The Biggest Lie In The World | Toxic Habits The Stoics Want You To Stop Doing

0:00It's time for Cyber Monday, Dell Technologies biggest sale of the year. That's right, you'll find the lowest prices of the year on select Dell PCs like the Dell 16 Plus with Intel Core Ultra processors. And with built-in advanced AI features, it's the PC that helps you do more faster. From smarter multitasking to extended battery life, these PCs get the busy work done so you can focus on what matters most to you. Plus, you can earn Dell rewards and join many other benefits like free shipping, expert support, price match guarantee, and flexible financing options. They also have the biggest deals on accessories that pair perfectly with your Dell PC, improving the way you work, play, and connect.

0:38Whether you just got started holiday shopping or finishing up, these PCs and accessories make perfect gifts for everyone on your list. Shop now at Dell.com slash deals and don't miss out on the best prices of the year. That's Dell.com slash deals.

0:54You know, you don't have to let big wireless and your overpriced phone bill suck the joy out of the holidays this year. because right now all of Mint Mobile's unlimited plans are 50 % off. You can get three, six, and 12 months of unlimited premium wireless for$15 a month. It's their best deal of the year, and it makes it really easy for you to give your expensive wireless bill the Scrooge treatment. All Mint plans come with high-speed data and unlimited talk and text at the nation's largest 5G network. Plus, you can bring your current phone and number over to Mint. Actually, we just signed up for a Mint Mobile plan to use the social media phone here at the office and we didn't notice any kind of change in the quality of service or network or any of that just a whole bunch of savings turn your expensive wireless present into a huge wireless savings feature by switching to mint shop mint unlimited plans at mint mobile.com slash six that's mint mobile.com slash six limited time offer up front payment of 45 for three months 90 for six months or 180 for 12 months plans required 12 per month equivalent taxes and fees extra initial plan term only greater than 35 gigabytes may slow when network is busy capable device required, availability, speed, and coverage very easy at MintMobile.com.

2:02Welcome to the Daily Stoic Podcast, where each day we read a passage of ancient wisdom designed to help you in your everyday life. On Tuesdays, we take a closer look at these Stoic ideas, how we can apply them in our actual lives. Thanks for listening, and I hope you enjoy.

2:29The biggest lie in the world. You may well have said it yesterday or overheard someone else saying it. Oh, I'll do it in the morning. I'll do it after I wake up. I'll get to it later. I just need to do this other thing first. It's one of the oldest, most insidious lies in the world. And yet it's so common that we don't even notice it. We don't even realize that it's a vicious untruth that deprives us in the world of potential, of awareness, of understanding. it. As Marcus Aurelius observed 2 ,000 years ago, it's the lie that we'll be good tomorrow. It's what Seneca said, all fools, and all of us are fools.

3:04It's what we all have in common, that we're getting ready to start. You won't get to it tomorrow. You're deceiving yourself. And even if you somehow weren't, if you were truly sincere, who is to say that you are guaranteed to have tomorrow? Procrastination is not just dishonest, it's arrogant. It's an old and it's a timeless and terrible vice. You must crush it, not tomorrow, but today, now. Maybe you've said, hey, I heard Discipline's Destiny is good. I'm going to get around to reading it. Well, if that's true, maybe you should, you know, get off your ass and actually get it, or you've got it sitting on the nightstand.

3:42Maybe now's the time you can actually read it. If you want a signed copy, you can go to store.dailystoic.com or come grab them here at the Painted Porch in Bassford, Texas. is in any case discipline is destiny is all about the power of self-control battling procrastination winning against that lower self that wants to put it off till later stop being a fool don't do it later do it now talk soon

4:08one of the keys to the good life epictetus says is to decide what you want to be and then do that work. But it's not just what you do, it's also what you stop doing. So here are some toxic habits you must stop doing right now. Some things the Stoics say you should not do, that you should never do. One, don't be overheard complaining even to yourself. That's Mark Zarellis. Two, don't put on airs about your self-improvement. That's Epictetus. He says don't talk about it, be about it. Don't overindulge in eating or drinking. Moderation is key. That's Musonius Rufus. And Zeno says, two ears, one mouth for a reason.

4:46Don't speak more than you listen. Don't do those things and you'll have a good life. I don't know who needs to hear this, but Marcus Aurelius' reminder is a life-changing one. He says, you don't need to have an opinion about this. You always have the power of having no opinion. If it's pointless gossip, if it's trivia, if it's something that doesn't concern you, if it's something you have zero control or influence over, just let it be. Don't have an opinion. You don't have to say it's positive or negative. Epictetus says it's not things that upset us, it's our opinions about those things. It's our judgment about those things.

5:16So we have the power to not think about it, to tune it out, to focus on what really matters, to try to put our energy and our intention on where we can make a difference, on where we do have control. And if other people want to be concerned with them, if other people want to be riled up or have opinions about them, if it's their job to do it, leave it to them. Meanwhile, you let it float on by like the clouds and you stick with what's up to you. Ramit Sethi talks about this. He says, people are always talking about how they want to get their finances in order. They want to get better at money.

5:43And he goes, okay, have you read a book about money? Have you read a single book on this topic? And they're like, no, I was going to, or I bought it. If you've watched Knocked Up, the reason Katherine Egil's character gets so mad at Seth Rogen, why didn't you read the baby book? This is this life-changing important thing and you can't even read a book about it. The Stoics say, acta non verba, deeds, not words. but sometimes the act of picking up a book is a deed. The first step, the first little bit of commitment to learning something, to growing, to changing. That's why I wrote The Daily Dad.

