Welcome to A New Dad’s Stoic Journey
Hi there! I’m Jamie Steidle. I wish I could say I’m a writer for a living, but I do have a day job and that’s not just being a new dad to a wonderful little girl. No, it’s being the Director of SEO for IGN. This blog is not about SEO, though; so you can rest easy knowing you don’t have to learn a new acronym—it stands for Search Engine Optimization. Shoot, sorry about that!
Anyway, this blog is about me being a new parent through the lens of Stoicism. I’m not going to promise real, practical advice. If you’re looking for that, go to the experts: Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus, and Seneca. They do make house calls.
Instead, this blog will go over my own interpretations of Stoicism, the books I’m reading and my parenting.
I’m new to this whole parenting thing. So, please, be patient with me.
I plan to post weekly. We shall see how that goes.
Elevator Pitch: A New Dad’s Stoic Journey
A writer tries to figure out how to be a new dad through the lens of Stoicism. Join him on this very very humbling journey. Have a laugh, even at his expense.
Mission Statement
I’m a new dad who is writing to figure out what that means through the lens of Stoicism. There may be a ton of these sorts of blogs but what makes this unique is I’m the one writing this one.
I don’t have all the answers. In fact, I don’t have any answers. The Stoics would be the first to admit the same. The goal is to use Stoic wisdom to be a dad, to get through the day and sleepless nights, and to develop resilience in the face of the daily grind. I think the Stoics have some ideas how to do that. Maybe throughout this journey, I’ll learn they don’t. But that’s the fun of it.
Favorite Philosopher
Seneca. I enjoy reading Letters from a Stoic. It’s familiar, like this passage from letter 18 about Saturnalia, the holiday that became Christmas:
“It is the month of December, and yet the city is at this very moment in a sweat. Licence is given to the general merrymaking. Everything resounds with mighty preparations,—as if the Saturnalia differed at all from the usual business day! So true it is that the difference is nil, that I regard as correct the remark of the man who said: ‘Once December was a month; now it is a year.’”
Nothing much has changed in the last 2 thousand years.
Favorite Dinosaur
Parasaurolophus. It’s fun to say, not fun to spell.
More About Jamie Steidle
I’m Jamie Steidle, a writer and seasoned SEO Director. By day, I lead digital marketing initiatives; by night, I’m a writer and blogger whose work has been featured in publications including VICE, Rec Room and Point in Case. When I’m not reading or writing, I’m thinking about reading or writing. I live in Orlando, Florida.
Recently, I signed with Diego Harrison of SBR Media, who now represents my middle-grade humorous mystery novel.
Some previous publications
VICE - An Honest Review of MUD\WTR, the Viral Coffee Alternative That Looks Like, Uh, Mud
VICE - The Best Coffee Alternatives For Jittery People Who Can’t Handle Caffeine
Point In Case - Romeo and Juliet Respond to an Apartment Listing
For more on my background in marketing and Search Engine Optimization, check out my portfolio:
