Ryan’s book is a great read and part of his Stoic Series. Listed below are just a few of the gems that got my attention and I am sharing here so you can enjoy them (and I will remember them and I can come back and reference this any time).
- There’s a reason CEOs hit the gym early – they still have the willpower then.
- There’s a reason people read in the morning – they know they might not get time later.
- There’s a reason coaches to the facility before everyone else – they can get a jump on the competition that way.
- Be up and doing
- Cherish the time. But most of all, use it.
- Treat the body rigorously.
- We choose freedom. We save ourselves so we can save (and keep saving) the world.
- The less you desire, the richer you are, the freer you are, the more powerful you are.
- Gretchen Rubin: Outer order, inner calm.
- The space where great work is done is holy. We must respect it.
- Is anything made better by inattention? Epictetus would ask Of course not!
- Festina lente: energy plus moderation. Measured exertion. Eagerness, with control.
- Only you will know what it will look like to train in your art like a samurai, an Olympic athlete, or a master in pursuit of excellence.
- It won’t be easy, but in that burden is also freedom and confidence.
- Sweat the small stuff, but don’t be superficial.
- We take care to take care of ourselves … but never at the neglect of the people or things in our care.
- A person who understands the value of discipline. A person who is comfortable being uncomfortable,
- Go Run a marathon.
- Sleep on the ground.
- Lift something heavy.
- Do the manual labor yourself.
- Jump in a cold lake.
- Success breeds softness, It also breeds fear – we become addicted to our comforts.
- Go to sleep.
- Not just because your health depends on it, but because it is an act of character from which all of our other decisions and actions descend.
- The decisions we make today and always are being recorded, daily, silently, and not so silently, in who we are, what we look like, and how we feel.
- Say no. Own it. Be polite when you can, but own it.
- In a world of distraction, focusing is a superpower.
- People say they’re focused then …
- their phone pings
- they get distracted
- they get tired
- they try to multitask
- they don’t actually have the discipline to truly lock into something.
- If it’s worth doing, it’s worth concentrating on today. It’s worth focusing on now.
- Do the hard thing first.
- Don’t wait. Don’t tell yourself you’ll warn up to it. Don’t tell yourself you’ll get this other stuff out of the wa, and then ….
- No. Do it now.
- Do it first.
- That’s called prioritization.
- Get it over with.
- To procrastinate is to be entitled. It is arrogant. It assumes there will be a later. It assumes you’ll have the discipline to get to it later (despite not having the discipline now)
- Losing is not always up to us …but being a loser is.
- Our self-discipline compels us. Our destiny depends on it.
- The mind and the body must find a way to work together temperately, moderately, and soberly.
- Seek yourself, not distraction.
- Be happy, not hedonistic.
- Let the mind rule, not the body.
- Conquer pleasure, and make yourself superior to pain.
- Powerful people impress and intimidate by saying less.
- You don’t have to verbalize every thought. You don’t have to always give your opinion – especially when it’s not solicited.
- You can listen more than you talk. You can speak only you’re certain it’s not better to be left unsaid.
- Get better every day.
- The pros are after evolution.
- While time is ultimately the dictator of our presence here on Earth, we do dictate how we spend it.
- The strongest people are self-contained. They keep themselves in check. They keep their business where it belongs … their business.
- Set your boundaries. Enforce them – gently but firmly.
- Self-discipline is not just our destiny; it is our obligation.
- To our potential.
- To our country.
- To our cause.
- To our families.
- To our fellow human beings.
- To those who look up to us.
- To those who come after us.
- Through self-discipline, we can find our destiny; access to a higher plane of consciousness for being an excellence.
- Our discipline can be contagious … and if it isn’t, how strong is it really?
- Don’t beat yourself up. Build yourself up. Make yourself better. That’s what friends do.Â