses are powerful indeed and can take the Charioteer in many directions at once.

Most of us would think that our mental and emotional states are determined by things outside of us ­ events, people, circumstances or politics. Again let it be stated here that ­ it

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is all about composure, hormones and neurological connections.

The Askesis selected in this series are designed to flex our our physical, mental and emotional muscles and progressively gain control of our horses.

In doing these exercises, it will soon become evident that, they have immediate results in our life. We will gain the confidence and the abilities to turn around limiting emotional behaviour, gain insight on how to handle challenging situations and bring our physical bodies into dynamic balance.

In other words, just the kind of training an Olympic charioteer is required to do do, in order to win the gold medal of excellence. Self­leadership is about becoming our excellent Self­ and nothing less.

Daily Askesis. Series IV.

Practice makes perfect­

The Askesis Series IV, involves creating a tailor­made, personal program, based on what we consider most immediate in our personal or professional situation. This routine, should include daily, weekly and monthly practices/ rituals that can be altered as one goes along, depending on the abilities, insights and needs on our journey.

Aristotle was one of the first to preach the idea of repetition in approaching personal excellence in saying “We are what

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we repeatedly do” . If we wish to transform ourselves into the leaders we aspire to be, we need repeated action.

This section, is a clear guide on how the learner can implement what he is learning, on a daily basis and empower himself on the physical, mental and emotional level. Though some exercises may only need to be done once, others can be repeated again and again, as new insights, skills and strengths will be acquired along our path. One cannot overstress the importance of daily practice and implementation of what is learned mentally. As the saying goes ‘Practice makes perfect’.

Your personal odyssey to Self­leadership can begin with the basic online course of The ALKISTIS Method filled with both written and a video­explanations of each Askesis . http://www.alkistis.net/e_learning.html

Here’s your Free Gift : A Deeply Relaxing Guided Visualization mp3

Here below, is a basic Askesis taught within The ALKISTIS Method e­learning course for inducing a calm, relaxed and harmonious state of body, mind and spirit.

This Askesis, can be done daily and entails the participation of the listener, through the technique of active imagination. It also contains a special section in the visualisation, where you can optionally insert a suggestive statement ­ your personal mission statement or a positive, empowering statement of your choice. Download a FREE Deep Relaxation MP3: http://www.alkistis.net/free_mp3.html

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The practice of consciously recognizing and controlling our imagination or dreams, has been around for centuries, since ancient Greek times, when "Morpheus" the Greek god of Dreams was venerated. Many temples (Epidaurus, Delphi, Ephesus, and others) contained a special area for ‘dream incubation’ where pilgrims were induced into a sort of sleep­trance for dreaming with the intention of meeting a particular divinity for the purpose of healing or receiving a message or insight.

Doctors recommend daily practice of a deeply relaxing inner state of body and mind, of at least 20 minutes, to help us manage stress and anxiety. Furthermore, scientific studies have proven that in relaxed state, the mind is more than 200 times more receptive to suggestions, than in ordinary, conscious state.ie ‘allowing’ new thoughts to ‘slip through’ the ‘defenses’ of the ‘older guard’ of thoughts and habits. In addition, when we introduce a 'personal mission statement' during this practice, it can bring on positive, powerful changes in our life.

Here are the benefits of this Deep Relaxation through Guided Visualization:

Calms your nerves. Helps you handle stress better in general.

Cultivates the process of self­induced deep relaxation, so that you can 'relax yourself' at will.

Increases your mindfulness, allowing you to become more intuitive.

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Offers space to insert a deeply empowering statement for personal transformation

Relieves migraines and other psychosomatic stress related symptoms.

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SECTION 2.

The Foundations of

The ALKISTIS Method

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I. Scientifically Based Neuro­Coaching

The ALKISTIS Method is part of the human potential movement, a paradigm­shift, away from building a model of human nature based on sick or neurotic people towards one that develops healthy or self­actualising people . In order to achieve this, a Neuro­coaching approach is applied, where the emphasis is on neurology and engaging the whole nervous system , multiple ‘brains’, spinal cord and peripheral nerves for high performance and wellbeing .

The ALKISTIS Method differs from other forms of coaching and training by retaining the central importance of

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using neurological or ‘embodied thinking’ processes in how we coach and train, rather than content (advice style) models.

Neuroplasticity

The idea that the way you think can physically alter your brain at the neural level and reverse previous learning, impairment or damage, is basic to neuro­coaching. When you think different thoughts, especially changing your inner dialogue or self­talk, you will get different neurochemistry (feelings) and outcomes. The more you practice a new state, the more it becomes the default setting.

Neuro Linguistic Programming

Many Askesis in The ALKISTIS Method derive from NLP.

(NLP) is the study of knowledge or how we know what we think we know; and it is a process for modelling, adopting and coaching expert performance. It is concerned with the patterns or programs of neurological processes and the language that we apply to describe human experience. More specifically, those patterns of conscious and unconscious whole body experiences and language that are the distinction that makes the difference in expert performance. NLP forms the basis of most leadership and business coaching programs, and is widely used as a methodology for life coaching, language acquisition, sports performance, therapeutic interventions and just about anything where human excellence is of interest.

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Top 10 things you need to know about neuro­coaching:

Fundamentally neuro­coaching is just a deeper level of coaching. One that takes into account our latest scientific understanding of the human mind and how it works. Neuro coaching focuses on removing your limiting belief systems, thoughts and actions, as a ‘blocker’ to your own success.

1. ‘Don’t let your emotions hijack you and constantly hold you to ransom. It’s all based around the fact that we’re emotional creatures that developed a consciousness rather than conscious creatures that happen to be emotional. Be self aware and do better in business.

