In this episode, Ryan talks about the concept and philosophy of Stoicism, and how it has changed his life and the way he thinks about life. He also discusses the benefits of being a man of action, and why you should live life to the fullest.
00:00:00.000You're a man of action. You live life to the fullest. Embrace your fears and boldly chart your own path.
00:00:06.020When life knocks you down, you get back up one more time. Every time.
00:00:10.480You are not easily deterred or defeated. Rugged. Resilient. Strong.
00:00:15.500This is your life. This is who you are. This is who you will become.
00:00:19.760At the end of the day, and after all is said and done, you can call yourself a man.
00:00:25.360And what is going on today? My name is Ryan Michler and I am the host and the founder of Order of Man.
00:00:29.620Guys, if you are listening to this show today, it is because you want to become a better man.
00:00:34.380And that is what we're all about here.
00:00:36.220We interview the world's most successful entrepreneurs, athletes, warriors, authors, scholars, etc.
00:00:41.600What we do is we extract their wisdom and then we bring it to you each and every week.
00:00:45.840We have two shows though, just in case you don't know, each week are Tuesday show where we interview the top performers I just mentioned to you.
00:00:52.080And this show, our Friday Field Notes, where you guys get to listen to my thoughts, my ideas, my inspirations, my ramblings from throughout the week.
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00:01:01.340I do have some exciting news about this, by the way.
00:01:04.580And that is that we have reached the number 29 position in all of iTunes for the business category.
00:01:11.900That is a huge accomplishment and one that I want to make sure that I thank you for as, guys, we couldn't have done it and climbed the charts like we have if it weren't for you.
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00:01:31.020Now, I want to get right into the meat of the show today.
00:01:33.560I don't have a lot of time on these Friday Field Notes, so I just jump right into it.
00:01:37.140I want to talk with you today about a concept and a way of thinking that, guys, has literally changed the course of my life.
00:01:44.020In fact, this is more than just a way of thinking.
00:01:46.520This is a way of life for me, and it will continue to be so.
00:01:49.860Tim Ferriss actually refers to the philosophy that I'm going to share with you today as his, quote, personal operating system.
00:01:55.920So my wife and I, we were out on a date the other night, and we were talking about how we've not only grown in our relationships, but how we've each grown individually.
00:02:04.540And during the conversation, and among other things, she told me that I am a lot more patient than I used to be and definitely more level-headed.
00:02:11.660And at first, I wrote this off to the fact that I'm just getting older.
00:02:14.900And as a result, because I'm getting older, I've become more mature.
00:02:17.920And I believe there's validity to that.
00:02:19.740I believe that we do get mature as we get older.
00:02:21.800But after I've thought about this more, I really do think that there's more to it than just maturity and getting older.
00:02:27.640And what I want to share with you today is the concept and philosophy of stoicism.
00:02:31.180This is something, guys, like I said, that I have really latched onto as a way of thinking about my life.
00:02:35.840But more importantly, this is the way that I live it, and this is the way that I will continue to live it moving forward.
00:02:40.200And I think that you agree, most men, including you and me, would not consider ourselves to be philosophers.
00:02:47.000Studying philosophy is probably the last thing you'd ever catch me studying when I was younger.
00:02:51.300But the more I delve into this world of stoicism, the more I understand that I have completely misunderstood what that word philosophy even is and what it even means.
00:03:00.820I used to believe that philosophy was about studying theories and questions about why we're here, what we're meant to accomplish, how to live, all of that stuff.
00:03:08.500But I also believe there was a huge disconnect between those who merely thought about this kind of stuff and then those who actually applied it in their lives.
00:03:17.500So I pride myself, and I've talked about this before, of being a man of action.
00:03:22.120And so for me, philosophy just didn't sit well, especially with my misunderstanding of what it actually was.
00:03:27.300But what I'm understanding now is that philosophy and stoicism in particular is about the way we think and the way that we apply.
00:03:37.020So if any of you have heard the serenity prayer, you'll get a good understanding of what stoicism is all about.
00:03:42.040It goes, God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
00:03:49.300And this, in my opinion, is the basis.
00:04:10.760And then more importantly, using your emotions to your benefit and the benefit of those that you have an obligation and a responsibility for.
00:04:21.100It's perception, it's action, and it's will.
00:04:24.600And that's what I wanted to talk with you about today.
00:04:26.960So let's break down each one of these, and then I'll give you a couple of resources where you can learn more before we sign off for the day.
00:04:32.400So the first thing I want to do is talk about perception.
00:04:37.700And I'm sure you've done this as well with should-haves and could-haves and would-haves.
00:04:41.260But what I've come to realize is that life is not about necessarily what's happened in the past or necessarily what will happen in the future.
00:04:47.880It's about what's happening right now.
00:04:50.440It's not about the way I think and why.
00:05:00.300We get so consumed with what happened in the past.
00:05:02.360The way someone treated us or the results of some endeavor.
00:05:04.920However, this isn't necessarily a bad thing, but when it keeps you and me from moving forward, when it keeps us from learning a lesson and then applying that in the future, it becomes a hindrance.
00:05:13.480We all know a friend, and you guys are going to know exactly who I'm talking about here, who is stuck in his glory days.
00:05:20.040It could be high school or college sports, but he's failed to do anything great with his life moving forward.
00:05:24.860And so there's one question that you should learn to ask yourself over and over again when it comes to the way that you see the world, and that is what is happening right now?
00:05:34.920Not what should be happening or could be happening, but what is actually happening.
00:05:40.480Now, the reason that this question is so important, because what is actually happening drives us to take action.
00:05:46.720And not only action, but the right action.
00:05:48.900If we're too focused on what could have been or what might have been, we'll get stuck in a never-ending cycle of contemplation.
00:05:56.580And we'll continue to relive those past memories or potentially worse, dream of what the future might hold without a willingness to do anything about it.
00:06:04.000So I want you, again, to ask yourself what actually happened, because this gives you the framework for making the correct decisions moving forward.
00:06:11.360And as difficult as I know that it is to ask yourself what actually happened, especially if you come to the conclusion that something may have been your fault.
00:06:20.580But this is exactly what you need to make powerful decisions moving forward.
00:06:24.560Decisions that are going to propel your life in the right direction moving forward.
00:06:28.860And this was the disconnect that I had with philosophy until recently.
00:06:31.940Philosophy is all about the practice of understanding truth for the sole purpose.