How To Get Better (and Live a Great Life)
The Daily Stoic27 Helmi 2019

How To Get Better (and Live a Great Life)

Eleanor Roosevelt had a great rule. We must do the thing we cannot do, she said. And if you look at her life, she more or less followed this rule. She conquered her shyness and became a leading public figure. She overcame sexism and preconceptions about the role of a First Lady—a job she never wanted—to turn it into a powerful pulpit for good. She forgave her husband’s betrayals and affairs, even though they absolutely crushed her. Even in childhood she overcame obstacles and proved resilient — both her parents and one brother died while she was young, and yet she persisted onward.

Each time she was faced with limitations, internally or externally, she managed to transcend them. She pushed past her fears, her reservations, and the doubts of others. This was what made her great.

What the Stoics wanted us to know is that we are capable of far more than we know. We can do far more than anyone else thinks. We have great strength and power within us, if only we choose to seize it. If only we ignore that “can’t/don’t/won’t/shouldn’t” voice in our heads. Whether you’re looking at the life of Marcus Aurelius—which was marked with countless betrayals and setbacks—or the tortuous ordeal of James Stockdale—which was a nearly inhuman trial—you see men (and women) doing things that no one thought they could do. Things that, at the outset, even they probably didn’t think they could do.

And yet they forgave—both those who doubted them and those who assailed them. They saw the best in people. They insisted on principle. They survived. They didn’t break.

And we are heirs to that tradition. We have the ability to live by Eleanor Roosevelt’s dictum.

Do the thing you cannot do. Starting today.


See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jaksot(2884)

 If You Only Read a Few Books This Year, Read These

If You Only Read a Few Books This Year, Read These

Most people don’t read that many books, maybe a few a year at most. So if you’re only going to read a couple books this year, the decision of which ones you choose becomes really important.In today’s ...

15 Helmi 13min

11 Stoic Rules For Love

11 Stoic Rules For Love

Love isn’t just an emotion. It’s not just a feeling that hits you out of nowhere. It’s an action, something you can practice and something you can get better at. And while philosophy might not seem li...

14 Helmi 24min

This Kindles the Soul | Why You Can't Ignore What's Happening

This Kindles the Soul | Why You Can't Ignore What's Happening

Marcus Aurelius said that if you ever found anything better in life than courage, discipline, justice, and wisdom—the four virtues—it must be an extraordinary thing indeed. Which raises the question: ...

13 Helmi 15min

Do Not Delay | Dan Harris & Ryan Holiday on The Pursuit of Wisdom

Do Not Delay | Dan Harris & Ryan Holiday on The Pursuit of Wisdom

Life has a way of stripping all our reasons bare, of humbling our plans and assumptions. We must live, as Marcus Aurelius said, as if death hangs over us. Because it does.👉 Listen to the full convers...

12 Helmi 13min

There’s a Rhythm. There’s a Rhythm.

There’s a Rhythm. There’s a Rhythm.

It can feel like everything is falling to pieces. It can feel like you’re lost. It can feel like there’s no hope, no way forward, nothing to do. But that’s just because you’ve gotten rattled.👉 Suppor...

11 Helmi 2min

Stephen Greenblatt: Why “This Time Is Different” Is Always Wrong

Stephen Greenblatt: Why “This Time Is Different” Is Always Wrong

Why do the same patterns keep showing up in completely different centuries? In this episode, Pulitzer Prize–winning historian Stephen Greenblatt joins Ryan to discuss how power, fear, ego, and insecur...

11 Helmi 55min

You Have to Fight for It | Is There A Dark Side To Stoicism?

You Have to Fight for It | Is There A Dark Side To Stoicism?

It would be wonderful if the world was naturally just, if people were automatically good, always doing the right thing. But of course, they don’t. 📕 Read more stories that will inspire you to live wi...

10 Helmi 26min

You Are Responsible For How They Make You Feel | Watch Over Your Perceptions

You Are Responsible For How They Make You Feel | Watch Over Your Perceptions

At the core of Stoicism is the idea that our emotions are our responsibility. No one can make us frustrated. No one can offend us either, Epictetus said, not without us being complicit in the taking o...

9 Helmi 8min

Suosittua kategoriassa Liike-elämä ja talous

sijotuskasti
mimmit-sijoittaa
psykopodiaa-podcast
rss-rahapodi
rss-rahamania
pomojen-suusta
ostan-asuntoja-podcast
juristipodi
rss-myyntikoulu
rss-seuraava-potilas
rss-lahtijat
rss-draivi
leadcast
sijoitusovi-podcast
asuntoasiaa-paivakirjat
rss-startup-ministerio
rss-sami-miettinen-neuvottelija
rahapuhetta
rss-h-asselmoilanen
rss-turha-edes-yrittaa