2. Mindfulness (‘ Prosoche’ as it is called in The ALKISTIS Method ) is a tool that you need to learn to use. This is about you exercising your ‘muscle’ of focus and attention. At first you need to be challenged to look at the flow of your thoughts, emotions and habitual patterns of behaviour. Then you can start to do something about the things you want to change.

3. Energy is a real thing. As well as exploring the impact of energy on motivation and willpower, you need to recognize that you’re not a machine. You’re a biological system that has inputs (food/ water/ and arguably sleep) that when converted are used for thinking as well as the more obvious physical activities. If you’re an inefficient thinker you’re going to cause yourself stress, run out of energy and fail a lot

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faster, particularly when you consider that the brain uses about 20% of the body’s energy (Scientific American)

4. Your self knowledge is a never­ending goal. Knowing what you know, what you don’t know and what you need to know to perform well is vital. Without this ability to self assess and then act on your gaps you start to exist in an intellectual void. You have no compass or map to know where you are or what direction you should go in.

5. Learning lies on top of self knowledge. Awareness of your existing knowledge, skills and the gaps to optimal performance is insufficient. You have to learn and retain new knowledge and skills. Often coaching is seen as just unblocking or enabling in the moment. As well as increasing your intelligence, you need to learn new skills that enable your to be optimally effective in all levels of business effectiveness.

6. With neuro coaching you’re working at a challenging level. You’re attempting to work with metacognition. Metacognition means ‘knowing about knowing’ – so you’re endeavouring to work on the cognitive processes you’re using to work on the cognitive processes. This has implications for how neuro coaching works with your time, attention and gets traction with you.

7. Time and attention is exceptionally important. You are a very busy executive anyway; when you take it to account

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points 3 & 6 above, neuro coaching has to be as scientifically delivered as possible. This means that you need to consider what works best for you in terms for delivery methods, timings, spacing of interventions and stickiness of content.

8. Traction in neuro coaching refers to the form and format of the interventions that are attempting to work on you as well as how they get your time and attention. You have to assess what has maximum impact for you. Some people need face to face with an individual on a bespoke, higher cost basis. Only in this way can they give their time and attention. The traction comes from the time slot. Other people want shorter, more frequent interventions via different methods like SMS, email or video.

9. Coaching is about change. Neuro coaching is about working on the brain’s malleability and ‘rewiring’ or restructuring against the change objectives/ goals identified. The neuro coaching acts as a change agent, but this is about you changing. Success is when you start to think and act differently and achieve your goals.

10. Self­efficacy is the measure of your own belief in your ability to execute tasks and reach goals. The higher your sense of self­efficacy, the greater your ability to do better in business because of increased self­belief. Neuro coaching is therefore empowering because it works on you to give you the tools to work on yourself and your own abilities. This empowerment increases your own belief.

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The first step in engaging with neuro­coaching is understanding and increased belief in its potential effectiveness. The second step is to get a sense of the value to be gained in improving your leadership skills. Try mapping your skill set to an ideal leadership skill set. The third step is to do something about it and close your gaps.

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Classical Greek Philosophy

(Photo: Raphael’s ‘School of Athens’, in The Vatican, Italy)

The ALKISTIS Method has been particularly inspired by the work of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle.

Although over two millenniums have passed since ‘The Golden Age’ of Greece, the legacy of the Greek philosophers can still inspire, motivate and empower us towards success and happiness, a unique state of being, which the Greeks called Eudaimonia . This “Classical Trio”, are amongst the greatest of Greek philosophers; They lived during “The Golden Era” of Greece (480 BC­320 BC), where the Greeks produced some of their highest achievements in the arts and philosophy. The insights they reached are so radical, powerful and important,

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because they are raw, basic truths that have withstood the test of time, beyond culture, religion and dogma; They are considered the foundations of free civilization; The Greeks invented such things as Comedy, Democracy, Public Education, the Olympic Games, Freedom of Religion and Trial by Jury ...

At a time when most of the known world lived under tyranny and autocratic rule... When only the lives of kings, generals, and pharaohs mattered, the Greek philosophers had the ‘audacity’ to occupy themselves with improving the everyday lives of ordinary citizens.

Their preoccupation with developing human potential began around 600 B.C., when there was a transition from myth to reason. In other words, mythological or religious interpretations of the world were increasingly replaced by scientific questioning and reasoning. Greek philosophers thought deeply, set up public debates and wrote books about how human beings can reach their full potential, not in the afterlife, but here on Earth.

“Happiness depends on ourselves.”

­ Aristotle

They cultivated self­managed­leadership ; This is the state of having a developed sense of who you really are, what you want, where you are going, why you are going there and how you will get there.

Self­managed­leadership includes the leadership competencies of self observation, self management and

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self­motivation to take purposeful action, aligned with your highest values.

The ancient Greeks had a name for this notion; “Arete” , which translates into moral and practical excellence; The Greeks believed that when we cultivate Arete , it guides us to unleash our full potential as human beings in order to experience true, authentic happiness, well­being and success which they called “Eudaimonia” ; a sort of ‘human flourishing’...

This is the source of inspiration for The ALKISTIS Method

Following is a short summary of the three great classical philosophers ­ also known as the Classic Trio.

This is by no means to be considered an overview of all their teachings, but only the insights they presented that inspired The ALKISTIS Method.

