1 00:00:16,040 --> 00:00:18,759 Speaker 1: Yes, Yes, I am Dramos and this is the Street 2 00:00:18,920 --> 00:00:23,200 Speaker 1: Stoic Podcast, bringing your daily dose of timeless stoic philosophy 3 00:00:23,760 --> 00:00:26,960 Speaker 1: remix for the hip hop generation. Now, with that in mind, 4 00:00:27,360 --> 00:00:30,680 Speaker 1: let's get things started with your daily shot of inspiration. 5 00:00:36,800 --> 00:00:40,240 Speaker 1: Now today for me talking all about the stoic idea 6 00:00:40,440 --> 00:00:45,720 Speaker 1: of diminishing your ego, right, and with this one, I 7 00:00:45,760 --> 00:00:49,320 Speaker 1: think it's about knowledge of self, right, It's about self 8 00:00:49,360 --> 00:00:51,440 Speaker 1: awareness at the end of the day. That's kind of 9 00:00:51,240 --> 00:00:55,000 Speaker 1: the conversation today. And I love this quote right here 10 00:00:55,520 --> 00:00:59,200 Speaker 1: from Chaos one where he says knowledge reigns supreme over 11 00:00:59,360 --> 00:01:02,480 Speaker 1: nearly everyone, and knowledge at the end of the day 12 00:01:02,600 --> 00:01:05,640 Speaker 1: is wisdom. Right, all that we know, all that we 13 00:01:05,720 --> 00:01:08,400 Speaker 1: know about ourselves at the end of the day is 14 00:01:08,480 --> 00:01:11,120 Speaker 1: the greatest gift in our greatest asset. I'm gonna follow 15 00:01:11,120 --> 00:01:13,119 Speaker 1: that up with a quote from Aristotle where he says 16 00:01:13,400 --> 00:01:18,039 Speaker 1: knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom. And I 17 00:01:18,120 --> 00:01:21,240 Speaker 1: just think that that's such a powerful sort of piece 18 00:01:21,360 --> 00:01:25,000 Speaker 1: of information or vantage point to be able to look 19 00:01:25,040 --> 00:01:28,520 Speaker 1: at things from right understanding that everything starts within, of course, 20 00:01:29,080 --> 00:01:32,319 Speaker 1: and the better you know yourself, the more you're setting 21 00:01:32,319 --> 00:01:35,959 Speaker 1: yourself up for a successful life, a happy life, a 22 00:01:36,000 --> 00:01:38,480 Speaker 1: good career, good relationship, whatever it might be, right, it 23 00:01:38,520 --> 00:01:41,240 Speaker 1: all starts with the knowledge of self self awareness at 24 00:01:41,240 --> 00:01:43,000 Speaker 1: the end of the day. And I'm gonna put a 25 00:01:43,040 --> 00:01:45,800 Speaker 1: quote from not one of the Stokes, but he is 26 00:01:45,880 --> 00:01:49,360 Speaker 1: a foremost expert, Ryan Holliday, the author, and this is 27 00:01:49,440 --> 00:01:51,960 Speaker 1: a quote from his book Ego Is the Enemy, And 28 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:55,120 Speaker 1: in it he says, one might say that the ability 29 00:01:55,160 --> 00:01:59,960 Speaker 1: to evaluate one's own ability is the most important skin 30 00:02:00,400 --> 00:02:05,000 Speaker 1: of all. Without it, improvement is impossible, and certainly ego 31 00:02:05,080 --> 00:02:07,720 Speaker 1: makes it difficult every step of the way. It is 32 00:02:07,800 --> 00:02:11,240 Speaker 1: certainly more pleasurable to focus on our talents and our strengths, 33 00:02:11,440 --> 00:02:14,760 Speaker 1: but where does that get us. Arrogance and self absorption 34 00:02:15,320 --> 00:02:20,360 Speaker 1: inhibit growth, so does fantasy and quote unquote vision. I 35 00:02:20,440 --> 00:02:22,000 