Hey, Ryan here. My live speaking tour has kicked off and I’m headed to Minneapolis, Chicago, and Detroit next. I'd love to see you there.
We'll do an in-person deep dive into the four Stoic virtues—courage, justice, discipline, and wisdom—and how to use them to make better decisions, build resilience, and live a more contented life.
Nobody likes to do it. Nobody likes to wait. Nobody likes to have to defer. Nobody likes to be overlooked or taken for granted or yoked to somebody else.
It’s been said the most difficult instrument in the orchestra is second fiddle. Can you imagine being Marcus Aurelius? He was chosen to succeed Hadrian, but first there was to be a brief period learning under Antoninus…and then Antoninus lived for another two decades.
The patience. The humility. The self-control. The endurance. It’s frustrating to have to wait for six months…let alone six years. Nearly 36% of his life was spent waiting for Antoninus to retire or pass away. But not only did Marcus Aurelius put up with this, he used every minute. He understood that power and responsibility were heavy things, that it was actually a gift to delay them (it was time with family, time to be ‘normal’). He understood that it was a complex job he was taking over and that every minute of prior experience was a benefit, that every lesson was priceless.
Life is going to ask you to wait sometimes. There will be people ahead of you. There will be things you need to learn. You are going to have to play second fiddle. To be able to do this will take all of the Stoic virtues.
It will take wisdom to see that waiting need not be wasted. It will take courage not to quit or complain. It will take justice to keep giving your best even when the spotlight belongs to someone else. It will take discipline to hold your ego in check, to resist resentment, to keep showing up.
That’s the question, then: Could you do this?
Could you wait without becoming bitter? Could you serve without being seen? Could you prepare without knowing exactly when your moment will come?
P.S. You know that the four virtues are not only timeless ideas to understand, but actions to live by.
Ryan Holiday spent years writing a book on each one. Now, for the first time, all four are available together in a signed box set, exclusively through the Daily Stoic Store.
Courage Is Calling. Discipline Is Destiny. Right Thing, Right Now. Wisdom Takes Work. Four New York Times bestsellers. One complete guide for living them.
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