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Socrates

“Know thyself.” (Ancient inscription at the temple of Apollo in Delphi, Greece adopted by Socrates as his

“motto”)

Socrates has a unique place in the history of happiness and personal well­being as he is the first known figure in history to argue that happiness is actually obtainable through human effort . He was born in Athens, Greece in 460 BC; like most ancient peoples, the Greeks had a rather pessimistic view of human existence. Happiness was deemed a rare occurrence and reserved only for those whom

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the gods favored . The idea that one could pursue happiness for oneself was considered hubris , a kind of overreaching pride, and was to be met with harsh punishment by the gods . Many Greek myths warned of this horrible fate.

Against this fatalistic backdrop, the optimistic Socrates enters the scene. The key to happiness, he argues, is to turn attention away from the body and towards the mind’s inner worldly. By self­inquiry and the harmonizing our desires, we can learn to pacify the mind and achieve a state of inner tranquility. According to Socrates, leading a moral life is to be preferred to an immoral one, primarily because it leads to a ‘happier life.

We see right here at the beginning of Western philosophy that happiness is at the forefront, linked to other concepts such as virtue, justice, discernment based on understanding and the ultimate meaning of human existence­ beyond religion.

The Roman philosopher Cicero once said that Socrates “wrested philosophy from the heavens and brought it down to Earth.” One could say he was a sort of Prometheus ­ taking fire from the gods and giving it to humans, thus giving them the tool to determine their own destiny. Prior to Socrates, Greek philosophy consisted primarily of metaphysical or scientific questions: Why the world stay up, suspended in space? Is the world composed of one substance or many substances?

But living amidst the horrors of the Peloponnesian War, where Athens had lost to Sparta, Socrates was more interested in essential existential, ethical and social issues:

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What is the best way to live? Why be moral when immoral people seem to benefit more? Do the rich live better than the poor? Is happiness about satisfying one’s deep desires or is it about being good and acting with honor?

According to Socrates, examining oneself­ our motives actions and actions, is the most important task one can undertake. Self­observation alone, will give us the knowledge necessary to answer the question ‘ How should I live my life? ’

When we turn our gaze inwards and focus on self­knowledge, Socrates thought we would soon discover our true nature and potential . And contrary to the opinion of the masses, one’s True Self according to Socrates is not to be identified with what we own, with our social status, professional achievements or even with one’s own body. Socrates believed that philosophy had a very important role to play in the lives of individuals on a very fundamental level:

“ For you see what our discussions are all about and is there anything about which a man of even small

intelligence would be more serious about than this? What is the way we ought to live? ”

­ Socrates

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The Pursuit of Happiness According to Socrates

“Most excellent men, are you not ashamed to care for the acquisition of wealth and for reputation and honor, when you neither care nor take thought for wisdom and truth in the perfection of your soul…. I shall never give up philosophy or stop exhorting you and pointing out the truth to anyone whom I meet.”

­ Socrates (The Apology, Plato 399 BC)

All human beings naturally strive after happiness, thought Socrates. For the pursuit of happiness (Eudaimonia ) is the greatest goal in our life. And everything we do, we do because we think it will make us happy. We therefore label what we think will bring us happiness as ‘good’. And those things we think will bring us suffering and pain we label as ‘ bad’ .

So it follows, that if we have a mistaken conception of what is good, then we will spend our lives frantically chasing after things that will not bring us happiness­ even if we attain them . Socrates has been proven right after all, by modern science: Scientific surveys in many countries over decades proved that most blue­collar working people are just as happy as rich people, and teenagers from working class families describe themselves as happier than teenagers from affluent families.

The point here is that obtaining wealth and power are fine but are not ends in themselves, we must also satisfy our soul,

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which seeks love, connection, contribution, harmony in order to be truly fulfilled. That may seem like an understatement­ everyone knows that, but how many of us have lost track of what is really valuable and good for us, in our pursuit for the stars? And on the same note, concerning our quality of life our achievements give, how many of us have actually the time or peace, to actually enjoy it?

According to Socrates, if one devoted themselves to mindfulness (in Greek = prosoche ) and sincere inquiry, they will soon be led to a more appropriate view of the Good and what happiness and success really is.

There is one Supreme Good, he claimed, and possession of this alone will secure our happiness. This Supreme Good thought Socrates, is attained through Moral Excellence, Virtue, Honor , which in Greek is called “ Areté”.

“ Areté” Is The Greatest Good

If one is pursuing well­rounded happiness, one cannot avoid meeting Arete . Arete is the ‘fast­track’ to happiness and personal success, according to Socrates.

An individual is considered virtuous, if their character is made up of the moral qualities that are accepted as the highest human qualities as; courage, teamwork, temperance, prudence, excellence and justice which were living values, taught in the schools and in the Olympic Games of Ancient Greece.

This concept can be summarized in the simple formula:

ARETE = EUDAIMONIA

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Arete (Moral Excellence + Virtue + Honor) = Eudaimonia ( Happiness + Success)

But if all individuals naturally desire happiness, and if it is only by becoming virtuous that one can attain happiness, then a simple question arises ­ Why do so many people fail to become virtuous and instead choose to commit ‘bad’ acts?

Socrates maintained that the answer to this question is that these people are ignorant . If they truly knew that what they are doing was ‘evil’ and the repercussions on their happiness, they would refrain from such an action; It is actually in their self interest, because they would know that only if they were virtuous could they be truly happy. To say it in a more crude way: Don’t spit where you eat.

Socrates held that all evil acts are committed in ignorance… About 500 years later, Jesus Christ was to say “Forgive them Father, for they know not what they have done.” Of course, that does not mean we will not avoid or stop people from harming us, but at least we do not have to respond in the same way, and destroy own virtue.

The Originator of Authentic Leadership ?

Socrates can be acknowledged as the originator of “Authentic Leadership” which is a tendency more and more nowadays in enterprises and organizations since the 60’s; This is an approach to leadership that emphasizes building the leader’s legitimacy through honest relationships, with followers which value their input and are built on an ethical foundation.

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“The way to gain a good reputation is to endeavor to be what you desire to appear."

­ Socrates

The person you want to be true to is yourself, not what others want of you, or the false image you have had to adopt, to please or intimidate others . As Shakespeare wrote in Hamlet, “ To thine own self be true. ” , you must strive to present this true image to the world. This is what ‘ Ethos ’ dictates.

A lot of unhappiness and stress is caused by pretending you are someone that you are not. Socrates warns against that. Although you may have to do this on occasion to advance your interests, you must try to avoid falsehood as much as possible, because it could have dire consequences; not only for you and your well­being, but for the society that you and your loved ones live in. No one can dispute that our professions may give us our daily substinance­ but we need to strike a balance between our personal ‘standards’ and what is required for results. Authenticity is an art.

To achieve this, level of authenticity, you must know yourself and constantly question your beliefs to test if they hold true, by applying none other than...The Socratic Approach.

The Socratic Approach

“ Socrates… was one of the greatest philosophers the world has ever known. He did something that only a handful of people in all history have been able to do; he sharply

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changed the whole course of human thought; and now twenty­four centuries after his death, he is honored as one

of the wisest persuaders who ever influenced this wrangling world… ”

­ Dale Carnegie , Pioneer in leadership training

Socrates created the first recorded rational approach to personal development at a time when mysticism and dogma were rife in other countries surrounding Greece. He believed that we can arrive at the truth by questioning our own assumptions, on a regular basis.

“ I cannot teach anyone anything, I can only teach them to think.”

­ Socrates

According to Socrates, what often causes suffering is our own misguided and irrational beliefs. We are our own imprisoners, our own torturers, we cling to our toxic, self­sabotaging beliefs, even when they hurt us.

An unexamined life is not worth living

­ Socrates

The consequences of an unexamined life are tremendous. So how do we free ourselves from our self­made prisons in our mind?

Socrates taught that what we need to do is learn how to ask ourselves critical questions; not just assume that our ‘mind chatter’ is always telling the truth. Socrates taught that, we

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shouldn’t believe everything we think. On the contrary, he taught that it’s often self­deception in the form of a ‘lie’ or a ‘distortion of the truth’. So we need to constantly ‘question/test’ our thinking to arrive to the truth or the solution. Harvard professor of ‘Emotional Intelligence’ Daniel Goleman, analyses this phenomenon in his book ‘Vital Lies, Simple Truths ­ The Psychology of Self ­ Deception’ .

The art is in maintaining our objectivity; being able to observe our own self, in order to become aware of how our attitude, intention and behaviour participate in the formation of the problems we are actually trying to solve.

What was Socrates's approach? Did he tell people they were wrong? Of course not, that is for amateurs. He was a master. His whole technique consisted of a series of questions. Also known as The Socratic Method , it was based upon setting up a debate or dialogue, for getting to the objective truth.

He strategically asked questions to which his ‘opponent­doubter’ would have to agree. As he kept on winning one admission after another, he put the person in a ‘positively­inclined’ state ie open to accepting the objective truth. He kept on asking questions until finally, almost without realizing it, his ‘opponent­doubters’ found themselves embracing a conclusion, they would have bitterly denied just a few minutes earlier.

In a recent study, written in the Huffington Post by Don Joseph Goewey, subjects were asked to write down their worries over an extended period of time and then identify which of their imagined misfortunes did not actually happen:

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“Lo and behold, it turns out that 85 percent of what subjects worried about, never happened, and with the 15 percent that did happen, 79 percent of subjects discovered either they could handle the difficulty better than expected, or the difficulty taught them a lesson worth learning. This means that 97 percent of what you worry over is not much more than a fearful mind punishing you with exaggerations and misperceptions.”

That’s not to say fear is bad. Fear is a motivator; it forces you to think, to take action on important matters. But too much fear is disabling. It paralyzes you and stops you from taking the path you should take. As with everything, a balance must be maintained. Courage is a virtue. Cowardice and recklessness are vices.

The Socratic approach of questioning the truth of everything we think, will lead us to a better understanding of ourself and our authentic needs/wants. Beliefs which we hold true, shape our daily lives and become the conscious or unconscious comfort zone.

Wisdom from Within

Another characteristic of Socrates’s philosophy was the concept of the ‘inner , innate wisdom’ which according to him, we all have. Without giving full explanation, Socrates referred to his ‘inner voice’ which he called his ‘Daimonion’ (.δαίμων)­ literally ‘an inspiring spirit’ In Plato’s books Apology 31c, and in Republic 496 ,he suggests that it is this inner voice which allowed him to become a true philosopher.

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The concept of the innate deep wisdom within us, has to do with Trust. We face the world, with all its challenges. At our deepest level we need to trust ourselves in ‘knowing’ ­ beyond all our mind ‘chatter’ and ‘self­doubt’, that we have the potential and wisdom, to navigate our own ship.

Plato

“For man to conquer himself is the first and noblest of all victories.” ­ Plato

Born (in 428 BC) into a prominent and wealthy family in the city­state of Athens, Plato was an aristocratic man with superb athletic physique. His real name is thought to have been Aristocles; Plato being a nickname given to him by his

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wrestling coach in reference to his broad shoulders (in Greek 'Platon' means broad ).

He studied under Socrates and then devoted his life to one goal; helping people reach a state of what he termed ‘eudaimonia’ meaning success, happiness and fulfillment.

