For the next week, choose a time at the end of each day to think about someone you encountered who frustrated you or whom you perceived to do you wrong. What time each day works best for you? It might be the same time as last week’s exercise or a different time. Write when you’ll do this exercise each day.

Consider each of the following prompts each day. If you weren’t frustrated with anyone, try to think of someone in your past who you feel did you wrong.

1. Who was it? What did they do? Why do you feel wronged? How do you feel about that person right now?
   
2. Why do you think they acted the way they did? What values might they hold that make sense of their actions? (Hint: From a Stoic viewpoint, these are usually values related to external things, beyond their complete control.)
   
3. Do you, or did you ever, hold any of those values, too? If yes, write about a time you acted on them, and perhaps frustrated or wronged another. If no, what internal character traits of yours do you value? List them, then write about how you could exercise those traits to lower your frustration with this person.
   
4. Take a final moment to express how you feel about this person now that you’ve gone through the exercise.
   

To print a blank version of this prompt, please go to our web page for the book: theexperimentpublishing.com/?isbn=9781615195336.

Last week you practiced focusing on an outside view in order to quash your desires for things to go how you want them to. This week is similar. You’re now countering desires about other people’s behaviors. Instead of doing so by taking an outside view of your own struggles, you’re taking an inside view of other people’s actions. By performing this exercise, you’ll gain perspective on why people’s actions may seem reasonable to them, and, through that, develop sympathy.

On the Sunday after you’ve practiced taking an inside view, set a timer for 5 to 10 minutes and write your impressions of this exercise. How did it affect your understanding of other people’s actions? Did it lead to more sympathy and less judgment? What similarities and differences did you discover with people who most frustrate you? Write about your experiences.