Speaker 1: just threw a whole lot at you with that one. 36 00:02:22,160 --> 00:02:24,600 Speaker 1: But basically what he's saying here is that not being 37 00:02:24,880 --> 00:02:27,880 Speaker 1: too proud to recognize the fact that there is more 38 00:02:27,960 --> 00:02:31,720 Speaker 1: growth to be had. Right, you are not perfect as is, 39 00:02:31,800 --> 00:02:33,359 Speaker 1: and that doesn't mean that you are less for them, 40 00:02:33,440 --> 00:02:35,480 Speaker 1: doesn't mean you should be shaming yourself. None of us 41 00:02:35,480 --> 00:02:38,000 Speaker 1: are perfect, but we have to be humble enough to 42 00:02:38,520 --> 00:02:41,360 Speaker 1: know what we don't know and to accept it and 43 00:02:41,480 --> 00:02:44,720 Speaker 1: have the self awareness around where we can improve in 44 00:02:44,800 --> 00:02:46,840 Speaker 1: order to become the person that we want to be 45 00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:50,680 Speaker 1: right again, It's all that self awareness understanding where you 46 00:02:50,720 --> 00:02:53,080 Speaker 1: are falling short. And when you have that understanding, when 47 00:02:53,120 --> 00:02:56,079 Speaker 1: you're able to have that sort of recognition, that very 48 00:02:56,120 --> 00:02:59,280 Speaker 1: real conversation with yourself, that's when you're able to attack 49 00:02:59,360 --> 00:03:02,320 Speaker 1: anything that is holding you back. And to be honest, 50 00:03:02,440 --> 00:03:05,000 Speaker 1: you know, when I was thinking about this this quote, 51 00:03:05,440 --> 00:03:07,519 Speaker 1: what was top of mind was the idea of mental 52 00:03:07,520 --> 00:03:10,560 Speaker 1: health right and therapy. And I've been somebody who has 53 00:03:10,639 --> 00:03:14,079 Speaker 1: been very much out there in the front lines talking 54 00:03:14,080 --> 00:03:16,519 Speaker 1: about mental health and sort of bringing anybody who would 55 00:03:16,560 --> 00:03:21,000 Speaker 1: listen on my journey. And what I sort of have 56 00:03:21,520 --> 00:03:24,480 Speaker 1: recognized and what I'm proud of myself of is the 57 00:03:24,480 --> 00:03:27,440 Speaker 1: fact that I recently went back to therapy at the 58 00:03:27,480 --> 00:03:30,480 Speaker 1: beginning of this year, and after probably having about a 59 00:03:30,560 --> 00:03:33,359 Speaker 1: year or two of from having a regular therapist. And 60 00:03:33,919 --> 00:03:37,440 Speaker 1: I'm proud of myself because I had an awareness around 61 00:03:37,680 --> 00:03:40,240 Speaker 1: a cycle that kept coming up for me in my life. 62 00:03:40,360 --> 00:03:44,720 Speaker 1: I had the awareness around a pattern of behavior that 63 00:03:44,920 --> 00:03:48,040 Speaker 1: kept rearing its ugly head in my life, and that 64 00:03:48,240 --> 00:03:50,840 Speaker 1: wasn't you know, just going away on its own and 65 00:03:50,960 --> 00:03:54,160 Speaker 1: rather than being too proud or being arrogant in thinking 66 00:03:54,200 --> 00:03:56,280 Speaker 1: that I'm a good person, other people just have to 67 00:03:56,320 --> 00:03:58,560 Speaker 1: deal with it, deal with this, this sort of shortcoming 68 00:03:58,640 --> 00:04:00,760 Speaker 1: of mine. I made a conscious effort to say, nah, 69 00:04:00,760 --> 00:04:02,440 Speaker 1: I need to get help around this. I need to 70 00:04:02,480 --> 00:04:04,760 Speaker 1: work through some