Which Kind Will You Be?

"There are two types of people in this world: The kind whose success makes them better and the kind whose success makes them worse. Nero and Marcus Aurelius began to be groomed for power at roughly the same age. One lusted for the throne, the other cried the day he found out he was selected for it. One murdered his step-brother, the other elevated his step-brother to an equal, making him the first co-emperor. One chased frivolity and pleasure, the other took to his job with seriousness and a sense of responsibility. One helped other people, while the other thought only of himself. "Ryan asks all of us "What type of successful person will you be?" on today's Daily Stoic Podcast.***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 Daily Stoic:Twitter: https://twitter.com/dailystoicInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailystoic/Facebook: http://facebook.com/dailystoicYouTube: 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.

• 0:06Speaker 00

  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?

  Which kind will you be? There are two types of people in this world: the kind whose success makes them better, and the kind whose success makes them worse. Nero and Marcus Aurelius began to be groomed for power at roughly the same age. One lusted for the throne, the other cried the day he found out he was selected for it. One murdered his stepbrother, the other elevated his stepbrother to an equal, making him the first co-emperor. The other took to his job with seriousness and a sense of responsibility. One helped other people, while the other thought only of himself. Now, certainly, this kind of absolute power is inherently corruptive, but the truth is that all success affects us. We've worked long and hard for something,

• 1:12Ryan Holiday?

  and then we get it. We start at the bottom, and suddenly, we're on top. We have distinction, we have influence, we have the means at our disposal. How will we use these things? What will they reveal about us? Will they make us better or worse? That is the question. Timeless, urgent, unique to each of us. We've talked before about the lyrics to the Lori McKenna song, the one that effortlessly captures much of the Four Stoic virtues. In that song, she explains the proper response to success: "The path for being the kind of person that is improved by the gifts of fortune, not ruined by them. When the dreams you're dreaming come true," she sings, "when the work you put in is realized. Let yourself feel the pride, but always stay humble and kind. When you get where you're going, turn

• 1:57Ryan Holiday?

  right back around and help the next one in line." Always stay humble and kind. So, what kind of person will you be? What will your success reveal today, tomorrow, for the rest of your life? Show us whether you're a hero or Nero.

• 2:12Speaker 00

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