Are You Ready To Be Challenged?

It’s very easy to get comfortable. To build up your life exactly how you want it to be. Minimize inconveniences and hand off the stuff you don’t like to do. To find what you enjoy, where you enjoy it, and never leave. A velvet rut, is what it’s called. It’s nice, but the comfort tricks you into thinking that you’re not stuck. The Stoics knew that this was a kind of death. That as soon as we stop growing, we start dying. Or at least, we become more vulnerable to the swings of Fate and Fortune. Seneca talked over and over again about the importance of adversity, of not only embracing the struggle life throws at us but actively seeking out that difficulty, so you can be stronger and better and more prepared. A person who has never been challenged, he said, who always gets their way, is a tragic figure. They have no idea what they are capable of. They are not even close to fulfilling their potential. So that leaves you with something to think about today: Are you challenging yourself? Do the choices you make push you or do they help you atrophy? Are you in a velvet rut? Be honest. And then challenge yourself to do better. See 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.

• 0:29Ryan Holiday?

  Are you ready to be challenged? It's very easy to get comfortable, to build up your life exactly how you want it to be, to minimize inconveniences and hand off the stuff you don't like to do, to find what you enjoy where you enjoy it and never leave. A velvet rut is what this is called. It's nice, but the comfort tricks you into thinking that you are not stuck. The Stoics knew that this was a kind of death, that as soon as we stop growing, we start dying, or at least we become more vulnerable to the swings of fate and fortune. Seneca talked over and over and over again about the importance of adversity, of not only embracing the struggle

• 1:11Ryan Holiday?

  life throws at us, but actively seeking out that difficulty so that you can be stronger and better and more prepared. "A person who has never been challenged," he said, "who always gets their way, is a tragic figure. They have no idea what they are capable of. They are not even close to fulfilling their potential." So that leaves you with something to think about today. Are you challenging yourself? Do the choices you make push you, or do they help you atrophy? Are you in a velvet rut? And be honest, and then challenge yourself to do better. One way you can challenge yourself, of course, is with the new 21-day Daily Stoic Freedom Challenge that we have for you. The truth is, we live in the freest times in the history

• 1:54Ryan Holiday?

  of the world, but so many of us don't feel free. We are slaves to our vices and devices, and this challenge is designed to help you break out of those shackles. The challenge begins on July 8th, which means if you want to sign up, you have to do so before July 7th at 11:59 PM, because it closes and then no one else will be allowed in. So much of what we do is inessential. So much of what we do takes us farther away from where we want to be, keeps us more imprisoned. And I know this challenge will help you break free. It will help you lead a better life. It will do all those things because I know it has done them for me. The challenges we have done have changed my life in a bunch of ways. I participate alongside everyone that's doing it.

• 2:39Ryan Holiday?

  And this Stoic wisdom, it works. And I know it does because I've seen it myself. So check it out. Go to dailystoic.com/challenge.