| There are lots of vices…and we're all slaves to at least a few of them. Lust. Envy. Ignorance. Power. Ambition. We have these desires and aversions, these habits we indulge, these things we let ourselves get away with. In a sense, Stoicism is a philosophy designed to help us fight this. Obviously we all battle different vices. We all need help with different ones. In his lovely biography of Marcus Aurelius (the best one published yet, we think), Donald Robertson writes about the role that Rusticus, Marcus' philosophy teacher, played in the young emperor's life, specifically in his battle against these lower tendencies. "On close examination," Robertson writes in Marcus Aurelius: The Stoic Emperor, "Rusticus appears to have helped Marcus first and foremost to overcome two vices, which are often found together, vanity and anger." Many people struggle with those vices—but no one can afford it less than a leader. Vanity leads us astray, makes us vulnerable to manipulation, and prevents us from learning. Anger? Anger makes us do stupid things. It makes us harm people. It blinds us. It deprives us of peace and serenity. Stoicism specifically has much to teach us about slaying these demons and we can watch Marcus attempting to do so repeatedly in Meditations. He writes things designed to keep him humble, to puncture his vanity. He is using Meditations to calm himself down, to vent his frustrations on the page instead of on other people. He is trying to remind himself that it is often his ego or his entitlements that cause his anger. That's the work, for all of us—to identify our vices and then meet them with discipline, humility, and reason. Because if we don't master them, they will surely master us. P.S. As Marcus's story reminds us, this work to overcome your vices isn't a battle you have to fight on your own. No—even the best of leaders need guidance to subdue their vices in order to unlock their greatest potential. And in the Daily Stoic Leadership Challenge, you'll receive that guidance from Ryan Holiday and prominent leaders of today such as: - Gen. Dan Caine
- Dr. Lisa Barrett
- Annie Duke
- Robert Greene
- RC Buford
- And more!
Start the process of becoming the leader your company, family, or community needs and enroll in the Daily Stoic Leadership Challenge today! *** | 
No comments:
Post a Comment