1 00:00:15,880 --> 00:00:18,480 Speaker 1: Yes, Yes, I am Dramas and this is the Street 2 00:00:18,520 --> 00:00:21,960 Speaker 1: Stoic Podcast, bring you your daily dose of Tomless Stoic 3 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:26,280 Speaker 1: philosophy remix for the hip hop generation. We are combining 4 00:00:26,400 --> 00:00:28,920 Speaker 1: ancient philosophy with lyrics and quotes from some of the 5 00:00:28,960 --> 00:00:32,640 Speaker 1: greatest who ever grace a microphone. Now, with that in mind, 6 00:00:32,800 --> 00:00:36,279 Speaker 1: let's get things started with your daily shot of inspiration. 7 00:00:42,760 --> 00:00:44,839 Speaker 1: Now today, we are gonna be focusing all around the 8 00:00:44,960 --> 00:00:50,120 Speaker 1: stoic idea of focusing on what you can control. And 9 00:00:50,159 --> 00:00:52,920 Speaker 1: we're gonna throw it back to a song from my 10 00:00:53,040 --> 00:00:56,520 Speaker 1: childhood that probably defines my childhood. We're going with Diddy 11 00:00:56,640 --> 00:00:59,920 Speaker 1: or back then Puff Daddy Feature mays the record can 12 00:01:00,360 --> 00:01:04,680 Speaker 1: Nobody hold Me Down? So the quote that I'm pulling 13 00:01:04,720 --> 00:01:06,920 Speaker 1: from this record is very obvious. Is the chorus right, 14 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:09,720 Speaker 1: And it's when Diddy says, can't nobody take my pride? 15 00:01:10,319 --> 00:01:14,080 Speaker 1: Can't nobody hold me down? Oh No, I got to 16 00:01:14,160 --> 00:01:19,560 Speaker 1: keep on moving. And obviously very self explanatory, very simple here, 17 00:01:19,600 --> 00:01:22,960 Speaker 1: but I think it also speaks to the idea that 18 00:01:23,440 --> 00:01:27,120 Speaker 1: no one can slow down your progression as long as 19 00:01:27,160 --> 00:01:32,080 Speaker 1: you decide to keep on moving. I think oftentimes we 20 00:01:32,200 --> 00:01:35,600 Speaker 1: will have a ton of different excuses as to why 21 00:01:35,640 --> 00:01:38,600 Speaker 1: we aren't where we want to be, why we gave 22 00:01:38,680 --> 00:01:41,600 Speaker 1: up on an idea, why we fell sure, why something 23 00:01:41,720 --> 00:01:47,040 Speaker 1: wasn't successful, and oftentimes will place the blame on external things. Right, Oh, 24 00:01:47,080 --> 00:01:50,320 Speaker 1: I didn't have the time because of work, my fan 25 00:01:50,400 --> 00:01:53,000 Speaker 1: answers weren't in order, my family time, you know, was 26 00:01:53,000 --> 00:01:56,480 Speaker 1: suffering as a result of this. A slew of different excuses, 27 00:01:56,520 --> 00:01:58,880 Speaker 1: and some of them justified, right, some of them very 28 00:01:58,960 --> 00:02:03,560 Speaker 1: much real obstacles that kept you from pursuing or kept 29 00:02:03,600 --> 00:02:06,080 Speaker 1: you from achieving whatever it is that you were setting 30 00:02:06,120 --> 00:02:09,000 Speaker 1: out to do. But at the end of the day, 31 00:02:09,040 --> 00:02:14,120 Speaker 1: when it's all said and done, external obstacles aside, you 32 00:02:14,240 --> 00:02:17,440 Speaker 1: personally had to come to the decision to give up 33 00:02:17,560 --> 00:02:20,040 Speaker 1: on your idea, your goal, your dream, whatever it may 34 00:02:20,080 --> 00:02:22,360 Speaker 1: have been. Right, And this leads perfectly to a quote 35 00:02:22,360 --> 00:02:25,040 Speaker 1: from one of the Stokes Epictetus, where he says, from 36 00:02:25,040 --> 00:02:28,799 Speaker 1: now on, then resolved to live as a grownup who 37 00:02:28,880 --> 00:02:32,960 Speaker 1: is making progress and make whatever you think best a 38 00:02:33,080 --> 00:02:37,480 Speaker 1: law that you never set aside. And I love that 39 00:02:37,520 --> 00:02:41,160 Speaker 1: he's making this distinction of being a grown up right, 40 00:02:41,240 --> 00:02:44,799 Speaker 1: because as kids, we always play the blame game. Right, 41 00:02:44,800 --> 00:02:47,079 Speaker 1: It's what kids naturally. Do they get in trouble for something, 42 00:02:47,120 --> 00:02:49,760 Speaker 1: they look for somebody to blame it on. Right, it 43 00:02:49,800 --> 00:02:53,280 Speaker 1: was somebody else's fault, it's the coach's fault as to 44 00:02:53,320 --> 00:02:55,800 Speaker 1: why they're not getting playing time. It's this, it's that. Right, 45 00:02:55,880 --> 00:02:59,359 Speaker 1: But it always falls back in our lap, right, responsibility 46 00:02:59,400 --> 00:03:04,080 Speaker 1: for anything that happens as an adult, it's your your responsibility, 47 00:03:04,120 --> 00:03:07,560 Speaker 1: or it's the expectation that adults will take responsibility for 48 00:03:07,840 --> 00:03:11,280 Speaker 1: their actions, good or bad, regardless of the obstacles that 49 00:03:11,360 --> 00:03:13,639 Speaker 1: came into play that you know, maybe caused a result 50 00:03:13,680 --> 00:03:16,440 Speaker 1: that was less than desirable. And even if you do 51 00:03:16,520 --> 00:03:19,239 Speaker 1: have let's say a lot of time constraints, maybe you 52 00:03:19,280 --> 00:03:20,799 Speaker 1: have a family at home, you have a full time 53 00:03:20,880 --> 00:03:23,120 Speaker 1: job because you have to provide for said family, and 54 00:03:23,200 --> 00:03:26,679 Speaker 1: you can't devote all day into your creative projects, into 55 00:03:26,720 --> 00:03:29,280 Speaker 1: your creative ideas. It doesn't mean that you have to 56 00:03:29,280 --> 00:03:32,120 Speaker 1: give up on them entirely. Right again, what are you 57 00:03:32,160 --> 00:03:34,560 Speaker 1: going to do to hold yourself accountable, even if it 58 00:03:34,600 --> 00:03:37,720 Speaker 1: is just spending an extra hour a day on your goal, 59 00:03:37,800 --> 00:03:40,040 Speaker 1: your dream, right saying you know what, I know, I 60 00:03:40,080 --> 00:03:42,320 Speaker 1: can't devote eight hours a day to this, ten hours 61 00:03:42,320 --> 00:03:44,200 Speaker 1: a day to it. But I want to try to 62 00:03:44,200 --> 00:03:45,760 Speaker 1: make this happen, and I'm not going to be the 63 00:03:45,800 --> 00:03:48,000 Speaker 1: reason it fails. So I'm going to devote in hour 64 00:03:48,160 --> 00:03:50,320 Speaker 1: extra in the morning. I'll wake up before everybody else, 65 00:03:50,720 --> 00:03:52,880 Speaker 1: or an hour, you know, before I go to bed. 66 00:03:52,880 --> 00:03:54,360 Speaker 1: I'm going to go to bed an hour later than 67 00:03:54,360 --> 00:03:57,160 Speaker 1: everyone else, later than the kids, or later than my wife, 68 00:03:57,360 --> 00:03:58,840 Speaker 1: so that I have an hour to work on this 69 00:03:58,920 --> 00:04:00,800 Speaker 1: thing that I've been dreaming about. Even for me, I 70 00:04:00,840 --> 00:04:03,720 Speaker 1: relate to this on such a grand level, particularly this year. 71 00:04:04,120 --> 00:04:07,280 Speaker 1: This has probably been the most difficult year of my life, 72 00:04:07,320 --> 00:04:10,200 Speaker 1: at least in recent memory. Right, so many different obstacles, 73 00:04:10,480 --> 00:04:14,400 Speaker 1: both personally and