1 00:00:15,680 --> 00:00:18,040 Speaker 1: Yes, Yes, I am Dramas and this is the Street 2 00:00:18,040 --> 00:00:20,959 Speaker 1: Stoke Podcast, bring you your daily dose of Tomless Stoke 3 00:00:21,000 --> 00:00:24,799 Speaker 1: philosophy remix for the hip hop generation. We are combining 4 00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:27,520 Speaker 1: ancient stoic philosophy with lyrics and quotes, so some of 5 00:00:27,520 --> 00:00:30,520 Speaker 1: the greatest to ever grace a microphone. Now, with that 6 00:00:30,600 --> 00:00:33,120 Speaker 1: in mind, let's get things started with your daily shot 7 00:00:33,200 --> 00:00:41,600 Speaker 1: of inspiration. Now today we are going to be focusing 8 00:00:41,640 --> 00:00:46,280 Speaker 1: all around the stoic idea of focus on what you 9 00:00:46,560 --> 00:00:50,680 Speaker 1: can control. And today I wanted to pull a quote 10 00:00:50,920 --> 00:00:53,279 Speaker 1: that I've been seeing around a bunch on the internet. 11 00:00:54,000 --> 00:00:55,680 Speaker 1: Not from a rapper, although I think he had a 12 00:00:55,720 --> 00:00:57,880 Speaker 1: short lived rap career at some point, if I'm not mistaken, 13 00:00:58,280 --> 00:01:00,880 Speaker 1: but somebody who's been getting a lot of press these 14 00:01:00,960 --> 00:01:03,760 Speaker 1: last few months, and it's Dion Sanders, right Coach Prime, 15 00:01:04,280 --> 00:01:07,840 Speaker 1: And this quote is from a press conference, right. I 16 00:01:07,840 --> 00:01:10,760 Speaker 1: believe the reporter was asking him what he thinks of 17 00:01:11,000 --> 00:01:14,520 Speaker 1: the sort of negative opinions that his personalities might bring 18 00:01:14,560 --> 00:01:17,800 Speaker 1: on right, his larger life personality, some of the negative 19 00:01:17,880 --> 00:01:20,520 Speaker 1: comments that come along with that from his peers and 20 00:01:20,560 --> 00:01:25,160 Speaker 1: the media. And I loved Dion's answer here, especially with 21 00:01:25,200 --> 00:01:28,760 Speaker 1: this sort of lens of focus on what you can control, right, 22 00:01:29,480 --> 00:01:31,240 Speaker 1: and here are the press conference. One of the things 23 00:01:31,240 --> 00:01:34,320 Speaker 1: Dion says is your opinion of me is not the 24 00:01:34,360 --> 00:01:38,280 Speaker 1: opinion I have of myself. You didn't make me, so 25 00:01:38,360 --> 00:01:41,880 Speaker 1: you can't break me. You didn't build me, so you 26 00:01:42,040 --> 00:01:46,840 Speaker 1: can't kill me. And it's easier said than done to 27 00:01:46,920 --> 00:01:50,240 Speaker 1: sort of be just like fucking teflon and nothing bothers you, 28 00:01:50,280 --> 00:01:52,040 Speaker 1: and everything hits you and it flies off you type 29 00:01:52,080 --> 00:01:55,320 Speaker 1: of thing. Right, that's obviously easier said than done. But 30 00:01:55,680 --> 00:01:59,840 Speaker 1: I think striving to have this sort of mentality in 31 00:01:59,840 --> 00:02:03,120 Speaker 1: our everyday life is something that is worth going for, right, 32 00:02:04,040 --> 00:02:08,000 Speaker 1: because I think too often we allow ourselves to get 33 00:02:08,040 --> 00:02:12,400 Speaker 1: caught up in what others may think. And what Dion 34 00:02:12,560 --> 00:02:16,519 Speaker 1: is talking about here is this is who he's always been, right. 