1 00:00:15,960 --> 00:00:19,280 Speaker 1: What Up? I Am Dramas And this is the Street 2 00:00:19,560 --> 00:00:24,000 Speaker 1: Stoic Podcast, bringing you your daily dose of timeless stoic 3 00:00:24,079 --> 00:00:28,680 Speaker 1: philosophy remix for the hip hop generation. Now, with that 4 00:00:28,760 --> 00:00:31,720 Speaker 1: in mind, let's get things started with your daily shot 5 00:00:31,840 --> 00:00:41,720 Speaker 1: of inspiration. Now today we're gonna be focusing the conversation 6 00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:46,960 Speaker 1: around the stoic principle of focusing on what you can control. 7 00:00:47,240 --> 00:00:50,720 Speaker 1: And I pulled a lyric from one of the one 8 00:00:50,720 --> 00:00:53,400 Speaker 1: of the Goats, Eminem of course, and this is the 9 00:00:53,440 --> 00:00:55,760 Speaker 1: song the Way I Am, and and this is from 10 00:00:55,800 --> 00:00:58,640 Speaker 1: the hook, and M says, quote and I am whatever 11 00:00:58,720 --> 00:01:01,800 Speaker 1: you say I am. If I wasn't, then why would 12 00:01:01,840 --> 00:01:05,320 Speaker 1: I say? I am? In the paper, the news every day? 13 00:01:05,360 --> 00:01:09,440 Speaker 1: I am. Radio won't even play my jam. And I 14 00:01:09,480 --> 00:01:11,760 Speaker 1: want to kind of break down a few of the 15 00:01:11,840 --> 00:01:14,640 Speaker 1: things that that M is talking about. And I think 16 00:01:14,680 --> 00:01:17,680 Speaker 1: it it's a great kind of summary of this idea 17 00:01:17,840 --> 00:01:20,759 Speaker 1: of of focusing on what you can control, right because 18 00:01:20,920 --> 00:01:23,880 Speaker 1: M is talking about how you can't control the opinions 19 00:01:23,880 --> 00:01:26,920 Speaker 1: of others. They're they're going to say what they want 20 00:01:26,920 --> 00:01:29,080 Speaker 1: to say about you. You're they're gonna believe what they 21 00:01:29,120 --> 00:01:31,720 Speaker 1: want to believe about you. And there's nothing that you 22 00:01:31,760 --> 00:01:34,600 Speaker 1: can do about it, you know. And the reality is, 23 00:01:34,680 --> 00:01:37,920 Speaker 1: you know, it's exhausting to live your life in a 24 00:01:37,959 --> 00:01:42,000 Speaker 1: way where you are trying to change the opinion of others. 25 00:01:42,319 --> 00:01:45,640 Speaker 1: And I think what what m is saying in this song, right, 26 00:01:45,840 --> 00:01:49,680 Speaker 1: He's saying that instead of of sitting here trying to 27 00:01:49,760 --> 00:01:52,960 Speaker 1: prove people wrong and to prove that the people who 28 00:01:53,000 --> 00:01:55,880 Speaker 1: are saying certain harmful things about him, you know, prove 29 00:01:55,920 --> 00:01:59,080 Speaker 1: that their liars and they don't know him. Instead, you know, 30 00:01:59,360 --> 00:02:03,760 Speaker 1: he's just talking about accepting their opinion of him, right, 31 00:02:04,000 --> 00:02:06,720 Speaker 1: whatever it is. Sure that that's who I am, Right, 32 00:02:07,040 --> 00:02:09,600 Speaker 1: I'm not gonna waste time arguing with you, right, And 33 00:02:09,639 --> 00:02:11,919 Speaker 1: that that's what what I'm is talking about here. And 34 00:02:11,919 --> 00:02:15,320 Speaker 1: I think that leads perfectly into a quote from from 35 00:02:15,360 --> 00:02:17,280 Speaker 1: one of the stoics, Marcus A really is and and 36 00:02:17,320 --> 00:02:21,239 Speaker 1: he says, quote, how much time he gains who does 37 00:02:21,320 --> 00:02:26,320 Speaker 1: not look to see what his neighbor says, does or thinks, 38 00:02:26,360 --> 00:02:30,560 Speaker 1: but only what he does himself to make it just 39 00:02:31,120 --> 00:02:34,240 Speaker 1: and holy? Right, And what he's saying here, I know 40 00:02:34,320 --> 00:02:37,720 Speaker 1: that there's some some fancy old school kind of verbiage 41 00:02:37,760 --> 00:02:40,040 Speaker 1: going on there, but but what he's basically saying, is 42 00:02:40,080 --> 00:02:43,760 Speaker 1: you know, we we waste so much time worrying about 43 00:02:43,840 --> 00:02:46,400 Speaker 1: what others think of us. And he's basically saying, instead 44 00:02:46,400 --> 00:02:49,560 Speaker 1: of of wasting that time worrying about what our neighbor 45 00:02:49,680 --> 