Grit & Daily Stoic Flashcards
Euthymia
Greek word, euthymia, which he defines as ‘believing in yourself and trusting that you are on the right path, and not being in doubt by following the myriad footpaths of those wandering in every direction.’ It is this state of mind, he says, that produces tranquility.
Clarity of vision allows us to have this belief. That’s not to say we’re always going to be 100 percent certain of everything, or that we even should be. Rather, it’s that we can rest assured we’re heading generally in the right direction—that we don’t need to constantly compare ourselves with other people or change our mind every three seconds based on new information
Instead, tranquility and peace are found in identifying our path and in sticking to it: staying the course—making adjustments here and there, naturally—but ignoring the distracting sirens who beckon us to turn toward the rocks.
We need to have enough self-awareness to say, “This is my path!” Then we need to have the courage to walk that path without constantly comparing ourselves to others and changing our minds about what’s important every 3 seconds.
Philosophers Notes - Daily Stoic
Q: WHAT’S THE LATEST/GREATEST? / Media Consumption
A: I DON’T CARE.
“One of the most powerful things you can do as a human being in our hyperconnected, 24/7 media world is say: ‘I don’t know.’ Or, more provocatively: ‘I don’t care.’ Most of society seems to have taken it as a commandment that one must know about every single current event, watch every episode of every critically acclaimed television series, follow the news religiously, and present themselves to others as an informed and worldly individual.
If you’re on top of every.single.thing going on in the world—every TV show, every breaking story, etc., infinite, etc.—guess what you are GUARANTEED to be out of touch with: Your own path.
Epictetus’s Enchiridion: “If you wish to improve, be content to appear clueless or stupid in extraneous matters—don’t wish to seem knowledgeable. And if some regard you as important, distrust yourself.”
Philosophers Notes - Daily Stoic
PTSD & the boston marathon
In The Upside of Stress Kelly McGonigal also tells us that people who watched more than 6 hours of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing had more PTSD symptoms than people who were actually there and experienced the event first-hand. (Think about that for a second.)
*Stop constantly consuming media
Philosophers Notes - Daily Stoic
Japanese saying on grit
‘Fall seven, rise eight.’
Philosophers Notes - Daily Stoic
What are your two purposes in life according to stoics?
You have two essential tasks in life: to be a good person and to pursue the occupation that you love. Everything else is a waste of energy and a squandering of your potential.
How does one do that? OK, that’s a tougher question. But the philosophy we see from the Stoics makes it simple enough: say no to distractions, to destructive emotions, to outside pressure. Ask yourself: What is it that only I can do? What is the best use of my limited time on this planet? Try to do the right thing when the situation calls for it. Treat other people the way you would hope to be treated. And understand that every small choice and tiny matter is an opportunity to practice these larger principles.
That’s it. That’s what goes into the most important skill of all: how to live
Philosophers Notes - Daily Stoic
Amor Fati
A love of fate
“Something happened that we wish had not. Which of these is easiest to change: our opinion or the event that is past?
The answer is obvious. Accept what happened and change your wish that it had not happened. Stoicism calls this the ‘art of acquiescence’—to accept rather than fight every little thing.
And the most practiced Stoics take it a step further. Instead of simply accepting what happens, they urge us to actually enjoy what has happened—whatever it is. Nietzsche, many centuries later, coined the perfect expression to capture this idea: amor fati (a love of fate). It’s not just accepting, it’s loving everything that happens.
To wish for what has happened to happen is a clever way to avoid disappointment because nothing is contrary to your desires. But to actually feel gratitude for what happens? To love it? That’s a recipe for happiness and joy.”
Philosophers Notes - Daily Stoic
What is grit?
In essence: It’s the combination of intense passion + intense perseverance toward a long-term goal that matters to you.
“Half of the questions were about perseverance. They asked how much you agree with statements like ‘I have overcome setbacks to conquer an important challenge’ and ‘I finish whatever I begin.’
The other half of the questions were about passion. They asked whether your ‘interests change from year to year’ and the extent to which you ‘have been obsessed with a certain idea or project for a short time but later lost interest.’”
Philosophers Notes - Grit
Achievement
talent x effort = skill
——————> skill x effort = achievement
effort counts twice
Talent is how quickly your skills improve when you invest effort. Achievement is what happens when you take your acquired skills and use them. Of course, your opportunities—for example, having a great teacher—matter tremendously, too, and maybe more than anything about the individual. My theory doesn’t address these outside forces, nor does it include luck. It’s about the psychology of achievement, but because psychology isn’t all that maters, it’s incomplete.
“The only thing that I see that is distinctly different about me is: I’m not afraid to die on a treadmill. I will not be outworked, period. You might have more talent than me, you might be smarter than me, you might be sexier than me. You might be all of those things. You got it on me in nine categories. But if we get on the treadmill together, there’s two things: You’re getting off first, or I’m going to die. It’s really that simple.” (Watch video of that awesomeness https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doqS35FfcUE) - Will Smith
Philosophers Notes - Grit
Where do most of your actions derive significance from?
Most of your actions derive their significance from their allegiance to your ultimate concern, your life philosophy
Philosophers Notes - Grit
Grit - Fireworks vs Compass
As Angela says, their passion is less like fireworks that come intensely and then fade away and more like a COMPASS that guides every moment of their entire lives.
Philosophers Notes - Grit
What should you do after creative energy is awakened?
After creative energy is awakened, it is necessary to protect it. We must erect barriers against distractions, dig channels so that energy can flow more freely, find ways to escape outside temptations and interruptions.
Creativity - https://brianjohnson.me/philosophers-notes/creativity-mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/
Philosophers Notes - Grit
Do you jump from passion to passion?
Let’s get gritty with our passion. Let’s find the thing that’s worthy of us and give ourselves to it.
P.S. Angela makes the important point that she has one ultimate concern for her professional life AND she’s committed to being an extraordinary mother to her two daughters. Super inspiring: “… my top-level, life-organizing goal is, and will be until my last breath: Use psychological science to help kids thrive.”
Philosophers Notes - Grit
What are reasons people drop out?
‘I’m bored.’
‘The effort isn’t worth it.’
‘This isn’t important to me.’
‘I can’t do this, so I might as well give up.’
There’s nothing wrong—morally or otherwise—with thoughts like these. As I tried to show in this chapter, paragons of grit quit goals, too. But the higher the level of the goal in question, the more stubborn they are about seeing it through. Most important, paragons of grit don’t swap compasses: when it comes to the one, singularly important aim that guides almost everything else they do, the very gritty tend not to utter the statements above. …
Together, the research reveals the psychological assets that mature paragons of grit have in common. There are four. They counter each of the buzz-killers listed above, and they tend to develop, over the years, in a particular order.”
Philosophers Notes - Grit
4 Aspects of Grit
Interest + Practice + Purpose + Hope.
Interest: If we want sustainable passion, we need to be intrinsically drawn to what we do. It needs to fire us up. We need to love it. We all have facets of what we do that aren’t particularly awesome, but we’re just not going to put in the effort over the long run unless we, like the grit paragons, have an “enduring fascination and childlike curiosity” and “practically shout, ‘I love what I do!’” (
Wise Parenting: The “Hard Thing” Rule
“The Hard Thing Rule.” In short, everyone in the fam picks something challenging that they’re committed to mastering. For Angela, it’s her psychological research. For her husband, it’s his real estate development. For their daughters it includes things like ballet and piano.
Three rules:
- You need to deliberately practice daily.
- You can quit but not until the “season” is over—no quitting on a bad day mid-way thru. Gotta finish.
- You pick your hard thing—you need to be intrinsically interested in it
Philosophers Notes - Grit