professionally. I didn't really get any sort 74 00:04:14,400 --> 00:04:16,960 Speaker 1: of a big win until probably the end of the 75 00:04:17,080 --> 00:04:20,960 Speaker 1: year at this point. Right. But again, it's recognizing that 76 00:04:21,440 --> 00:04:23,560 Speaker 1: even if it's not moving as quickly as I want 77 00:04:23,560 --> 00:04:26,279 Speaker 1: it to, maybe things aren't moving at a far slower 78 00:04:26,320 --> 00:04:28,560 Speaker 1: pace than I had hoped. At the end of the day, 79 00:04:28,680 --> 00:04:31,440 Speaker 1: progress is the name of the game, right, even if 80 00:04:31,440 --> 00:04:34,160 Speaker 1: it's slowly, even if it's baby steps. Am I doing 81 00:04:34,200 --> 00:04:37,680 Speaker 1: something each and every day that is helping me move forward? Right? 82 00:04:37,760 --> 00:04:39,160 Speaker 1: And at the end of the day, that's all you 83 00:04:39,200 --> 00:04:42,799 Speaker 1: can control. You can't control the obstacles that slow you down, 84 00:04:43,200 --> 00:04:45,960 Speaker 1: or that take you away from being able to vote 85 00:04:45,960 --> 00:04:48,960 Speaker 1: as much time on a particular project or a goal 86 00:04:49,040 --> 00:04:51,720 Speaker 1: that you have in mind. Right, you can't control all 87 00:04:51,760 --> 00:04:54,279 Speaker 1: of the factors in life that come with adulthood. But 88 00:04:54,400 --> 00:04:57,920 Speaker 1: what you can control is your ability to keep moving forward. 89 00:04:58,320 --> 00:04:59,960 Speaker 1: And we've heard the words of Diddy, we have heard 90 00:05:00,240 --> 00:05:02,359 Speaker 1: the words one of the stoics, Epictetus. I've given you 91 00:05:02,400 --> 00:05:05,000 Speaker 1: some insight into my own life, particularly this year, how 92 00:05:05,000 --> 00:05:08,040 Speaker 1: I've had to remind myself of this very virtue. Now, 93 00:05:08,120 --> 00:05:10,279 Speaker 1: let's talk about how you can make it your mantra 94 00:05:10,320 --> 00:05:12,839 Speaker 1: for today. The first to take a quick break and 95 00:05:12,920 --> 00:05:26,840 Speaker 1: then we'll be right back. All right, So today we 96 00:05:26,920 --> 00:05:31,000 Speaker 1: are talking all about the stoic idea of focusing on 97 00:05:31,240 --> 00:05:33,360 Speaker 1: what you can control, right, and we threw it back 98 00:05:33,360 --> 00:05:36,000 Speaker 1: to one of my favorite childhood records from Diddy, you know, 99 00:05:36,120 --> 00:05:39,200 Speaker 1: talking about the idea that nobody can slow him down, 100 00:05:39,279 --> 00:05:42,080 Speaker 1: He's just got to keep on moving. You've heard from 101 00:05:42,240 --> 00:05:44,760 Speaker 1: one of the stoics, Epictetus. I mean, we're talking about 102 00:05:44,800 --> 00:05:47,480 Speaker 1: just living as a grown up, right, who's making progress 103 00:05:47,920 --> 00:05:51,800 Speaker 1: and is dedicating what they can towards progress. And I've 104 00:05:51,800 --> 00:05:53,680 Speaker 1: talked to you a bit about my own life, about 105 00:05:53,720 --> 00:05:56,039 Speaker 1: having a year that wasn't full of big wins, but 106 00:05:56,200 --> 00:05:59,080 Speaker 1: just knowing that every step forward counts. Now, let's talk 107 00:05:59,120 --> 00:06:02,480 Speaker 1: about how you can make get your mantra for today. Now, 108 00:06:02,480 --> 00:06:06,320 Speaker 1: I think, more than anything, I think you have to 109 00:06:06,440 --> 00:06:10,599 Speaker 1: remember that as long as you're trying, you're progressing. Even 110 00:06:10,640 --> 00:06:13,880 