This Was The Difference (and it makes ALL the difference)

0:00Ryan Holiday: So I have a bunch of traveling I'm doing through the end of the year on Daily Stoic Live Tour. I just got back from San Diego. I like to stay in the places that I'm staying. I like to book places on Airbnb so I can be like a local. I not only do some of my best writing, but I learn about things that I wouldn't have known otherwise. When I was just in San Diego, I took a walk along the water. I bumped into someone who recognized me and they told me about their favorite local bookstore, which was like two blocks from where I was staying. And I never would have known about it if it wasn't for that encounter.

0:30Ryan Holiday: It was cool to me to think that I have helped facilitate that experience for many, many people coming to Austin over the years. The first house that I bought in Austin when my wife and I first moved here, we would list it on Airbnb. And it helped me make the transition from my corporate life to being a full-time writer. So if you're going to be away, you should maybe think about listing your place on Airbnb. It can be a great way to earn extra cash while you travel. It can offset the cost of your trip or maybe even go towards whatever you're doing next. If you've got travel coming up, check out Airbnb.

1:00Ryan Holiday: Your home might be worth more than you think, and you can find out how much at Airbnb.com slash host. Welcome to the Daily Stoic Podcast, designed to help bring those four key stoic virtues, courage, discipline, justice, and wisdom into the real world.

1:21This was the difference, and it makes all the difference. Marcus Aurelius and his son Commodus shared the same DNA. They, like all fathers and sons, probably shared some of the same tendencies and weaknesses too. They both knew from an early age that they would hold power.

1:41Ryan Holiday: So how did they turn out so differently? Well, Hadrian selected for Marcus Aurelius some of the greatest minds of antiquity to be his teachers and advisors. Hadrian gifted Marcus a stepfather whom he admired and listened to in Antoninus. Marcus, we're told by historians from his time, tried to do the same for Commodus. He selected the best men in the Senate to guide him. He tried to be what Antoninus had been for him. The difference was that Marcus Aurelius continued to listen to his advisors. Commodus eventually stopped. We've said recently that it's okay to be inexperienced, to have flaws, to not know things, so long as you surround yourself with people who are experienced, who compensate for those weaknesses, who teach you.

2:30But Commodus is a reminder that there is another step. You have to be willing to listen to those people and to continue to listen to those people. You can lead a horse to water, as they say, but you can't make it drink. Someone can have all the tools, all the talent, all the potential in the world. But realizing that potential depends on humility. Depends on doing real work. Will you do it?

3:13Thumbtack presents Tile Trouble. Every single time I use my sink, I make eye contact with the uneven grout on my kitchen backsplash. The crooked corners eye me and I'm haunted by more tiling questions than I thought possible. What kind of pro can fix a backsplash? Can I replace one cracked tile or should I replace them all? What? What if I just use Thumbtack? I can hire top-rated pros, read reviews, and compare prices with a tap. All on the app. Thumbtack knows homes. Download the app today.