This Is Why We Do It

0:05Welcome to the Daily Stoic Podcast, where each day we bring you a Stoic inspired meditation designed to help you find strength and insight and wisdom into everyday life. Each one of these episodes is based on the 2 ,000-year-old philosophy that has guided some of history's greatest men and women, to help you learn from them, to follow in their example, and to start your day off with a little dose of courage and discipline and justice and wisdom. For more, visit dailystoic.com.

1:09home, borrowed my wife's car, drove into Austin and bought a truck. What I bought was a Toyota Tacoma. And this truck wasn't just transportation getting me to and from my house. It unlocked a whole different style of living for us, not just on the ranch, but in our little Texas towns. There were places I could go now that I couldn't go before, especially out here in the piney forests, through the fields and on the unpaved roads like the one that I lived in. We got to go deep into the hill country's wild beauty. We've driven all the way out to East Texas. We've driven across the country. And by we, I mean not just my wife, but both my kids who I drove home from the hospital in that truck.

1:55Toyota trucks are built for those who understand that the best adventures happen when you're willing to veer off course, because you never know when you'll end up on a Toyota adventure detour. And of course, this is stoicism too, because every detour, every obstacle is an opportunity. But it's helpful if you can handle the difficulty inherent in that. If you've got the resilience and the right companion to make it wherever the road takes you, discover your uncharted territory. Learn more at toyota.com slash trucks slash adventure dash detours. This is why we do it. Cleanthes and Socrates exposed themselves to cold.

2:35Marcus Aurelius slept on a hard mattress. Seneca practiced poverty on a regular basis. Why did they do this? It was to toughen themselves up in case of a reversal of fortune, for sure. It was to prepare for some future day when they might be thrown out of their comfortable homes and warm beds. it was to prepare for war and exile and disaster. But do you know why else we do these difficult things? Why we expose ourselves and toughen ourselves up? So we can handle the little daily challenges too. Saying no is awkward and uncomfortable, but so is getting in a cold plunge. Being criticized isn't fun, but neither is lifting heavy things.

3:18Waiting through interminable flight delays is boring, but so is staring at a wall in meditation, resisting the urge to check your phone. We familiarize ourselves with these things. We build our capacity to deal with them. We get over our fear of them or anything like them for this reason. We know that life has future comfort and difficulty in store for us. But because of our practice, we know we are tough enough to handle them. We know how to get through them.

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