6:15I wanted one page a day of parenting wisdom. So it's not even a book that you read once. It is a book that you are reading an ongoing process. But the point is, if you wanna get better at something, if you have these goals, what statement have you made? What evidence is there that you're actually serious about it? And that often can start with a book. We think that being really rich, being really powerful, having an important job, that this is going to free up our lives. We even call it financial freedom. But it's important the Stoics would say that we look at the actual lives of the people that we're aspiring to be like.

6:48There's this haunting scene, I tell it in Lives of the Stoics. Posidonius, one of the great Stoics, is there for the death of Marius. Marius being one of the richest and most powerful of the Roman generals. And he watches this man who commanded these great legions. But as Seneca said, those legions commanded him. He wasn't in control of his life. He wasn't in control of himself. And it was a miserable, lonely way to go. And so it's important that you study the lives of the rich and famous, as they say, not because celebrity gossip is interesting, but because you get a glimpse of what it's actually like to be those people, to have those things.

7:18And it's not as empowering as you think it is. Ernest Renan said of Marcus that Marcus was probably the least free of all men. That's why Marcus didn't love being emperor. He didn't have control over his schedule, over his life, what people said about him. His private life is gone. wrecks his family in many ways. So it's really important that we study. We ask ourselves, is getting this thing actually going to give me what I want? Or am I fooling myself that someday in the future by having it, it's not how it's going to work. Being a stoic does not mean you have no emotions. In fact, at the beginning of meditations, Marcus Aurelius writes, the key is to be free of the passions, but to be full of love.

7:54Instead of anger or jealousy or hatred or fear or resentment, try to transform those emotions into empathy, into compassion, into understanding, into affection for other people. Now, this is super hard to do, and I struggle with it. I fall short of it all the time. But the idea is not that emotions are bad, but that there are negative emotions and that love, on the other hand, passion, understanding, forgiveness, patience. These are better emotions, better traits that we try to replace those negative emotions with. Don't be overheard complaining. Marcus Aurelius writes in meditation, not even to yourself.

8:27I I love that distinction. It's not only not like whining publicly, but not whining to yourself, not pitying yourself. It never makes a difference. It's funny when I've talked about this before people go, what about protests? What about lawsuits? Taking an action is not a complaint. Complaining is when you think that emoting about, simply speaking about, letting your displeasure be known, when you confuse that with actually doing something about your problems. You can't trust appearances. Epictetus says that what studying philosophy gives you, He says it makes you like a money changer who can know from the way they bang a coin on the table, whether it's counterfeit or not.

9:02Stoicism is about putting every impression to the test. As you try to make money in life, as you try to invest in life, it's not just finding the good investments, finding the good vehicles. It's about avoiding being scammed. It's about avoiding fads. It's about avoiding false promises. Mark Stavridis says you can't fall for every smooth talker. That's what Epictetus is saying. You put the impression to the test. You can trust, but you have to verify. If it seems too good to be true, whether it's an emotion or an investment, it probably is. Poverty isn't having too little. It's wanting more. That's what Seneca was saying.

9:38And he, of course, wasn't speaking about people who are literally impoverished or starving, can't make ends meet. That is a form of poverty that's awful and unfair. He was talking about people like him to whom all the abundance, all the luxury, all the wealth, all the success they have doesn't feel like enough. so they always want and need more. This form of poverty is the most solvable. It's also the most pathetic and most sad. You have so much. You have more than you thought you would ever have. You have more than you need. You have more than some people will ever see in their lifetime. You're not thinking about that.

10:11You've taken all of that for granted. That's become the baseline. What you're after is more. The problem is more becomes more becomes more and thus is never enough.

10:34My family owns a 2023 Toyota 4Runner, and honestly, it's my favorite vehicle that I've ever owned. Around town, it's smooth and reliable, but where it really shines is on our trips into the backcountry. We've taken it on backpacking adventures to Colorado and New Mexico, loaded it up with gear, and never had to think twice about whether it could handle the terrain. That's what Toyota trucks are built for. Off-road confidence, rugged durability, and the freedom to explore. Toyota has a long history with the outdoor community, and they're committed to helping more people get out there and experience what nature has to offer.

11:04From remote trails to scenic byways, Toyota Trucks empowers you to take the detour, roam freely, and discover places that still feel wild and untouched. And they're not just making great trucks, they're working to expand access to adventure so more people can connect with the outdoors and pass that passion on to the next generation. Discover your uncharted territory. Learn more at toyota.com slash trucks slash adventure dash detours. That's toyota.com slash trucks slash adventure dash detours. Look, ads are annoying. They are to be avoided if at all possible. I understand as a content creator why they need to exist.

11:40That's why I don't begrudge them when they appear on the shows that I listen to. But again, as a person who has to pay a podcast producer and has to pay for equipment and for the studio and the building that the studio is in, it's a lot to keep something like the Daily Stoic going. So if you want to support a show but not listen to ads, well, we have partnered with Supercast to bring you a ad-free version of Daily Stoic. We're calling it Daily Stoic Premium. And with Premium, you can listen to every episode of the Daily Stoic podcast completely ad-free. No interruptions, just the ideas, just the messages, just the conversations you came here for.

12:24And you can also get early access to episodes before they're available to the public. And we're going to have a bunch of exclusive bonus content and extended interviews in there just for Daily Stoic Premium members as well. If you want to remove distractions, go deeper into Stoicism and support the work we do here. Well, it takes less than a minute to sign up for Daily Stoic Premium, and we are offering a limited time discount of 20 % off your first year. Just go to dailystoic.com slash premium to sign up right now or click the link in the show descriptions to make those ads go away.