This Is the Challenge We’re Rising To

"There’s almost nothing more difficult than other people. They’re just tough. They fall short. They get in our way. They do hurtful things. They surprise and scare and bewilder us. This was true in the ancient world, just as it’s true today.. And perhaps nowhere in life is that challenge greater than in our own families."Ryan describes how Stoicism can help you deal with the challenges of raising or being part of a family in today's Daily Stoic Podcast. Sign up for The Stoic Parent here: http://dailystoic.com/stoicparent***If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps with our visibility, and the more people listen to the podcast, the more we can invest into it and make it even better. Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/signupFollow @DailyStoic:Twitter: https://twitter.com/ryanholidayInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanholiday/Facebook: http://facebook.com/ryanholidayYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/dailystoicSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. 📢 Share | ⚙️ Manage Subscription

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:06Ryan Holiday?

  Welcome to The Daily Stoic, where each day we read a short passage designed to help you cultivate the strength, insight, wisdom necessary for living the good life. Each one of these passages is based on the 2,000-year-old philosophy that has guided some of history's greatest men and women. For more, you can visit us at dailystoic.com. This is the challenge we're rising to. There's almost nothing more difficult than other people. They're just tough. They fall short. They get in our way. They do hurtful things. They surprise and scare and bewilder us. This is true in the ancient world, just as it's true today. That famous line from Marcus Aurelius about how what stands in

• 0:48Ryan Holiday?

  the way is the way. You know what he was referring to specifically? People who obstruct us. People who behave in confusing or challenging ways. In a sense, that is also what Stoicism is about. Rising to that interpersonal challenge, trying to deal with and work with other people without losing our mind or our principles. Trying to make our way through the world while holding true to those four virtues we cherish. And perhaps nowhere in life is that challenge greater than in our own families, because people are tough, but kids are the toughest, because we love them, because we expect so much out of them, because, and this is the real source of it, they are just like us. In that sense, parenting is a daily

• 1:32Ryan Holiday?

  Stoic exercise. You think it's hard to be temperate in regular life? Throw a tired toddler into the mix. You think it's hard to be wise in regular life? Surround yourself with other crazy parents at a youth soccer tournament. You think it's hard to be courageous? Try taking your heart out of your body and letting it walk around inside a hormonal teenager who makes bad choices. And what is parenting if not an advanced lesson in justice and fairness and rules and leadership? The point is, this stuff is really hard. It's not separate from the philosophy. It's where to apply the philosophy. Coworkers and kids, family dinners and flying cross-country in the middle seat, we have to rise to that challenge. We have to look to these ideas for guidance.

• 2:12Ryan Holiday?

  We must embody them as best we can, getting better at it every day for those we love and those who look to us for guidance. And if you are looking for some guidance specifically about parenting, check out our newest course, we're calling it The Stoic Parent 10 Commandments for Being a Great Parent, all sorts of lessons and strategies. The principles of Stoicism apply to this incredibly difficult job that is parenting. As Epictetus said, "There's no one who can tell you what to do, but they can tell you how to be adaptable to circumstances." That's what we designed this awesome course to do. You can check that out at dailystoic.com/parent. And of course, all the courses are free to people who belong to Daily Stoic Life. So you can join that at dailystoiclife.com.