📖 Current Read; 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living — Ryan Holiday
What Kind Of Boxer Are You?
The Daily Stoic Meditation for May 21st outlines how every trail you face, every negative or troubling situation that you tackle, is exactly what you’ve waited for your whole life.
Like a boxer, this is what you have trained for.
This is what philosophy has prepared you for.
“But what is philosophy? Doesn’t it simply mean preparing ourselves for what may come? Don’t you understand that really amounts to saying that if I would so prepare myself to endure, then let anything happen that will? Otherwise, it would be like the boxer exiting the ring because he took some punches. Actually, you can leave the boxing ring without consequence, but what advantage would come from abandoning the pursuit of wisdom? So, what should each of us say to every trial we face? This is what I’ve trained for, for this my discipline!”
— EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 3.10.6–7
Abandoning The Pursuit Of Wisdom
Too many times do people abandon their pursuit and path, simply because they’ve taken a few hits.
- Perhaps you’re trying to set a world record, but you failed the first few times
- Perhaps you’re trying to win a competition, but other teams always seem to get there first
- Perhaps you’re trying to write a book, but you keep putting off the deadline.
These mini mistakes and errors are something that needs to be dealt with, yes, but they are not permanent and they do not define you.
Let me repeat that, these errors are not permanent and they do not define you.
Just because you keep pushing the deadline back on your book doesn’t mean you’re not a writer and that you should step down entirely. Similarly for sports: just because you don’t win the competition doesn’t mean you should walk away!
In regards to wisdom, it is all the same. Do not abandon your brilliant pursuit of wisdom simply because you’ve taken a few blows.
Get In The Arena (And Stay There)
It is important, rather than exiting the ring once you’ve taken a few punches, to stay there.
Stay in the arena and keep at it.
This is your job, as not only a boxer but a person.
You Have Trained For This
When you get in the arena, and you’re presented with difficult situations, you must remember: you have trained for this.
Your philosophy, your learning, your practice, it has all lead up to this moment.
If you take a few blows, so be it.
Whatever you do, don’t walk away entirely. Stay strong and stick with it. Walk the path longer than anyone else and you’ll reap the rewards.
Idea of the Week. 💭
True Joy Lies In Proper Human Work
Proper Human Work
What?
Proper human work, consists of a few key things;
- Acts of kindness to other human beings
- Disdain for the stirrings of the senses
- Identifying trustworthy impressions
- Contemplating the natural order and all that happens in keeping with it.
As a general consensus, proper human work is simply doing as much good as you can, for yourself and others.
The true task of a human is to be good.
The way one can do that is through identifying impressions, contemplation and prioritising kindness.
Why?
It should be fairly evident as to why kindness, good and work is essential.
Without kindness and proper human work, you’ll likely live a life of great misery!
With kindness and proper human work, on the other hand, you’ll grow and blossom into the best version of yourself possible.
You’ll thrive, you’ll learn and grow, you’ll attract great things…. the list is endless.
It is crucially important to prioritise kindness and implement proper human work, for that is where joy and all good things lie.
How?
Proper human work simply requires you to do good in all situations.
A few examples:
- Helping the elderly cross the road
- Not sending that horrible text to your ex
- Not overworking yourself simply because your boss wants you to
- Taking time for self care
- Smiling, offering help etc
Choose good.
Even when your mind may be screaming at you to be petty, arguable or angry.
Silence the mind and choose good.
True Joy
True joy lies in proper human work.
To achieve that state of pure bliss and happiness, you have to put in the work.
There’s no shortcut, there’s no way to cheat this.
If you want peace, you have to work for it.
However, if you work for it, by consistently cultivating kindness, you’ll be on the right track!
Take That Risk ⚠️
Take risks, and do not give anybody an explanation.
Jean Luc Godard, a French-Swiss film director, screenwriter, and film critic, outlines a very bold yet useful viewpoint on taking risks.
Maybe, when he said these words, they were not meant to be applied to risk.
However, to read them in the tone of risk works beautifully.
“He who jumps into the void owes no explanation to those who stand and watch.”
Need For Explanation
Within many of us, we often feel the need to justify our actions.
We want other people to accept and understand us; this is essential to all humans.
We have the idea that, if we don’t explain what we do, nobody will accept or understand us.
This potential lack of acceptance poses a great primal threat, which is why we constantly strive to justify all that we do.
The need for an explanation, however, when it comes to risks, is entirely futile.
To waste time justifying your actions takes away from the opportunity to truly progress and move forward.
The more time you spend talking, the less time you spend risk taking.
No Explanation
Godard, in this line, outlines that the risk taker owes absolutely no explanation to anybody else.
Not to onlookers, not to friends, not to family; not to anybody.
The risk taker has no obligation to explain or justify their actions.
You, with whatever risk it may be, owe no explanation to anybody else.
Whether you’re;
- Quitting your job and moving to Japan
- Asking out the person you like
- Skydiving…
No matter the risk, you do not owe anybody an explanation.
What matters is that you, within your heart and mind, know the choice is correct.
If you know that it is right, then go right ahead, entirely unapologetically.
Quote of the Week. 🗣
Robin Sharma, on how your addiction to distraction can be fatal.
“An addiction to distraction is the death of your creative production”.
The Addiction
This type of addiction is one of the worst types.
Unlike, perhaps, an addiction to smoking or alcohol, it is not so obvious.
It is not always clear that you’re falling down a dark path of endless desire for distraction.
This is why it’s so hard to combat, for you barely realise it’s happening until it is much too late.
The Risks
There are great risks that come with an addiction to distraction.
Risks such as;
- Losing focus
- Never completing work
- Lack of creativity
- Constant frustration and angst
- Feeling that you’re running out of time..
However, the most fatal and important risk, as outlined by Robin Sharma, is the death of your creative production.
Always searching for distraction stops the mind entirely from being creative.
You lose all creative abilities when you flood the mind with useless things!
Action Points
It is your responsibility to work at curbing this addiction.
It will not be easy and it will not be straightforward.
However, you will be the one coming out the other end victorious; much happier and healthier. It is worth it.
There are a few key things you can do to combat a distraction addiction.
In regards to your phone, there’s things such as;
- Delete social media apps
- Limit screen time
- Put your phone in different rooms
In regards to general life distractions, there’s;
- Buy and use noise cancelling headphones
- Cultivate a distraction free work area
- Clean your desk!!
However you work to combat this addiction, stick at it with great consistency.
Your hard work will pay off.
To end, here’s a question from me! ⚡️
How can you, unapologetically and boldly, take a risk today?
Throw away the desire to explain yourself and just go for it.
Thanks for reading!
Until next week,
Sam. 😆
