The Daily Stoic The Habit That Changes EVERYTHING | Nick Thompson
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Oct 29, 2025 
Nick Thompson, CEO of The Atlantic and author of The Running Ground, shares insights from his journey as a competitive runner. He discusses how running became a mental-health practice that nurtures resilience and discipline. Nick reflects on his complicated relationship with his father and how daily running helped him to build structure amidst chaos. The conversation delves into the importance of habits in parenting and the unique endurance that can develop with age, making a case for running as a life-altering ritual.
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Make Running A Daily Discipline
- Do make running part of your daily routine to anchor other habits and mental health.
- Nick Thompson says discipline is cumulative and doing a hard thing early makes the next hard thing easier.
Skip Music On Hard Workouts
- Avoid music during hard workouts to learn to read your body and pace correctly.
- Thompson says music can mask pacing lessons and listening disrupts physiological training benefits.
Age Rebalances Strengths And Weaknesses
- Age shifts what improves and what declines; some skills worsen but wisdom and endurance can improve.
- Thompson compares aging to a moving sidewalk you can outpace with gained experience and training.