Speaker 1: if you are not seeing results, even if you are 111 00:06:14,160 --> 00:06:17,320 Speaker 1: are not getting the feedback you would hope for, every 112 00:06:17,360 --> 00:06:20,240 Speaker 1: time you try, you at the very least learn something 113 00:06:20,279 --> 00:06:23,680 Speaker 1: which in itself is progress. Right. And I think this 114 00:06:23,800 --> 00:06:27,279 Speaker 1: is how you have to judge yourself and all that 115 00:06:27,320 --> 00:06:30,040 Speaker 1: you're doing when you're chasing dreams, ideas, goals, whatever it 116 00:06:30,120 --> 00:06:32,400 Speaker 1: might be, right, be it personal, be it career wise, 117 00:06:32,720 --> 00:06:35,640 Speaker 1: be it fitness goals, be it you know, inventing something, 118 00:06:35,640 --> 00:06:38,880 Speaker 1: whatever it is. We can't keep holding ourselves up to 119 00:06:38,960 --> 00:06:42,279 Speaker 1: some sort of unrealistic standard, right, And then we also 120 00:06:42,760 --> 00:06:45,719 Speaker 1: can't keep passing the buck onto someone else. Right. We 121 00:06:45,800 --> 00:06:48,920 Speaker 1: have to take responsibility for the things that are in 122 00:06:49,080 --> 00:06:53,560 Speaker 1: our control and us not giving up is entirely in 123 00:06:53,640 --> 00:06:56,200 Speaker 1: our control. Right. And we recap all that we've been 124 00:06:56,200 --> 00:06:59,680 Speaker 1: talking about today. I mean you have this lyric from Diddy, right, 125 00:06:59,720 --> 00:07:02,479 Speaker 1: talk about can't nobody take his pride, can't nobody hold 126 00:07:02,520 --> 00:07:04,600 Speaker 1: him down, He's just got to keep on moving, right, 127 00:07:04,800 --> 00:07:09,600 Speaker 1: And it's this idea that movement, constant movement will allow 128 00:07:09,720 --> 00:07:13,480 Speaker 1: you to keep pushing past even the most difficult of obstacles. 129 00:07:13,520 --> 00:07:17,000 Speaker 1: And again, it's not about taking gigantic steps. It's literally 130 00:07:17,160 --> 00:07:21,720 Speaker 1: just about taking steps. That's the biggest sort of thing 131 00:07:21,760 --> 00:07:24,400 Speaker 1: that I want to drill into people's mind. And again, 132 00:07:24,840 --> 00:07:27,160 Speaker 1: you can't place the blame on anyone else if you 133 00:07:27,240 --> 00:07:29,600 Speaker 1: decide to give up, because again it's your choice. Doesn't 134 00:07:29,640 --> 00:07:32,600 Speaker 1: matter the obstacle, doesn't matter what you're facing at home. 135 00:07:32,640 --> 00:07:35,080 Speaker 1: And again it could always be a very real situation 136 00:07:35,200 --> 00:07:37,720 Speaker 1: that might be making it incredibly difficult for you to 137 00:07:37,760 --> 00:07:39,560 Speaker 1: do what you want to do. But at the end 138 00:07:39,600 --> 00:07:41,640 Speaker 1: of the day, if you choose to not move forward 139 00:07:41,720 --> 00:07:44,920 Speaker 1: on your path, that is a you decision and nobody else's. 140 00:07:45,320 --> 00:07:47,800 Speaker 1: And we speak about what Epictetus has to say on 141 00:07:47,840 --> 00:07:50,520 Speaker 1: a topic like this, right, it's talking about living life 142 00:07:50,640 --> 00:07:53,800 Speaker 1: as a grown up who is making progress, right, And 143 00:07:53,840 --> 00:07:56,800 Speaker 1: grown ups don't pass the buck onto somebody else. They 144 00:07:56,800 --> 00:07:59,240 Speaker 1: don't blame somebody else for all of their shortcomings. They 145 00:07:59,240 --> 00:08:00,840 Speaker 1: own this stuff at the end of the day. Right. 