Like his teacher Socrates, Plato thought that the truth could not be reduced to simple formulas, and then just “applied”, whenever it’s convenient. Rather, it had to be discovered by each person for themselves­ but not in isolation. Partners and dialogue are indispensable. It requires a process. It is for this reason that all his writings are in the form of dialogues, (Greek; dia through and logues words­logic) of imaginary discussions in which Socrates, his mentor, is always given a starring role, in conversing and debating issues.

For Plato, however, true insights come from a timeless, sphere of eternal truths; The world of Ideas, a higher world, which this material world that we perceive is just a shadow of. In order to find happiness, Plato maintained, we need to have the Guiding Light of the Idea of True, Eternal Love and Goodness .

Among his over 36 works The Republic, The Symposium, The Laws, The Meno, and The Apology , most of which, have the purpose of showing how these high ideals and ethics can be applied to our private life and to politics for a just and civilized society. For example in The Republic , Plato was the first in history, to contend that people had a right to free education by the State, that women too should be educated, and that women would make just as good rulers as men.

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These were revolutionary proposals at the time and in many places of the world, they still are.

Here is not the time and place to go into all his amazing ideas, but Plato had several big ideas for making life more fulfilling which concern us.

The Cave Allegory: Prisoners of Thoughts

We rarely give ourselves time to think carefully and logically about our lives and how to live them. Apart from our own inner ‘beliefs’ which we hold true, we often just go along with popular opinions, like ‘Fame is great’, ‘Money is Power’ etc. In the 36 books he wrote, Plato showed this common sense to be filled with errors, prejudice and superstition… Plato’s answer, like his teacher Socrates, is “Know Thyself” ­ or at least try to, and to do so means the beginning of self­ inquiry.

Furthermore, expressing his more metaphysical nature, Plato maintained that our body is nothing more than a vehicle for the soul, a sort of biological virtual reality suit . Through philosophy, we could expand our mind and come to the realization that what we perceive as reality is only a shadow of a greater reality. He explained this concept in his work, The Republic, using a simple allegory; the Story of the Cave. It illustrates the need for more self­reflection and self­knowledge and the consequences of not doing so.

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Details of Cave Allegory: In a fictional dialogue between Socrates (Plato’s teacher) and Glaucon (Plato’s brother) Socrates describes a scenery deep in a cave where a group of people have lived since infancy. These people have always been chained in such a way that they cannot move their heads in any other direction, than to a blank wall in front of them. Behind them there is a fire and between the fire and them, there is a path on which other people pass, holding up various objects. The shadows of these objects, project on the wall, but not the shadows of the people carrying them.

The chained people see the moving objects and begin to ascribe forms and meaning to them. When one of them is freed and shown the reality outside the cave, he comes to understand, that the shadows on the wall do not reflect reality at all. From this point on, he can perceive the true form of reality (e.g. the true objects) rather than the mere shadows seen by the prisoners.

According to Plato’s every prisoner that was freed, has also an obligation to return to the cave to help free the other

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prisoners, although he may be mocked by them and even have to face hostility. Self­inquiry is the way out of the cave and of helping others do the same.

“The measure of man is what he does with power.” ­ Pindar , Greek Poet­Philosopher

Subjecting your view of reality to examination rather than accepting it at face value­ as we do for so many things, along with the rest of the cave dwellers, is the path of the wiser leader (the philosopher ­ king). The more you understand the true reality of the world around you and inside you. The decisions you will make are less affected by your biases, preconceptions, superstitions and emotions, which Plato compares to being dragged around by wild horses.

The Charioteer Allegory: Self Leadership

From Plato also comes the vision of the three­part nature of the soul, or psyche , as explained though the allegory of the charioteer. A concept with great depth, it furnishes an unmatched symbol of what a human is, can be­ one’s potential.

The Charioteer represents the part of the soul that must guide the soul to truth and happiness ( Eudaimonia ); one horse represents rational or moral impulse or the positive part of passionate nature (e.g., righteous indignation); while the other represents the soul's irrational passions, appetites, or concupiscent nature. The Charioteer directs the entire chariot/soul, trying to stop the horses from going different ways, and to proceed towards enlightenment.

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The Greeks saw these elements of the soul as real forces, like electricity that could move a man to act and think in certain ways. Each element has its own motivation and desires: Reason seeks truth and knowledge. Passion seeks food, drink, sex and material wealth. Plato believed Reason as the highest aim. But each force, if properly harnessed and employed, is self­mastery and can contribute to a person’s Eudaimonia. Achieving this harmony of soul and self­alignment, Plato argues, is a precursor to tackling any other endeavors of life:

“Having first attained to self­mastery and beautiful order within himself, and having harmonized these three principles… and having linked and bound all three together and made of himself a unit, one man instead of many, self­controlled and in unison, he should then and then only turn to practice...” (ie to pursue any goal)

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We all face challenges daily. How does this allegory relates to you and the way you are balancing your emotions and logical thoughts regarding a specific goal that you want to realize or a challenge you are facing now in your professional life.

Aristotle

"Educating the mind, without educating the heart, is no education at all."

– Aristotle, ‘Rhetoric’ 4th century BC

Aristotle is one of the greatest thinkers in the history of western science and philosophy, making contributions to logic, metaphysics, mathematics, physics, biology, botany, ethics, politics, agriculture, medicine, dance and theatre. He was a student of Plato, who in turn studied under Socrates.

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Aristotle was born around 384 B.C. in the ancient Greek Kingdom of Macedonia, where his father was the royal doctor. He grew up to be arguably the most influential philosopher ever with many nicknames like ‘The Master’ , and simply ‘The Philosopher’ .

