On Our "Virtual Route 66" This Week: #RandomThoughts

 

In one of the most watched videos on the Daily Stoic YouTube Channel this week, Ryan Holiday takes a deep dive into the Stoic virtue of discipline. “It’s impossible to achieve anything without self-discipline,” Ryan says. “And there’s nothing that isn’t improved by self-discipline—discipline makes us great AND it makes whatever we do great.” That’s why, to the Stoics, discipline is destiny. But, it’s important to remember, as Ryan explains in the video:

“It’s good to have high standards. But…it’s called self-discipline for a reason. Meaning, it’s about you. You don’t get to enforce your standards on other people. This is why Marcus Aurelius talks about being strict with yourself and tolerant with others. Cato says, ‘I can forgive anyone’s errors but my own.’”

Watch the full video: How Stoics Build And Maintain Self-Discipline​

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PODCAST TAKEAWAY OF THE WEEK:

On a recent episode of the Daily Stoic podcast, Ryan Holiday talked to KIND Snacks Founder Daniel Lubetzky. The two talked about Lubetzky’s unique path to success, the values that shape a great company culture, the many ways to measure success, and the importance of one’s day to day behaviors:

“How you behave in every single interaction with yourself and with other human beings is ultimately who you are…I used to think, just a few years ago, that where you’re headed, what you achieve, arriving at some destination—that these were how you measure who you are. But the truth is—the more I’ve thought about it, the more I’ve observed it—far, far more important is how you’re acting at every moment.”

Listen to the full episode: Daniel Lubetzky on Making the World a Better Place​

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WHAT RYAN HOLIDAY IS READING:

“It’s impossible to teach your child everything they need to know to thrive in an unpredictable world. But when you focus on reading, you can rest assured that you’re building the skill that supports all others. It truly facilitates learning in every other area of life—academically and personally, as workers and as citizens—and is the undisputed best tool to help kids meet the demands of adulthood. It’s also a powerful bridge to the best of public life.”

— Reading for Our Lives by Maya Payne Smart

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YOUR STOIC WEEKEND REMINDER:

Don’t take the money.

​Cicero and Cato both refused to take bribes, despite how widespread the practice was for politicians at the time. Cato refused to be enriched by his office in any form, even though that was even more common. Marcus Aurelius refused inheritances that were offered to him, much the same way.

Although they never gave us their exact reasons, it’s pretty easy to deduce. Because corruption is a betrayal of the public trust. Even if it weren’t, Marcus and Cato would likely have declined all the same. Why? Because to accept the money would have been to sacrifice their autonomy.

They lived along the same principle so brilliantly expressed, thousands of years later, by the photographer Bill Cunningham: “If you don’t take money, they can’t tell you what to do, kid.” Remember: “Money’s the cheapest thing. Liberty, freedom is the most expensive.”

(For more on this idea, watch this video!)