146 00:08:00,880 --> 00:08:03,040 Speaker 1: That's a part of being a grown up. It's accountability 147 00:08:03,080 --> 00:08:05,960 Speaker 1: at the end of the day. Right. And in practical terms, 148 00:08:06,280 --> 00:08:08,600 Speaker 1: like I was talking about, this literally might just be 149 00:08:08,760 --> 00:08:12,320 Speaker 1: of defining an our day in your day that is 150 00:08:12,360 --> 00:08:15,440 Speaker 1: specifically just for you and your goal, and you set 151 00:08:15,440 --> 00:08:17,800 Speaker 1: that boundary from everybody in your personal and professional life, 152 00:08:17,840 --> 00:08:20,160 Speaker 1: and you say this is my hour for my goal 153 00:08:20,400 --> 00:08:23,040 Speaker 1: and you stick to that, right, And that might not 154 00:08:23,160 --> 00:08:25,720 Speaker 1: get you the progress as quickly as you'd hope for, 155 00:08:26,000 --> 00:08:28,160 Speaker 1: but it's still going to get you progress, which again 156 00:08:28,440 --> 00:08:31,240 Speaker 1: is the name of the game. And this relates exactly 157 00:08:31,280 --> 00:08:33,480 Speaker 1: to my year as I look back on it, right, 158 00:08:33,720 --> 00:08:36,800 Speaker 1: I've had this mindset where I'm not getting down on 159 00:08:36,840 --> 00:08:38,920 Speaker 1: myself all the time because I didn't have a huge 160 00:08:38,960 --> 00:08:41,240 Speaker 1: win throughout the course of the year, and just having 161 00:08:41,240 --> 00:08:44,920 Speaker 1: faith and recognizing and being aware of all the little 162 00:08:44,960 --> 00:08:48,960 Speaker 1: incremental steps forward that I'm taking and understanding that eventually 163 00:08:49,120 --> 00:08:51,600 Speaker 1: those little steps are going to add up into big 164 00:08:51,640 --> 00:08:54,120 Speaker 1: ones and once that big moment happens, I'm going to 165 00:08:54,160 --> 00:08:56,560 Speaker 1: hit the ground running. But it's all going to be 166 00:08:56,559 --> 00:08:59,680 Speaker 1: because of the little incremental steps I was making along 167 00:08:59,720 --> 00:09:02,720 Speaker 1: the way, and even if nobody else saw the little 168 00:09:02,760 --> 00:09:05,520 Speaker 1: winds along the way, I kept reminding myself of the 169 00:09:05,520 --> 00:09:07,840 Speaker 1: progress that I was making, because each and every day 170 00:09:08,040 --> 00:09:10,640 Speaker 1: I was taking action. I refuse to give up, and 171 00:09:10,720 --> 00:09:13,160 Speaker 1: I recognize that at the end of the day, when 172 00:09:13,200 --> 00:09:16,000 Speaker 1: it's all said and done, it's not about these big wins, 173 00:09:16,040 --> 00:09:20,280 Speaker 1: these gigantic leaps forward. It is just about progress. Progress 174 00:09:20,520 --> 00:09:22,640 Speaker 1: is the name of the game, and it is something 175 00:09:22,640 --> 00:09:26,000 Speaker 1: that you are completely in control of, just by getting 176 00:09:26,080 --> 00:09:28,800 Speaker 1: up each and every day and setting aside some time 177 00:09:29,080 --> 00:09:32,440 Speaker 1: for whatever it is that you're chasing. Now, with that said, 178 00:09:32,480 --> 00:09:35,040 Speaker 1: thank you so much for checking out the Street Stoke Podcast. 179 00:09:35,280 --> 00:09:37,600 Speaker 1: Do your best to apply these concepts we discussed today 180 00:09:37,600 --> 00:09:40,160 Speaker 1: into you everyday life, and I will catch you next time. 181 00:09:48,320 --> 00:09:51,920 Speaker 1: The Street Stoke Podcast is a production of Iheart's Micuthura 182 00:09:52,120 --> 00:09:53,160 Speaker 1: podcast network.