35 00:02:16,639 --> 00:02:19,200 Speaker 1: This is the attitude that has gotten him to be 36 00:02:19,240 --> 00:02:22,320 Speaker 1: one of the greatest NFL players and one of the 37 00:02:22,360 --> 00:02:26,679 Speaker 1: greatest arguably all around athletes of all time. Right. It's 38 00:02:26,720 --> 00:02:30,840 Speaker 1: this confidence that he has in himself, This outspokenness, is 39 00:02:30,919 --> 00:02:34,919 Speaker 1: the way that he is unapologetically himself. All of that 40 00:02:35,040 --> 00:02:37,359 Speaker 1: has led to his greatness, which we're also now seeing 41 00:02:37,440 --> 00:02:40,600 Speaker 1: with him being a coach. Right, and this leads to 42 00:02:40,880 --> 00:02:42,640 Speaker 1: one of the quotes from one of the stoics, Seneca, 43 00:02:42,680 --> 00:02:48,040 Speaker 1: and he says, remember that all is opinion. I love 44 00:02:48,360 --> 00:02:50,160 Speaker 1: this sort of idea, and I think it's a little 45 00:02:50,200 --> 00:02:53,280 Speaker 1: bit of a turn from what we're talking about with Dion, 46 00:02:53,360 --> 00:02:56,800 Speaker 1: But I think at the end of the day, it 47 00:02:57,000 --> 00:03:01,120 Speaker 1: sort of devalues opinion a bit. We all place so 48 00:03:01,400 --> 00:03:04,880 Speaker 1: much value on the thoughts of other people, right from 49 00:03:04,880 --> 00:03:07,040 Speaker 1: a young age in school. We want to be liked, 50 00:03:07,120 --> 00:03:08,800 Speaker 1: we want to be popular, right, we want to make 51 00:03:08,840 --> 00:03:11,800 Speaker 1: friends and all these different things. And obviously there is 52 00:03:11,840 --> 00:03:14,239 Speaker 1: a social currency to that. There's a value of having 53 00:03:14,720 --> 00:03:17,400 Speaker 1: a community, there's a value of having friendships and all 54 00:03:17,400 --> 00:03:22,280 Speaker 1: these different things. But I think oftentimes we go about 55 00:03:22,360 --> 00:03:26,120 Speaker 1: this process the wrong way, and we end up valuing 56 00:03:26,400 --> 00:03:30,840 Speaker 1: other people's opinions as facts rather than literally just a 57 00:03:30,919 --> 00:03:33,680 Speaker 1: random thought by this person. Because that's what an opinion is. 58 00:03:33,960 --> 00:03:38,040 Speaker 1: It is somebody looking at a particular experience or situation, 59 00:03:38,440 --> 00:03:40,800 Speaker 1: seeing it through the lens of their own lived experience, 60 00:03:41,120 --> 00:03:45,080 Speaker 1: and blurting out a thought they had and it bears 61 00:03:45,240 --> 00:03:48,560 Speaker 1: no real influence on your life unless you allow it to. 62 00:03:49,120 --> 00:03:52,840 Speaker 1: And I relate to this on a lot of different levels. 63 00:03:52,880 --> 00:03:56,800 Speaker 1: I think for me, self worth and my need for 64 00:03:56,920 --> 00:04:00,320 Speaker 1: validation has oftentimes ruled a lot of my decision and 65 00:04:00,360 --> 00:04:03,480 Speaker 1: had a profound effect on me in a negative way. 66 00:04:03,600 --> 00:04:06,320 Speaker 1: Right when I left the Morning Show, the Breakfast Club, 67 00:04:06,360 --> 00:04:09,200 Speaker 1: the radio show, roughly two years ago at this point 68 00:04:09,240 --> 00:04:11,880 Speaker 1: to kind of go off on my own and launch 69 00:04:11,920 --> 00:04:14,560 Speaker 1: my first podcast and work for myself. You know, I 70 00:04:14,560 --> 00:04:17,760 Speaker 1: had made a YouTube video about it, and there were 71 00:04:17,800 --> 00:04:20,440 Speaker 1: a lot of really amazing and encouraging people, But there 72 00:04:20,440 --> 00:04:23,320 Speaker 1: were also a lot of really negative people who were 73 00:04:23,360 --> 00:04:26,919 Speaker 1: hating and who were unafraid to voice their opinion on 74 00:04:27,040 --> 00:04:30,400 Speaker 1: the fact that I was making a huge mistake. And 75 00:04:30,520 --> 00:04:33,279 Speaker 1: at the end of the day, those opinions, those negative 76 00:04:33,279 --> 00:04:36,119 Speaker 1: ones in the YouTube comments or wherever else they came from, 77 00:04:36,520 --> 00:04:39,480 Speaker 1: they were merely just that people's random thoughts. Right, They 78 00:04:39,520 --> 00:04:43,000 Speaker 1: had no effect on my life in retrospect. But had 79 00:04:43,040 --> 00:04:45,640 Speaker 1: I have allowed them to completely sort of seep into 80 00:04:45,680 --> 00:04:47,480 Speaker 1: my mind, and had I have not been on my 81 00:04:47,880 --> 00:04:51,080 Speaker 1: healing journey already, they may have derailed me. They may 82 00:04:51,120 --> 00:04:53,039 Speaker 1: have forced me to go back with my tail between 83 00:04:53,040 --> 00:04:55,279 Speaker 1: my legs and say, you know what, maybe I can't 84 00:04:55,279 --> 00:04:57,040 Speaker 1: do this on my own. Maybe these people are right. 85 00:04:57,640 --> 00:04:59,919 Speaker 1: And I think at the end of the day, recognizing 86 00:05:00,200 --> 00:05:03,200 Speaker 1: in that moment, I'm not going to convince all those 87 00:05:03,200 --> 00:05:05,800 Speaker 1: people of my worthiness or make them love me. The 88 00:05:05,800 --> 00:05:07,919 Speaker 1: only thing I can do is stick to my plan 89 00:05:08,160 --> 00:05:10,920 Speaker 1: and stick to the belief that I have in myself. Now, 90 00:05:10,920 --> 00:05:13,680 Speaker 1: with that said, we have heard from Dion Sander's, we 91 00:05:13,720 --> 00:05:16,599 Speaker 1: have heard from Seneca, you've heard from myself round this 92 00:05:16,720 --> 00:05:20,680 Speaker 1: idea of focusing on what you can control, in particularly 93 00:05:20,720 --> 00:05:24,160 Speaker 1: when it comes to the outside opinions of other people. 94 00:05:24,560 --> 00:05:26,440 Speaker 1: Now let's talk about how you can make it your 95 00:05:26,440 --> 00:05:29,039 Speaker 1: mantra for today. But first to take a quick break 96 00:05:29,040 --> 00:05:42,880 Speaker 1: and then we'll be all right. So today we are 97 00:05:43,040 --> 00:05:45,400 Speaker 1: talking about the Stoic idea of focusing on what you 98 00:05:45,440 --> 00:05:49,479 Speaker 1: can control, specifically when it comes to not allowing the 99 00:05:49,480 --> 00:05:52,000 Speaker 1: opinions of others to have an effect on the outcome 100 00:05:52,000 --> 00:05:53,760 Speaker 1: of your life, essentially right and all that you do. 101 00:05:54,440 --> 00:05:57,240 Speaker 1: And we've heard from Dion Sanda's aka Coach Prime, we've 102 00:05:57,240 --> 00:05:59,320 Speaker 1: heard from one of the Stoics, Seneca. I've given you 103 00:05:59,360 --> 00:06:01,160 Speaker 1: some insights to my own sort of journey with this. 104 00:06:01,560 --> 00:06:03,200 Speaker 1: Now let's talk about how you can make it your 105 00:06:03,200 --> 00:06:07,160 Speaker 1: montra for today. Now, I think it really is, you know, 106 00:06:07,240 --> 00:06:10,520 Speaker 1: sort of remembering and allowing