His first big teaching commission was tutoring Alexander The Great, who learned his leadership skills from his teacher. When Alexander the Great went out and conquered the whole of the known world, Aristotle headed off to Athens, to work with Plato for a while and eventually branched out on his own.

In 335 BC, he founded of the Lyceum , the first scientific institute, based in Athens, Greece. He was one of the strongest advocates of a liberal arts education, which stresses the education of the whole person, including one's moral character, rather than merely learning a set of skills. According to Aristotle, this view of education is necessary if we are to produce a society of happy, as well as productive individuals. For Aristotle, philosophy was about practical wisdom being service to society.

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What Makes People Happy ?

"All people seek one goal; Success and Happiness... The only way to achieve true success is to express yourself completely in service to society... First, have a definite, clear, practical ideal ­ a goal, an objective. Second, mobilize the necessary resources to achieve your ends; wisdom, money, materials, and methods. Third, adjust all your means to that end..." ­ Aristotle

More than anybody else, Aristotle enshrines happiness as the central purpose of human life and a goal in itself. As a result he devotes more space to the topic of happiness, than any thinker prior to the modern era. He too, like Socrates and Plato, before him, concluded that happiness depends on the cultivation of virtue , (Arete). Aristotle was convinced that a genuinely happy life required the fulfillment of a broad range of conditions, including physical as well as mental well­being. In this way ­and being of practical nature, he introduced the idea of a science of happiness in the classical sense, in terms of a new field of knowledge.

Essentially, Aristotle argues that virtue is achieved by maintaining the ‘Golden Mean’. The Golden Mean signifies which is the balance between two excesses . Aristotle’s doctrine of the Mean is reminiscent of Buddha’s Middle Path. Balance. Now that is an interesting word to consider, for a moment, in a world where excess rules, and where most of us feel ‘out of balance’, while balancing on our

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flickering i­phones...As inscribed on the temple of Apollo at Delphi, “μηδεν αγαν”; "nothing in excess".

One of Aristotle's most influential works is the Nicomachean Ethics , where he presents a theory of happiness, that is still relevant today, over 2,300 years later. The key question Aristotle seeks to answer in these lectures is "What is the ultimate purpose of human existence?" What is that end or goal for which we should direct all of our activities?

Everywhere we see people seeking pleasure, wealth, and a good reputation. But while each of these has some value, none of them can occupy the place, of the chief good, for which humanity should aim. To be an ultimate end, an act must be self­sufficient and final, "that which is always desirable in itself and never for the sake of something else" (Nicomachean Ethics, 1097a30­34), and it must be attainable by man.

Aristotle claims that nearly everyone would agree, that happiness is the end which meets all these requirements. It is easy enough to see that we desire money, pleasure, and honor only because we believe that these goods will make us happy. It seems that all other goods are a means towards obtaining happiness, while happiness is always an end in itself.

In the Nicomachean Ethics , Aristotle suggested that good and truly successful people all possessed distinct virtues. And proposes that we should become better at identifying what these are, so that we can nurture them in ourselves and honor them in others. Aristotle zeroed in on eleven basic

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virtues as a guideline over 2000 years ago: courage, temperance, liberality, magnificence, magnanimity, pride, patience, truthfulness, wittiness, friendliness and modesty. Indeed, not a bad mix of attributes to possess as a leader­ whether one is a CEO, a politician, or a parent in today’s world.

Aristotle also observed that every virtue, seems to be smack in the middle of two vices. It occupies what he termed ­ the ‘Golden Mean’ between two extremes of character. In book four of his ethics under the charming title of, ‘ Conversational Virtues, Wit, Buffoonery, Boorishness ’ Aristotle looks at ways people are better or worse at conversation. Knowing how to have a good conversation is one of the key ingredients of the good life, Aristotle recognized. Who can argue with that?

Some people go wrong because they lack a subtle sense of humor and that’s ‘ the boor ’; someone useless for any kind of social intercourse because he contributes nothing and takes offense at everything. But others carry humor to excess; ‘ the buffoon ’ cannot resist the joke sparing neither himself nor anybody else. This character will try to provoke laughter saying things that a man of taste would never dream of saying… So the virtuous person is in the ‘golden mean’ in this area­ witty but tactful. Definitely an art to be shared, Aristotle even drew up a table of too little, too much and just right around the whole host of virtues. Aristotle wrote,

“Anybody can become angry ­ that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose, and

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in the right way ­ that is not within everybody's power and is not easy.”

Moral goodness, and happiness says Aristotle, is a result of habit . It takes time, practice, and encouragement, so Aristotle thinks people who lack virtue should be understood as being unfortunate rather than being wicked. (As if they have a ‘disability’.) What they need isn’t scolding or being thrown into prison but better teachers and more guidance. We need to protect ourselves from disabled people­ not attack them back and to expand our understanding of others. Self­ leadership includes having understanding for oneself and others. (See chart below.)

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We can't change our behavior in any of these areas at the drop of a hat, but change is possible eventually, especially if we have a deep desire to improve ourselves .

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence is therefore a habit.” ­ Aristotle

The Art of Persuasion for Leaders Like most or many people, Aristotle was struck by the fact that the best argument doesn’t always win the debate of a battle. He wanted to know ­ why does this happen and what we can do about it? He had lots of opportunities for observations. In Athens many decisions were made in public meetings often in the Agora (the open market­place) of the town square. Orators would vie with one another to sway popular opinion. Aristotle observed the ways audiences and individuals are influenced by many factors that don’t strictly engage with logic or the facts of the case. It’s irritating, and the reason many serious people avoid the marketplace and populous debate. So Aristotle wrote the first ever manual on The Art of Persuasion . He called it , ‘The Rhetoric’ which we already discussed in the introduction. Ethos, Pathos, and Logos are modes of persuasion used to convince audiences.

