The Daily Stoic21 Nov 2019

How To Concentrate Like a Roman

There is so much on our plate. We have emails to respond to. Calls to make. There is that meeting in a couple hours. The folks we met with yesterday are waiting on an answer or a decision we promised we’d make. Twitter beckons. So do our hopes and dreams.

And yet as many directions as we find ourselves pulled in, it’s safe to assume that Marcus Aurelius was under even more tension. Make no mistake: The ancient world was not some quiet, peaceful place. It too was filled with crises and distractions, gossip, and ambitious goal-setting. All the temptations we face today have their analogs in the past—plus things were scarier, deadlier, and more precarious.

So we should listen to the command that Marcus gave himself after one of those trying days, when he was struggling to stay focused. “Concentrate every minute like a Roman— like a man—” he wrote, “on doing what’s in front of you with precise and genuine seriousness, tenderly, willingly, with justice.”

And he wasn’t just chiding himself to do some impossible thing. There was a method to this concentration, he said. What was it? Do everything as if it were the last thing you were doing in your life. (That’s the power of Memento Mori). The key, Marcus said, was to not let your emotions override your mind and to give yourself a strong purpose (aimlessness is an enabler of distraction).

You can do that. You have the power to concentrate like a Roman. You can know how to do this thing in front of you. You can treat it right. And most important, you should. Because it may well be the last thing you do in your life.

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

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(3077)

You Can’t Stop Here | No Blame, Just Focus

Marcus Aurelius was not satisfied just getting the gist of Epictetus’ powerful teachings and you shouldn’t be, either.💡 We designed our How To Read Epictetus (A Daily Stoic Guide) as a personal field...

3 Aug 8min

Can Stoicism Fight Modern Corruption?

Corruption is everywhere, from politics and business to sports and universities. But as modern as it all feels, the Stoics saw the same thing happening thousands of years ago. So how did they resist i...

2 Aug 28min

5 American Heroes Everyone Should Know | Ty Seidule

Some of the greatest American heroes are people most of us have never heard of. In today’s episode, Ryan talks with retired Brigadier General and military historian Ty Seidule about five remarkable Am...

1 Aug 39min

This is a Line Worth Remembering | A Cure For The Self

We live in busy, stressful, unnerving times. We can’t let that rattle or rush us.📔 Grab a premium leather bound signed edition of The Daily Stoic! Check it out at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store...

31 Jul 6min

Pause and Reflect…Before You Regret | When Someone Is Rude, Respond Like This

We have an impulse. We have a provocation…and before we act, we should consider it. How is this really going to go?🪙 Carry The Daily Stoic Pause & Reflect Medallion as a reminder to pause. A pause cr...

30 Jul 15min

You Have This Freedom (If You Take It)

Marcus Aurelius lacked a freedom that we so readily take for granted...🎟️ DAILY STOIC LIVE | Ryan Holiday is coming to a city near you! Grab tickets here | https://www.dailystoiclive.com/🎙️ AD-FREE...

29 Jul 1min

How To Think For Yourself In A World Full Of Lies | David Pakman

When false information spreads faster than the truth, knowing how to think matters more than knowing what to think. In this episode, Ryan talks with David Pakman, host of The David Pakman Show, about ...

29 Jul 34min

If Money Could Talk, What Would It Say? | What Would the Stoics Tell Us Today?

Money isn’t evil. It can do real good. But it is a tool, not a measure of life. It can tell you what something costs, but not what it is worth.💡The Wealthy Stoic: A Daily Stoic Guide to Being Rich, H...

28 Jul 11min