The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk - 385: Ryan Holiday - The Art Of Living (Like A Stoic)

Duration: 1h 6m
Broadcast on: 27 Sep 2020
Audio Format: other

Text LEARNERS to 44222

IG/Twitter: @RyanHawk12

Notes:

Community — In Rome, Panaetius met a fellow student of Diogenes named Gaius Laelius, and later in a naval contingent, met and served with Scipio Aemilianus, one of Rome's great Generals. These three men formed a kind of philosophical club — known to historians today as the Scipionic Club (like Ben Franklin's Junto's) — they would meet you discuss and debate the stoic philosophy they all pursued.
- Plutarch wrote in Moralia: Precepts of Stagecraft "it is a fine thing also, when we gain advantage from the friendship of great men, to turn welfare of our community, as Polybius and Panaetius, thru Scipio's goodwill towards them, conferred great benefits upon their native states"
- Ryan participates in off site adventures with other top authors in the world like James Clear and Mark Manson. They go there to share ideas and help one another.
  - He experienced another example of this as he was asked to speak to a group of the top athletic directors in collegiate sports. All of them are very competitive with each other, yet they still meet regularly to share ideas and help one another.
Zeno had little patience for idlers or big egos on his porch -- "Stoa is the Greek word for porch."
- Zeno said "better to trip with the feet than with the tongue"
He was the first to express the four virtues of stoicism
- Courage
- Temperance/Moderation
- Justice
- Wisdom
Consistency -- "His work was not defined by some single epiphany or discovery but instead by hard work. He inched his way there, through years of study and training as we all must."
Zeno said "well being is realized by small steps, but is truly no small thing."
Cleanthes — he not only continued his labors but actively turned down large financial gifts to help him retire to his studies — to him labor and philosophy were not rivals. They were pursuits that furthered and enabled each other.
- The ancients used to describe his industriousness: philoponia - a love of work.
Chrysippus, the third Leader is the stoic school. He was introduced to running and it changed his life. The same is true for Ryan...
- "A marathon doesn't care that you're tired at mile 20. You have to get to 26.2 to be done. Your mind wants to quit much earlier than your body has to."
- "When you think you're done, you're at 40%." - David Goggins
The stoic idea of Oikeiosis - that we share something and our interests are naturally connected to those of our fellow humans — is as pressing in the ancient world as it is today.
"Being poor is not having too little, it is wanting more." Seneca
Stay a Student -- The Maxim For Every Successful Person; 'Always Stay A Student' -- "Every man I meet is my master in some point, and in that I learn of him." — Ralph Waldo Emerson. Genghis Khan one of the greatest military minds who ever lived, he was a perpetual student.
How to find stillness?
- Stop watching the news
- Journal - Anne Frank wrote when she struggled: "Paper," she said, "has more patience than people."
- Go for a walk or run
- Seek solitude -- Bill Gates "think weeks"
How to balance temperance and justice?
- Start by being better ourselves
- As a citizen, where do you draw the line? Particularly when it's not in your interest to do so...
- What are you willing to sacrifice to insist on your standard?
Epictetus' instructions:
- Separate things into what you control and what you don't
- Choose not to be complicit in getting offended
- Prep for adversity in advance
- Realize every situation has 2 handles—grab the right one
- Memento Mori—let death put everything in perspective
"Writer's block is a phony, made up BS excuse for not doing your work." Jerry Seinfeld
Life advice -- "Don't send me an email asking if you can ask me a question. Just ask the question." -- Ryan Holiday
Be worthy of a great mentor... Do work that impresses them. Gets their attention.
"Writing forces you to clarify your thinking..."

- When the journey begins is important, but I'm also as interested in how the journey evolves and how one kind of recommits to it. And it's like if you see the texts as static, then you're gonna read them one time and you're gonna retain whatever you retain and that's it. If you see it more as this sort of continual thing you're engaging with, the stoics talk about how we never step in the same river twice, you see it that way, then it's just sort of almost constantly renewing thing, this expanding thing. And that's kind of more how I see the journey. (upbeat music) - Welcome to The Learning Leaders Show presented by Rixie and Meyer. I am Ryan Hawk. Thank you so much for being here. Text learners to 44222. In order to join tens of thousands of learning leaders from all over the world, receive my mindful Monday update. What I'm reading, writing, watching, thinking about, also give you more details about how my book, Welcome to Management will help you become a more effective leader. Text learners to 44222. Now on to tonight's featured leader, he's back. It's Ryan Holiday, author of many New York Times, best-selling books, including Ego Is The Enemy, The Obstacle Is The Way, Stillness Is The Key. His latest book is titled Lives of the Stoics. A few of the topics we discussed, he shares the one maximum for every successful person. Normally I would not speak in absolutes, but for this one case, what he shares is absolutely true. And then the importance and value of belonging to a community. Benjamin Franklin called these "juntos." And you'll notice, towards the second part of this episode, members of my Learning Leader Academy and Learning Leaders Circle joined us and asked a few questions. I loved that part. And then towards the end, Ryan shared his specific routine to ensure his productive output is very high and how yours can be too. Ladies and gentlemen, it's always good to talk with Ryan Holiday. (upbeat music) - All right, Ryan, fifth time, man.

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