problems, some emotions. You know, no matter 71 00:04:04,760 --> 00:04:06,920 Speaker 1: how much work I've done on myself, no matter how 72 00:04:07,000 --> 00:04:09,600 Speaker 1: much inspiration I try to spread for other people, I 73 00:04:09,640 --> 00:04:12,360 Speaker 1: too still need to do the work. And me, you know, 74 00:04:12,440 --> 00:04:15,400 Speaker 1: picking up my phone and you know, re downloading my 75 00:04:16,600 --> 00:04:21,239 Speaker 1: therapist app and signing back up was me not being arrogant, 76 00:04:21,320 --> 00:04:24,080 Speaker 1: me putting my ego to the side and saying that 77 00:04:24,279 --> 00:04:27,000 Speaker 1: I need to become better at certain things. I need 78 00:04:27,040 --> 00:04:29,840 Speaker 1: to heal in certain places, and I can't do it 79 00:04:29,880 --> 00:04:31,880 Speaker 1: on my own. I need to get help, right And 80 00:04:31,920 --> 00:04:35,600 Speaker 1: that knowledge that then comes from the sort of deep 81 00:04:35,640 --> 00:04:37,480 Speaker 1: dive that happens when you go to therapy and you 82 00:04:37,839 --> 00:04:40,799 Speaker 1: learn about you know, where all of your patterns, your triggers, 83 00:04:40,800 --> 00:04:43,039 Speaker 1: all those things come from, where your behaviors come from. 84 00:04:43,320 --> 00:04:46,880 Speaker 1: That now gives me a far greater sort of vantage 85 00:04:46,920 --> 00:04:48,600 Speaker 1: point of of who I am as a person, What 86 00:04:49,040 --> 00:04:51,600 Speaker 1: makes me tick? What makes me better? Where can I improve? 87 00:04:51,680 --> 00:04:53,840 Speaker 1: How can I show up better for the people around me? Right? 88 00:04:54,200 --> 00:04:57,640 Speaker 1: And that again leads to the idea of wisdom. Now 89 00:04:57,720 --> 00:05:00,760 Speaker 1: we've talked about the idea of ego with a quote 90 00:05:00,760 --> 00:05:03,640 Speaker 1: from KRS one. I snuck an Aristotle quote in there. 91 00:05:03,720 --> 00:05:06,040 Speaker 1: We had a quote from Ryan Holiday, the author, talk 92 00:05:06,080 --> 00:05:08,080 Speaker 1: a bit about my own journey with putting my ego 93 00:05:08,120 --> 00:05:10,760 Speaker 1: aside and getting back into therapy. Now let's talk about 94 00:05:10,800 --> 00:05:13,200 Speaker 1: how you can make the idea of diminishing your ego 95 00:05:13,480 --> 00:05:16,120 Speaker 1: your mantra for today. But first it's take a quick 96 00:05:16,160 --> 00:05:26,960 Speaker 1: break and then we'll be right back. All right, So 97 00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:30,080 Speaker 1: we're talking about the idea of diminishing your ego. We 98 00:05:30,120 --> 00:05:33,120 Speaker 1: have heard from krs one. I've given you some Aristotle 99 00:05:33,200 --> 00:05:35,280 Speaker 1: quote in there. Give you a quote from the author 100 00:05:35,360 --> 00:05:37,760 Speaker 1: Ryan Holiday from his book Ego Is the Enemy. He 101 00:05:37,839 --> 00:05:40,480 Speaker 1: literally wrote the book on diminishing your ego. I've given 102 00:05:40,480 --> 00:05:43,680 Speaker 1: you some insight into my own journey with this. Now 103 00:05:43,760 --> 00:05:45,880 Speaker 1: let's talk about how you can make it your mantra 104 00:05:45,960 --> 00:05:49,520 Speaker 1: for today. And you know, I think we all just 105 00:05:49,600 --> 00:05:52,480 Speaker 1: have to a do a better job of slowing down 106 00:05:52,560 --> 