Discipline Is Destiny: A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

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Be a little deaf. We have to develop the ability to ignore, to endure, to forget. Not just cruel provocations from jerks, but also unintentional slights and mistakes from people we love or respect. “It helps to be a little deaf,” was the advice that Ruth Bader Ginsburg was given by her mother-in-law. It helped guide her through not just 56 years of marriage, but also a 27-year career on the court with colleagues she adored–but surely disagreed with on a regular basis. Some people give up by choosing the targetless path; on the other hand, many keep trying to achieve their whole way. It is essential to maintain a balance between these two.

Constant analogies about writers, sports people, politicians, soldiers, these do not exactly relate to the average human. These aren’t what most of us are, and he also seems to focus exclusively on work rather than personal life - which is really what matters. At the end of our life will we think ‘I wish I had worked more’ or will we think ‘I wish I had worked less and seen my loved ones more’. Ryan’s obsession with work life and ‘leadership’ doesn’t get the balance of life right - it isn’t the key to a good life at all. A workaholic has no discipline. A long time ago, Hercules, a great hero in Greek mythology, was travelling in the hills – when he came to a crossroads; on the way, he met a goddess who blessed him with a luxurious life. Be strict only with yourself. It was said that the true majesty of Marcus Aurelius was that his exactingness was directed only at himself. He found a way to work with flawed people, putting them to service for the good of the empire, searching them for virtues which he celebrated, accepting their vices, which he knew were not in his control. Tolerant with others, he reminded himself, strict with yourself. He ruled the Romans for 23 years and never put himself or his family before his people. He never tried to avoid his duties; he only worked. That’s why even today, in Rome, he was considered a kind and brave king who kept the balance of an enormous empire. Practice. The wonderfully curious economist Tyler Cowen has come to ask greats of various fields some version of the question: How do you practice your scales? What drills or exercises make you better at what you do? If a person wants to get better, wants to continue to develop and polish, they must know the answer to that question.

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This sentence says it all and says why it isn’t relatable: “people who are doing less important things than you can get away with not being in control”. In other words, Ryan is only talking to powerful people or those who think they are important, he isn’t talking to normal people who have bosses and normal jobs. We’re not all privileged writers, athletes or others who’s career is just about them. Most of us work to live and maybe even want to help others (rather than the athlete who just helps themselves).

If the answers to these questions are what you are looking for, your search ends here, as we will discuss the book “ Discipline Is Destiny: The Power of Self-Control” by Ryan Holiday. The way you start the day, the routine by which you accomplish your tasks, the manner in which you prepare for the future: these are all affected by your habits. Good habits can make the hardest tasks seem simple; bad habits cause the smallest issues to derail your efforts. This course, our longest yet, will put you through a six-week habit boot camp. Whether you don’t know the best habits or you want to lose some of your worst ones, this course is perfect for anyone. Find your comrades. The Spartan lawgiver Lycurgus introduced the common mess hall and required that all citizens eat together. It was harder to eat more than your fair share, more than your healthy share, when you were surrounded by your comrades in battle. The next step is to teach your mind to create balance. See how you feel, think, and react in times of confusion because our life is affected by the decisions taken in such situations. An ideal quote related to this is: Keep calm and carry on. Spiritual discipline is about staying calm, doing the work, and steering the course without alienating others. When you fail to get to work on time, keep cool. When you feel groggy, just try to get through the day. And when others don’t understand why you’re doing things the way you do them, try to be respectful and diplomatic about it.My first book on Stoicism, The Obstacle Is the Way tells readers how to turn their thinking upside down and revisualize their obstacles as opportunities to persevere and excel. All that to say that I can’t more highly recommend this book and the practice of personal discipline to anyone seeking to make the very most of their life.

The second advantage is that by sleeping early, you can make your morning a miracle– meaning you can wake up early in the morning and do meditation, exercise, etc., in a calm environment, connect with yourself from the inside, and become strong from the inside. Lives of the Stoics goes in-depth into the lives and practices of the great philosophers who defined and popularized Stoicism. From key figures like Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus to lesser-known Stoics like Agrippinus and Thrasea, I walk through their contributions to the philosophy and how they continue to inspire us today.This increases the ability to reduce laziness and depression, and you will start becoming capable of facing difficult circumstances. Get the leather-bound edition ) The Daily Stoic Journal: 366 Days of Writing and Reflection on the Art of Living Self-discipline is keeping your lower self under control and strengthening your higher self. It includes working hard, practising good habits, facing challenges, and setting limits to keep everything in balance. Overall, these life principles are guided by principles, restraint and determination. When you practice being self-disciplined physically, you strengthen your mind to function fully. It sounds simple enough, but it is more complicated too. Neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett has said that the function of the brain largely depends on the health of the body.

Even if you are tired, busy, or don’t need to, do it anyway; you can start in a small way. To begin with, go for 10 minutes jogging in the morning. If you are writing a book, write only one sentence about it. Beware perfectionism . As Churchill said, another way to spell “perfectionism” is p-a-r-a-l-y-s-i-s. Again, it’s good to have high standards but all virtues become vices if taken too far. An obsession with getting it perfect misses the forest for the trees–because ultimately the biggest miss of the target is failing to get your shot off. It was a seasoned coach who noticed and sat Gehrig down. He'd seen this before. He knew the short-term benefits of the shortcut. He understood the need for release and for pleasure too. But he explained the long-term costs, and he spelled out the future Gehrig could expect if he didn't develop more sustainable coping mechanisms. That was the end of it, we're told, and "not because of any prissy notions of righteousness that it was evil or wrong to take a drink but because he had a driving, non-stop ambition to become a great and successful ball player. Anything that interfered with that ambition was poison to him." All of that is a long introduction to say that Discipline is Destiny is Holiday in top form. Already as a result of reading this book, I've created a list of "Personal Operating Principles" which spell out what self-control looks like for me. I've ceased working two hours before bed. I'm speaking less (a challenge because my communication style is that of a storyteller). But I'm also being kinder at those times when I fail.Slow down. There’s a difference between hustling and hurrying. They like to say in the military that slow is smooth and smooth is fast. The saying in the ancient world was festina lente. That is, to make haste slowly. Energy plus moderation. Measured exertion. Eagerness, but under control. “Slowly,” the poet Juan Ramon Jimenez would say, “you do everything correctly.” Balance was one of the reasons why Antoninus became so successful. However, being self-disciplined alone only matters if it is balanced with kindness, compassion, and love. The journey of control is complex and challenging.