In his presentation of the concepts of Ethos, Pathos and Logos, Aristotle was referring to the traits a orator must have in order to influence and persuade his audience. These were:

Ethos refers to the authority or credibility of the presenter, and the appeal to the moral values he shares with his audience. For example, being a

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notable figure in the field in question, or being introduced by one.

Pathos is an appeal to the audience’s emotions; their hopes and fears. It can be particularly powerful if it agrees with the underlying values of the audience.

Logos is the logical appeal; the data and evidence you can present to support your claims or thesis. The term logic is derived from it.

Additionally , there are also two more, less known traits referenced by Aristotle, that of Telos (ending), meaning the purpose or attitude of a speech, and Kairos (time/weather), meaning the particular setting, context, atmosphere, time, and place that a speech occurs. Although important, we will not, for brevity, expand on these. Now to the basics:

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Askesis from The ALKISTIS Method ( online course ) How well would you grade yourself as a speaker/ influencer?

Here is a simple practice, which was inspired by Aristotle’s system, for practicing your art. Prepare a short presentation on something that you believe in, Either find an audience to deliver it to or choose a person or group to try to convince. Perhaps you could engage your spouse/partner to try a different brand, or perhaps a team at work or a group of friends to do something in a new way. Keep in mind these questions:

1. What do you want to achieve with your argument? What is your end goal? Name the objective. (eg. I want a raise, I want to convince my partner to move to a new neighborhood, I want to get my team’s cooperation for a merger, I want to inspire my employees to start using a specific software… )

2. How are you backing this with your integrity / reputation / actions as a person to be trusted, a person who walks his talk? (Ethos) Have you been consistent as a person and credible in your interactions with the people who you are trying to convince? What’s your reputation as a person, marriage partner, executive, parent, friend?

3. Where are your facts? (Logos) Have you considered the understanding level of your listener? How do you need to present your facts in order for them to understand and accept them? Do you need a diagram or an example? How will you prove your case, and have

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you done your research? Or are you just blurting it out, using your emotions as the key element?

4. Where is your heart in this? (Pathos) Are you appealing to the emotions of your listeners, and being considerate of what they want? What are their hopes and fears? What will they be moved by? Is your ‘nonverbal communication’ aligned with your message?

Conclusion

Whether you are a business leader or a private individual, The ALKISTIS Method (either as an e­course or in­person trainings ) is an essential training that polishes and expands leadership and coaching skills to those desiring to transition any relationship to the next level. We gladly work with all professions—from educators to entrepreneurs—to help you become an expert in your field by thoughtfully mastering the art of engaging others. Backed by neuroscience and steeped in the timeless wisdom of ancient Greek philosophy, it is an integrated, holistic approach yielding optimal results:

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The Benefits

1. Impacts leaders through improved relationships, performance and communication in addition to decreasing levels of stress and tension.

2. Helps to develop faith in your creative power.

3. Supports a culture of trust, commitment and personal responsibility with self and others.

4. Helps leaders to manage risk more effectively by thinking and planning more strategically.

5. Aids in developing better interpersonal skills.

6. Creates a foundation to leverage personal power more effectively.

Contact for free 20 minute strategy session now to ask any questions about our programs.

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Dear Reader,

I hope you have enjoyed reading The Introduction To The ALKISTIS Method, and I look forward to meeting you in person or online (on the “inside”) .

Always remember, you have a bright future ahead of you !

Sincerely, Alkistis

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Links to Lifelong Learning.

I. The ALKISTIS Method E­Learning Course

Your personal odyssey of self­reflection begins with the basic online course filled with both written and a video­explanations of each Askesis . On­demand lecture videos, practical exercises, discussion forum, and live weekly Q & A calls, Real­world homework assignments and self­reflection practices.

http://www.alkistis.net/e_learning.html

II. Seminars In Greece with Dr. Alkistis Agio.

If you liked reading this introduction to The ALKISTIS Method, but you would like to do the

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Askesis in Greece and participate in one of the exclusive quarterly retreats in Greece, then this is for you. Note, there are a limited number of seats available (10 each time average of 10 participants), so make sure you fill out the form on the above page.

www.alkistis.net/groups­greece.html

III. Become A Certified Trainer of The ALKISTIS Method.

Do you feel a ‘Calling’ to help people out of their ‘Prison of the Mind’? Once you have understood that your well­being is intricately related to the well­being of your fellow human beings, you are already a ‘philosopher’ and will answer that ‘Calling’. As Plato and Socrates taught; Anyone who has escaped the ‘Cave’ of shadows and ignorance, has the obligation to help others escape too. A light has entered the darkness. It may be a single light, but that is enough. You have entered an agreement with your True Self , even if you do not yet believe in your True Self fully. The special curriculum of The ALKISTIS Method is the ideal tool for personal development.

Enquires : info@alkistis.net

IV. Follow Dr. Alkistis Agio On Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/alkistisTV/

V. Join Exclusive Members­Only Facebook Group

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For people who have read this book. The primary benefit of this channel is for LIVE Guided Inner Journeys & LIVE Q&A, webinars.

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VI Leadership Trainings For Your Organization. ' The ALKISTIS Method' is an eclectic series of seminars that have been created for you to develop competency in effective communications, self­management and human relations skills. It is based on an integration of Neuro­Linguistic Programming, Cognitive­Behavioral Methods, Neuroscience and ancient wisdom, specifically for modern managers.