00:05:58,120 Speaker 1: and having conversations with ourselves and having honest conversations. I 107 00:05:58,160 --> 00:06:02,679 Speaker 1: think recognizing that we really have to take a long, 108 00:06:02,960 --> 00:06:05,680 Speaker 1: hard look in the mirror. You know, at the end 109 00:06:05,680 --> 00:06:08,240 Speaker 1: of the day, if there are certain patterns that keep 110 00:06:08,440 --> 00:06:11,320 Speaker 1: showing up in our lives, if we keep falling short 111 00:06:11,440 --> 00:06:14,360 Speaker 1: in in certain areas over and over again, we have 112 00:06:14,440 --> 00:06:16,680 Speaker 1: to look in the mirror and recognize that we are 113 00:06:16,720 --> 00:06:19,000 Speaker 1: a part of that and we have to do something 114 00:06:19,040 --> 00:06:23,200 Speaker 1: to correct that. It's about recognizing that you don't know everything, 115 00:06:23,440 --> 00:06:26,760 Speaker 1: that just because you've accomplished X, Y, and Z, it 116 00:06:26,800 --> 00:06:29,080 Speaker 1: doesn't mean that you have everything figured out, and there 117 00:06:29,080 --> 00:06:31,800 Speaker 1: aren't going to be times where you have to recognize 118 00:06:32,000 --> 00:06:35,120 Speaker 1: your own shortcomings and figure out a way to grow, 119 00:06:35,320 --> 00:06:38,120 Speaker 1: be it reaching out for help in a certain area 120 00:06:38,160 --> 00:06:40,520 Speaker 1: of expertise or with your mental health like I was 121 00:06:40,560 --> 00:06:43,560 Speaker 1: talking about with therapy, right, just understanding that you can't 122 00:06:43,720 --> 00:06:47,719 Speaker 1: do everything on your own, and your ego is going 123 00:06:47,760 --> 00:06:49,320 Speaker 1: to try and make you feel like you're lesser than 124 00:06:49,720 --> 00:06:53,960 Speaker 1: it's going to tell you that you know you don't 125 00:06:54,040 --> 00:06:56,200 Speaker 1: need anybody else. It's going to shame you for thinking 126 00:06:56,200 --> 00:06:59,440 Speaker 1: that you need anybody else, but anybody who is smart, 127 00:06:59,440 --> 00:07:02,120 Speaker 1: anybody who who is truly trying to evolve in this 128 00:07:02,279 --> 00:07:05,880 Speaker 1: life and also trying to find success, understands that they're 129 00:07:05,920 --> 00:07:08,719 Speaker 1: not going to do it on their own, and they 130 00:07:08,760 --> 00:07:11,160 Speaker 1: recognize that when they can let their guard down, and 131 00:07:11,200 --> 00:07:14,320 Speaker 1: when they can admit that they need help in a 132 00:07:14,320 --> 00:07:18,000 Speaker 1: particular area or they need to focus attention on a 133 00:07:18,040 --> 00:07:21,000 Speaker 1: particular area and educate themselves. When they can have that 134 00:07:21,080 --> 00:07:23,960 Speaker 1: admission and not, you know, let ego sort of block 135 00:07:24,040 --> 00:07:26,840 Speaker 1: them from making that decision, that's when you open yourself 136 00:07:26,920 --> 00:07:29,400 Speaker 1: up to real growth, and real growth leads to gaining 137 00:07:29,440 --> 00:07:32,440 Speaker 1: further knowledge. That leads to to wisdom, right, that leads 138 00:07:32,440 --> 00:07:35,960 Speaker 1: to expertise. But it all starts with first the acknowledgment 139 00:07:36,480 --> 00:07:38,880 Speaker 1: that there is something to be learned here, there is 140 00:07:39,080 --> 00:07:41,360 Speaker 1: some sort of growth to be had here, whatever