The Daily Stoic - You Either Are Or You Aren’t | Your Actual Needs Are Small

Episode Date: September 29, 2023

It’s impossible not to read Marcus Aurelius or Seneca and sense that they were always working. Not that they were literally always at the office–as we said, they believed in a kind of work life balance–but on themselves.They were studying. They were reflecting. They were asking questions. Late at night after his wife went to sleep, Seneca would pull out his journals and evaluate the day, going over what he’d done well, where he didn’t live up to his standards. Marcus, most famously, was seen as an old man, picking up his tablets and heading off to attend a lecture by Sextus, a wise teacher.---And in today's excerpt from The Daily Stoic, Ryan explains why it feels so beneficial accepting what you think is normal, the importance on understanding why your actual needs are small, and living by stoics like Seneca who believe that nothing can satisfy greed.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signed books, and more.📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Emily, do you remember when One Direction called it a day? I think you'll find there are still many people who can't talk about it. Well luckily, we can. A lot. Because our new season of Terabli Famous is all about the first One Directioner to go it alone. Zayn Malik. We'll take you on Zayn's journey from Shilad from Bradford to being in the world's biggest boy band and explore why, when he reached the top, he decided to walk away.

Follow Terabli Famous wherever you get your podcasts. Bosch Legacy returns now streaming. Matt has been taken. Oh God. His daughter is in the hands of a madman. What are the police have been looking for me? But nothing can stop a father. We want to find her just as much as you do.

I doubt that very much. From doing what the law can't. And we have to do this about way. You have to. I don't. Bosch Legacy. Watch the new season, now streaming exclusively on FreeV. Welcome to the Daily Stoic Podcast. On Friday, we do double duty, not just reading our daily meditation, but also reading a passage

from the Daily Stoic. My book, 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance in the Heart of Living, which I wrote with my wonderful collaborator, translator, and literary agent, Stephen Hanselman. So today, we'll give you a quick meditation from the Stokes with some analysis from me, and then we'll send you out into the world to turn these words into works. You either are or you aren't. It's impossible not to read Marcus really as Arseneca and not sense that they were always working. Not that they were

literally always at the office as we said they believed in a kind of work life balance but they were always working on themselves. They were studying, they were reflecting, they were asking questions. Late at night after his wife went to sleep, Seneca would pull out his journals and evaluate the day going over what he'd done well and where he didn't live up to his standards. Marcus most famously was seen as an old man picking up his tablets and heading off to attend a lecture by sexist, a wise teacher. I found one had to do some work every day, even at midnight, the sculptor Barbara Hepworth explained, because you're either a professional or you aren't. And the same goes for philosophy and self-improvement. You're either putting

in the work or you're not. You're either making the time for it or you're not. Marcus Arelius and Seneca were not too busy. And neither are the powerful people who have come to stoicism since. They delight in their own improvement day to day, as Appaqtida said. They make it a priority. Can you say the same for yourself? Your actual needs are small. This is the September 29th entry in the Daily Stoet. Nothing can satisfy greed, even a small measure satisfies nature. So it is that the poverty of an exile brings no misfortune for no place of exile is so barren as to

not produce ample support for a person? This is Seneca in his consolation to his mother. It can be beneficial to reflect on what you used to accept as normal. Consider your first paycheck and how big that seemed. Or your first apartment with its own bedroom and bathroom in the ROM and you gladly scarfed down in the kitchen. Today as you become more successful these conditions would hardly feel sufficient. In fact you probably want even more than what you have right now. Yet just a few years ago these paltry conditions were not only enough they felt great. When we become successful

we forget how strong we used to be, we are so used to what we have, we have believe that we die without it. Of course this is just the comfort talking. In the days of world wars our grandparents and parents may do with rationed gas, butter and electricity. They were fine just as you have been fine when you had less. Remember today that you are okay if things suddenly go wrong. Your actual needs are quite small. There is very little that could happen that would truly threaten your survival. Think about that and adjust your worries and fears accordingly.

There is a passage where I talk about this in Discipline's Destiny, which let me grab real fast. Galley here, so I'm recording this before the thing. But we talk about seeking, avoiding, I talk in part one about avoiding the superfluous, right? And I tell a story of Cato the elder and he says, nothing is cheap if it is superfluous. He's talking about cultivating a place where you don't have more than you need

and people can't take that from you, right? I say this in the chapters, I think about how content you were with less, just a few years ago, how much more frugal you were by necessity, how much less you got by on. Do you look back at those younger years when you were striving and struggling

as somehow lacking, as something you're bitter about? Not usually, those were happy days. We almost missed them. Things were simpler than cleaner. There was more clarity. Most of the luxuries that lay in the future, we did not even know about. We didn't pine for them.

We were ignorant of even their possibility. And when you realize this, that the less you desire, the richer you are, the freer you are, the more powerful you are, you have something that can't be taken away from you. So the Stoics want you to realize how little you need for the happy life. To get personal for a second, I think about the job that I dropped out of college for. I told this story before, but I remember I was offered $30,000, that was my salary. I remember thinking, I may have even set it out loud,

and I'm both mortified and fined hilarious. I remember thinking, what am I going to do with all this money? That was so much money to me As it happens like two days after I started they knocked my salary down because the partner who'd hired me hadn't cleared it With the other partners and I actually made more like 26 or something But it was more than enough for me I think about what I got paid for my first book when I think about what I'm getting paid on now my 12 It's all so much extra so much more I think about what I got paid for my first book, when I think about what I'm getting paid on now my 12th.

It's all so much extra, so much more than I was once happy to have. And that success should make you grateful. It shouldn't make you paranoid. If you take it for granted, you're being ungrateful. I guess is what I'm saying. And when you realize how little you need, it allows you to feel the true wealth that you have, the true excess that you have, and realize how much space

is there. You don't need to protect it so tightly. It's house money at this point. That's what the still extra trying to think about. I even think about Seneca. Seneca is writing this letter to his mother. He's in ex out, but this is the second time this has happened to him. He realized that he couldn't cling too tightly to any of these things. And I think that gave him a kind of strength. It's what allowed him to comfort her in this difficult moment. So that's what we're talking about here. We're not saying you starve yourself.

We're not saying you experience nothing. You just realize that it's extra, and you don't need it all. And that's a little preview of the new book, Discipline is Destiny, which you can grab now. Anywhere books are sold, I appreciate all the support of the book. Thank you everyone.

How it does first week, I have no idea, especially as I'm recording this, well in advance, but I already am grateful for what everyone has said and the support that I've heard about from the book and I appreciate you supporting. And if you haven't yet, you can check it out at dailystow.com slash preorder

or get disciplined as destiny, the power of self control anywhere books are sold, including audiobook, ebook, whatever. Thanks everyone. Hey, Prime Members, you can listen to the Daily Stoic early and add free on Amazon Music, download the Amazon Music app today, or you can listen early and add free with Wondery Plus in Apple Podcasts. This message comes from Viking,

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