Series of Eclectic Seminars for Leadership Development that can be tailored to your organization's needs

http://www.alkistis.net/leadership­training.html

VII VIP Coaching­Mentorship Programs

Private one­to­one sessions with Dr. Alkistis Agio

http://www.alkistis.net/programs.html

A very helpful way of doing the Askesis , is hiring a mentor or coach. This is someone who will help you pose the questions, keep your focus, and avoid biases and preconceptions that may affect your thinking.

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It is a very old relationship. The word "Mentor" first appeared in Homer's Odyssey, when the goddess Athena took on the appearance of an old man by that name, in order to guide young Telemachus, Odysseus’s son, in his time of difficulty.

It has since evolved to mean trusted advisor, friend, teacher, coach and wise person. History offers many examples of such mentoring relationships: Socrates and Plato, Hayden and Beethoven, Freud and Jung, etc. It is a fundamental form of human development where one person invests time, energy and personal know­how in assisting the growth and ability of another person.

It is best if the mentor is someone with experience, such as a professional coach. The very act of hiring of a mentor or coach is a step in your process of becoming serious about bringing change into your life.

The ALKISTIS Method forces you to question your beliefs, your values and your assumptions about reality. As such, a very appropriate coaching approach is the " The Maieutic Method ", also known as The Socratic Method . The word is derived from the Greek word “Maia” (midwife)", in that it is similar to assisting a birth.

Maieutics holds that many important lessons and truths cannot be taught directly from an instructor to a student/client. Instead, the client must deduce them himself from his or her own experience, by interacting with an instructor who will ask the appropriate

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questions. The mentor’s job is to help his client spread his/her wings, not fly for him.

(For more information on how you can hire Dr. Alkistis Agio or trained members of her team: www.alkistis.net/programs.html )

Bibliography

i) Annas, J. (1993) The Morality of Happiness. New York and Oxford.

ii) Arnold, E. Vernon (1911). Roman Stoicism. Cambridge: University Press

iii) Bobzien, Susanne (1999). Determinism and Freedom in Stoic Philosophy. Oxford: Clarendon Press.

iv) Brink, C.O. (1955). “Theophrastus and Zeno on nature and moral theory.” Phronesis 1: 123–45.

v) Brunschwig, Jacques. (1994). Papers in Hellenistic Philosophy. Cambridge, England.

vi) Brunschwig, J. and M. Nussbaum (1993). Passions and Perceptions: Studies in the Hellenistic

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Philosophy of Mind. Proceedings of the Fifth Symposium Hellenisticum. Cambridge UK: Cambridge University Press.

vii) Cooper, John M. (1999). “Eudaimonism, the Appeal to Nature, and ‘Moral Duty’ in Stoicism,” in Reason and Emotion (Princeton: Princeton University Press)

viii) R. Dilcher, Studies in Heraclitus (Hildesheim: Olms, 1995).

ix) H. Granger, “Argumentation and Heraclitus’ Book,” Oxford Studies in Ancient Philosophy 26 (2006), 1­17.

x) Engstrom, Stephen and Jennifer Whiting (eds.) (1996). Aristotle, Kant, and the Stoics.

xi) Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Epictetus. Translations of G. Long (London: Bell, 1877) and P.E. Matheson (Oxford: 1916) are best.

xii) Fortenbaugh, William W. (ed.) (1983). On Stoic and Peripatetic Ethics: The Work of Arius Didymus. New Brunswick and London: Transaction Books.

xiii) Gould, Josiah B. (1970). The Philosophy of Chrysippus. Albany: State University of New York Press.

xiv) Hicks, R.D. (1911). Stoic and Epicurean. London: Longmans Green.

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xv) Kerferd, G.B. (1972). “The search for personal identity in Stoic thought.” Bulletin of the John Rylands Library 55: 177–96

xvi) Reesor, Nargaret E. (1987). "Necessity and Fate in Stoic Philosophy." In Rist (1987)187­202.

xvii) Schofield, Malcolm and Gisela Striker (eds.) (1986). The Norms of Nature.

xviii) Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. (1991). The Stoic Idea of the City. Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press, 1991.

xix) Striker, Gisela (1996). Essays on Hellenistic Epistemology and Ethics. Cambridge, England.

xx) Manning, C.E. (1973). “Seneca and the Stoics on the equality of the sexes.” Mnemosyne 26 (series iv): 170–7.

xxi) More, P .E. (1923). Hellenistic Philosophies. Princeton. An excellent work, see pp. 94–171 for Epictetus.

xxii) Murray, G. (1921). “The Stoic philosophy.” Essays and Addresses. London: Allen and Unwin.

xxiii) Nock, A.D. (1959). Journal of Roman Studies 49: 1 ff. On Posidonius.

xxiv) Nussbaum, Martha (1994). The Therapy of Desire. Princeton University Press. thought.

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xxv) Sharples, R.W. (1996). Stoics, Epicureans and Skeptics: An Introduction to Hellenistic Philosophy. London and New York: Routledge,1996.V

xxvi) Solmsen, F. (1961). Cleanthes or Posidonius? The Basis of Stoic Physics. Amsterdam.

xxvii) Stanton, G.R. (1968).

xxviii) Watson, G. (1966). The Stoic Theory of Knowledge. Belfast.

xxix) Wenley, R.M. (1924; 1925). Stoicism and its Influence. Boston: Marshall Jones; London: Harrap.

xxx) Wirszubski, G. (1950). Pp. 138–53 in Libertas as a Political Ideal at Rome during the late Republic and Early Principate (Cambridge).

xxxi) Zeller, Eduard (1892). The Stoics, Epicureans and Skeptics. London: Longmans and Green.

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