your 141 00:07:41,400 --> 00:07:44,320 Speaker 1: particular situation is that's coming to mind. You first have 142 00:07:44,480 --> 00:07:48,520 Speaker 1: to acknowledge that you are falling short in a particular area. 143 00:07:48,560 --> 00:07:51,360 Speaker 1: And again, we all do as human beings. None of 144 00:07:51,440 --> 00:07:54,400 Speaker 1: us are every single thing. So to recap all we've 145 00:07:54,400 --> 00:07:56,720 Speaker 1: been talking about today on the stoic idea of diminishing 146 00:07:56,760 --> 00:08:00,400 Speaker 1: your ego, you have kras One saying knowledge brainsuit preme 147 00:08:00,560 --> 00:08:04,000 Speaker 1: over nearly everyone and at the end of the day, 148 00:08:04,040 --> 00:08:07,680 Speaker 1: like Aristotle says, quote, knowing yourself is the beginning of 149 00:08:07,760 --> 00:08:11,480 Speaker 1: all wisdom. Right, It all starts from within. The greatest 150 00:08:11,520 --> 00:08:14,640 Speaker 1: knowledge that you can have in this life is knowledge 151 00:08:14,680 --> 00:08:17,480 Speaker 1: of self, is self awareness, right, is being able to 152 00:08:17,520 --> 00:08:21,000 Speaker 1: have honest conversations with yourself about what needs to be 153 00:08:21,040 --> 00:08:23,400 Speaker 1: done where you can improve at the end of the day. Right. 154 00:08:23,640 --> 00:08:26,560 Speaker 1: And that's what Ryan Holliday is talking about here in 155 00:08:26,640 --> 00:08:29,720 Speaker 1: the book Ego is the Enemy, right, talking about the 156 00:08:29,840 --> 00:08:33,560 Speaker 1: idea that improvement is only possible when you acknowledge that 157 00:08:33,600 --> 00:08:35,760 Speaker 1: there is some sort of problem or there's some sort 158 00:08:35,800 --> 00:08:38,600 Speaker 1: of shortcoming. That's the only way to get better. If 159 00:08:38,600 --> 00:08:40,360 Speaker 1: you think you have it all figured out already, you 160 00:08:40,360 --> 00:08:42,720 Speaker 1: think that you're perfect, you're never going to improve beyond 161 00:08:42,760 --> 00:08:44,960 Speaker 1: where you are right now. And for me personally on 162 00:08:44,960 --> 00:08:48,240 Speaker 1: my own journey talking about mental health, recognizing that I 163 00:08:48,280 --> 00:08:50,640 Speaker 1: don't have all the answers and that even though I've 164 00:08:50,679 --> 00:08:55,840 Speaker 1: gone through extensive man just different programs and reading about 165 00:08:55,880 --> 00:08:58,959 Speaker 1: things and challenging myself to learn, I still don't have 166 00:08:59,280 --> 00:09:03,240 Speaker 1: all the answers. And there's no shame in recognizing patterns 167 00:09:03,280 --> 00:09:06,080 Speaker 1: and then asking someone you know who's a professional for 168 00:09:06,200 --> 00:09:08,680 Speaker 1: help to kind of break through that ceiling that's been 169 00:09:08,760 --> 00:09:10,640 Speaker 1: holding me back. Right And with that said, thank you 170 00:09:10,679 --> 00:09:13,160 Speaker 1: so much for checking out the Street Stoke Podcast. Be 171 00:09:13,200 --> 00:09:15,240 Speaker 1: your best to apply these concepts that we discussed into 172 00:09:15,240 --> 00:09:23,240 Speaker 1: your everyday life, and I'll catch you next time. The 173 00:09:23,280 --> 00:09:26,720 Speaker 1: Street Stoke Podcast is a production of Iheart's Michael Tura 174 00:09:26,960 --> 00:09:27,959 Speaker 1: Podcast Network