Control Your Destiny (with Ryan Holiday)

Mark speaks with Ryan Holiday, an author, modern Stoic, public-relations strategist, bookstore owner and host of the podcast The Daily Stoic. Ryan became fascinated with Stoicism in college and dropped out at age 19 to apprentice under Robert Greene, author of The 48 Laws of Power. One illustrious marketing career and 11 books later, Ryan lives on a ranch outside Austin, Texas where he writes, works, and raises cattle, donkeys and goats. His newest book Discipline is Destiny comes out in September 2022.

Today, Commander Divine speaks with Ryan Holiday, Stoic author, PR strategist, and host of The Daily Stoic podcast. In this episode, Ryan shares his passion for how Stoic philosophy can be practical and useful in real life, and how discipline is key to destiny.

Key Takeaways:

Discipline is a practice of moderation. As Seneca would say, “Live immediately.” Yet, also know the importance of planning and investing as though tomorrow may happen. Furthermore, discipline does not need to be sacrificial. You can enjoy the fruits of the present without that enjoyment impacting your future enjoyment.

The high performance paradox. It’s a fantasy to think there is such a thing as balance. Finding balance is like jumping into the music of life. And while many aspirers believe that more work will get them where they want to go, in fact stillness and calmness and security are what paradoxically allow you to do whatever it is that you do so much better.

Zen and Stoicism, cut from the same cloth. It’s said in Zen that sometimes the best action is inaction. And the best inaction is action. Yin and Yang. Ryan and I discuss in depth the paradoxes of equal opposites and the beauty of living in the tension between the poles of life.

Real philosophy takes practice. Ryan shares candidly about the West’s version of Zen monasteries… academia. There has never been a more needed time to bring the practice of leadership to fruition in our world and our nation. Discipline (temperance), one of the four cardinal virtues. The others are prudence, justice, and fortitude - all of which counterbalance and interweave themselves into each other. One cannot be truly just without proper wisdom (prudence). One cannot be well temperate without proper fortitude.

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