yourself to develop a mindset 107 00:06:10,520 --> 00:06:13,279 Speaker 1: where you recognize that what someone else thinks of you 108 00:06:13,400 --> 00:06:16,800 Speaker 1: or your ability is just their opinion. Right Again, it's 109 00:06:16,880 --> 00:06:20,560 Speaker 1: just a random thought in their mind. It doesn't actually 110 00:06:20,600 --> 00:06:24,160 Speaker 1: have any effect on your life until you allow it to. 111 00:06:24,720 --> 00:06:27,040 Speaker 1: So if you or I are talking, I say something 112 00:06:27,080 --> 00:06:29,760 Speaker 1: negative to you, something nasty, belittling, I tear you down, 113 00:06:30,320 --> 00:06:33,080 Speaker 1: it doesn't actually take any sort of effect onto your 114 00:06:33,120 --> 00:06:36,760 Speaker 1: life until you make the decision to allow it to. Right. 115 00:06:36,839 --> 00:06:39,359 Speaker 1: So if you tell me your business idea and I 116 00:06:39,360 --> 00:06:42,000 Speaker 1: say it's the dumbest thing I've ever heard, that literally 117 00:06:42,080 --> 00:06:46,080 Speaker 1: has no effect on your life until you then internalize 118 00:06:46,080 --> 00:06:48,080 Speaker 1: that and decide to not go out on the journey 119 00:06:48,120 --> 00:06:51,320 Speaker 1: of making that business a real thing. And I think 120 00:06:51,360 --> 00:06:54,120 Speaker 1: too often we place so much weight and so much 121 00:06:54,279 --> 00:06:58,800 Speaker 1: value on these random thoughts, right, these random opinions that 122 00:06:58,880 --> 00:07:02,400 Speaker 1: other people have, and not enough on the opinion that 123 00:07:02,400 --> 00:07:05,360 Speaker 1: we have of ourselves. And to recap because I think 124 00:07:05,600 --> 00:07:07,560 Speaker 1: this really kind of pulls it full circle. Is like, 125 00:07:07,839 --> 00:07:10,480 Speaker 1: that's what Dion is talking about here, right, He's saying 126 00:07:11,040 --> 00:07:14,560 Speaker 1: your opinion of him is not the opinion he has 127 00:07:14,720 --> 00:07:18,960 Speaker 1: of himself because he can't control your opinion of him. 128 00:07:19,040 --> 00:07:21,440 Speaker 1: He can't control of you don't like his style of coaching, 129 00:07:21,680 --> 00:07:24,440 Speaker 1: the way he presents himself, the way he speaks, whatever 130 00:07:24,480 --> 00:07:26,880 Speaker 1: it might be, he can't control that, right, that's your 131 00:07:26,920 --> 00:07:30,040 Speaker 1: opinion if you think something negative of it, But he's 132 00:07:30,080 --> 00:07:33,480 Speaker 1: not going to allow that to affect him in his process, right, 133 00:07:33,520 --> 00:07:36,720 Speaker 1: because all he can control is the way he thinks 134 00:07:36,760 --> 00:07:40,880 Speaker 1: about himself, the way he conducts himself. And that's what's 135 00:07:41,120 --> 00:07:44,040 Speaker 1: made him great. Right. He talked about this. If you 136 00:07:44,080 --> 00:07:46,200 Speaker 1: go further into the quote, he talks about he's been 137 00:07:46,240 --> 00:07:48,960 Speaker 1: dealing with people's opinions since he was, you know, playing 138 00:07:49,000 --> 00:07:52,440 Speaker 1: pee wee football. But his greatest attribute, what's led him 139 00:07:52,480 --> 00:07:57,840 Speaker 1: to being prime time Dion Sanders, is that he never 140 00:07:58,560 --> 00:08:02,560 Speaker 1: allowed other people's opinions to become louder than the one 141 00:08:02,600 --> 00:08:06,320 Speaker 1: he had of himself. And even you know, Seneca just 142 00:08:06,440 --> 00:08:09,160 Speaker 1: talking about I think opening our eyes to the world 143 00:08:09,160 --> 00:08:12,320 Speaker 1: around us when we hear things are impossible, we hear 144 00:08:12,680 --> 00:08:14,720 Speaker 1: that nobody's ever done this before. We shouldn't do this, 145 00:08:14,840 --> 00:08:19,040 Speaker 1: you should do that. Everything is just opinion. Everything is 146 00:08:19,120 --> 00:08:23,320 Speaker 1: in opinion until it's proven to be a fact. And 147 00:08:23,680 --> 00:08:25,240 Speaker 1: I think that's how we have to go about life, 148 00:08:25,280 --> 00:08:27,880 Speaker 1: because if you really strip down what in opinion is, 149 00:08:27,960 --> 00:08:32,040 Speaker 1: it's a random thought from someone's head through their lens 150 00:08:32,120 --> 00:08:35,440 Speaker 1: of lived experience. And even for me, there was a 151 00:08:35,440 --> 00:08:37,880 Speaker 1: lot of hate, a lot of backlash that came along 152 00:08:37,880 --> 00:08:41,000 Speaker 1: with me deciding that I wanted something more for myself. 153 00:08:41,600 --> 00:08:45,959 Speaker 1: And if I would have allowed those negative comments or 154 00:08:46,200 --> 00:08:49,000 Speaker 1: other people's perception of me and my limitations, if I 155 00:08:49,040 --> 00:08:52,400 Speaker 1: would have allowed that to dictate you know, what I've 156 00:08:52,400 --> 00:08:55,839 Speaker 1: set out to do, I'd be right back to living 157 00:08:55,920 --> 00:09:00,240 Speaker 1: a life that wasn't fulfilling for me. But instead, I 158 00:09:00,280 --> 00:09:02,320 Speaker 1: did my best to block out all of that noise 159 00:09:02,640 --> 00:09:05,120 Speaker 1: and literally just focus on all the steps that I 160 00:09:05,160 --> 00:09:07,439 Speaker 1: could take. I did my best to create the best 161 00:09:07,480 --> 00:09:10,880 Speaker 1: content I possibly could, to make smart business and financial 162 00:09:10,920 --> 00:09:13,800 Speaker 1: decisions right, to keep coming up with creative ideas, to 163 00:09:13,880 --> 00:09:17,120 Speaker 1: keep pushing myself. Those are the things that I can control. 164 00:09:17,520 --> 00:09:20,240 Speaker 1: All I can do is continue to create my best 165 00:09:20,240 --> 00:09:24,520 Speaker 1: work possible, stay true to myself, and hope that it 166 00:09:24,559 --> 00:09:27,600 Speaker 1: works out. Because at the end of the day, your voice, 167 00:09:27,840 --> 00:09:31,320 Speaker 1: your opinion of yourself always needs to be louder than 168 00:09:31,600 --> 00:09:35,480 Speaker 1: anybody else's or anything else's in this outside world doesn't 169 00:09:35,480 --> 00:09:37,560 Speaker 1: matter who it is or where it's coming from. You 170 00:09:37,600 --> 00:09:41,839 Speaker 1: need to prioritize what you think of yourself before anything else. Now, 171 00:09:41,840 --> 00:09:43,680 Speaker 1: with that said, thank you so much for checking out 172 00:09:43,679 --> 00:09:46,440 Speaker 1: The Street Stoke Podcast. Do your best to apply the 173 00:09:46,480 --> 00:09:49,240 Speaker 1: concepts that we discussed today and see everyday life and 174 00:09:49,280 --> 00:10:00,720 Speaker 1: I'll catch you next time. The Street Podcast is a 175 00:10:00,760 --> 00:10:03,960 Speaker 1: production of Iheart's Micoltura podcast network.