Stoicism

We made it to week 2.

Stoicism has been raised in comments on recent LinkedIn posts, including the first blog last week. Coincidently, stoicism was the topic in the next episode of my podcast playlist of The Diary of a CEO with Steve Bartlett. Steve interviews Ryan Holiday, best known for promoting stoicism through his books Ego is the Enemy, Courage is Calling, and Discipline is Destiny. I focus on one of Ryan’s themes of self-discipline for this week's instalment.

Stoicism has long been something I’ve been intrigued by and how it translates to our lives—often associated with male character traits, but there's far more to the philosophy that anyone can apply to their lives. I’ll only scratch the surface today.

Let’s take a trip back to the foundation of stoicism.

The ancient Greeks founded the philosophy during the Hellenistic period, and the “Stoic School” was founded around 300 BCE. Stoic philosophy became particularly popular in the Greek and Roman worlds until the third century AD when Christianity became the state religion during the fourth century. Marcus Aurelius is potentially the most famous of the stoic devotes. Ridley Scott’s 2000 movie “Gladiator” casts the late Richard Harris as Marcus Aurelius if the name triggered the name in your head. However, the role has little relevance to stoicism. Other stoic philosophy weapons include Seneca and Epictetus. You can research more about these 3 in your own time.

A quote from each of the Big Three:

“External things are not the problem. It’s your assessment of them. Which you can erase right now” - Marcus Aurelius

“No person has the power to have everything they want, but it is in their power not to want what they don’t have, and to cheerfully put to good use what they have” - Seneca

“If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid” - Epictetus

As a father of 3 kids, I am increasingly more aware of how my behaviour or actions impact their well-being. Reflecting on what I see in them, what they say and what I can identify are my qualities or shortcomings. I’m well aware now that we do our best as parents, yet we will never be perfect. They will undoubtedly remind me of these shortcomings at some point over the years. Among many traits, I try to impart discipline in their lives. Not discipline in the form of punishment or adhering to rules (there are still rules) but behaviours. 

The stoics often talked about self-discipline, which comes in numerous forms. I demonstrate self-discipline through exercise, which helps me apply the practice to other parts of my life. It’s a work in progress and will continue to be. I’ve always been lucky that sport and exercise have come naturally and have been somewhat gifted with reasonable ability. In the last few years, I've realised that the self-discipline I need to apply to exercise is more important as my “natural fitness” becomes less natural, along with my ability to recover from a few drinks, which now stretches from hours to seemingly days. You don't need me to tell you the positive impact exercise can have (unlike alcohol) on all areas of your life. It works for me and helps me improve self-discipline practises in other parts of my life, starting from a sound foundation.

Some see self-discipline as perfection in the chosen disciplines, which can motivate us to seek perfection even when we know it is impossible to attain. A quality that no other animal on the planet has that I’m aware of. It’s what sets us apart as humans. To pursue a goal knowing full well that there is a real chance of failure or not finishing, i.e. climbing a mountain or completing a marathon. There is no guarantee of success or rewards, yet we still show up. Humans are awesome!

Self-discipline is a journey and practice we sometimes let slip, which is entirely okay. I miss training days here and there; however, I will show up the next day. No one else keeps me accountable other than myself. Motivation to get moving when it's dark and cold is always an opportunity to press snooze to stay warm in bed. It might suck at first, but I never regret exercising afterwards. I do regret not exercising when I’ve created the opportunity.

My foundation for self-discipline is exercise; however, it can be unique to each person. For some, it will be journalling, meditation, drawing, writing…anything. No matter the task's size, it can lay the foundation for improved self-discipline in other parts of our lives.

Stoicism is a topic I will explore further in future blogs, but for today, could you take away the opportunity to invest in self-discipline? Start small. Eat the elephant one bite at a time for sustainable changes. Writing is now another element of how I want to instil self-discipline in more areas of my life.

We’ll see what's next.

AV