00:02:53,040 Speaker 1: is thinking or doing, what would we we have if 46 00:02:53,080 --> 00:02:56,080 Speaker 1: we actually focus that time on on ourselves and and 47 00:02:56,200 --> 00:02:58,840 Speaker 1: becoming what we want to be and the person we 48 00:02:58,880 --> 00:03:01,120 Speaker 1: want to be. Right. It kind of reminds me of this, 49 00:03:01,280 --> 00:03:03,920 Speaker 1: uh quote from from Dave Ramsey. I'm sure we've all 50 00:03:03,960 --> 00:03:06,160 Speaker 1: heard at this point where he says, we buy things 51 00:03:06,280 --> 00:03:10,000 Speaker 1: we don't need with money, we don't have to impress 52 00:03:10,120 --> 00:03:13,840 Speaker 1: people we don't like, and it's exhausting to try and 53 00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:17,680 Speaker 1: please everyone, and quite frankly, it's impossible, you know, because 54 00:03:18,000 --> 00:03:20,520 Speaker 1: once you make one person happy, you know there's gonna 55 00:03:20,520 --> 00:03:23,840 Speaker 1: be another having a critique, right, And you just have 56 00:03:23,880 --> 00:03:27,680 Speaker 1: to recognize that it is not worth wasting your time 57 00:03:27,919 --> 00:03:30,400 Speaker 1: or effort. Right. And I think so much about what 58 00:03:30,480 --> 00:03:33,200 Speaker 1: happens on social media, right, And I've been guilty of 59 00:03:33,240 --> 00:03:36,280 Speaker 1: this myself, right, like wasting time in the comments arguing 60 00:03:36,280 --> 00:03:38,880 Speaker 1: with people trying to to get them to see my 61 00:03:38,960 --> 00:03:41,720 Speaker 1: point of view, or or even worse, trying to get 62 00:03:41,760 --> 00:03:44,440 Speaker 1: them to to not believe something about me that that 63 00:03:44,600 --> 00:03:48,360 Speaker 1: isn't actually true, right, And the reality is I'm wasting 64 00:03:48,520 --> 00:03:53,200 Speaker 1: valuable time that I could be spending literally anywhere else 65 00:03:53,240 --> 00:03:55,320 Speaker 1: and I'd be gaining more value than that moment. Right. 66 00:03:55,560 --> 00:03:59,120 Speaker 1: And this concept of not focusing on the opinions of 67 00:03:59,160 --> 00:04:03,040 Speaker 1: others but instead you know, what you yourself can control 68 00:04:03,080 --> 00:04:06,120 Speaker 1: and what you yourself sort of view as as important, 69 00:04:06,520 --> 00:04:09,800 Speaker 1: this sort of relates to me in a number of ways, 70 00:04:09,920 --> 00:04:12,400 Speaker 1: I think for me, for it, for a long time, 71 00:04:12,480 --> 00:04:15,720 Speaker 1: I was obsessed with the opinion of others, you know, 72 00:04:15,760 --> 00:04:18,599 Speaker 1: what would opinion they had of me? And and that 73 00:04:18,680 --> 00:04:22,200 Speaker 1: leads to me not walking in my authenticity, right, me 74 00:04:22,320 --> 00:04:25,560 Speaker 1: not using my my authentic voice. You know, I held 75 00:04:25,600 --> 00:04:27,960 Speaker 1: a lot of myself back because I was scared of 76 00:04:28,000 --> 00:04:31,120 Speaker 1: the judgment of others, right. And I think as a result, 77 00:04:31,560 --> 00:04:34,480 Speaker 1: for the greater part of my career, I had a 78 00:04:34,560 --> 00:04:37,240 Speaker 1: lot of false starts and a lot of stalls, right 79 00:04:37,279 --> 00:04:41,960 Speaker 1: because I wasn't being honest and authentic and being myself. Therefore, 80 00:04:42,000 --> 00:04:44,960 Speaker 1: I wasn't living up to to my full potential. Right. 81 00:04:45,120 --> 00:04:48,120 Speaker 1: And I think when I began to sort of, you know, 82 00:04:48,200 --> 00:04:49,840 Speaker 1: just say to hell with it, I'm gonna I'm gonna 83 00:04:49,839 --> 00:04:52,960 Speaker 1: be honest. I'm gonna express my opinion and and see 84 00:04:53,040 --> 00:04:55,360 Speaker 1: you know who resonates with it, you know, and not 85 00:04:55,480 --> 00:04:58,960 Speaker 1: worry about the judgment that's gonna neverly gonna come down 86 00:04:59,040 --> 00:05:01,280 Speaker 1: for me, you know, putting myself out there, you know, 87 00:05:01,520 --> 00:05:04,960 Speaker 1: when I began to own my authenticity, that is when 88 00:05:05,000 --> 00:05:08,279 Speaker 1: everything changed for me. It was like the moment that 89 00:05:08,320 --> 00:05:10,400 Speaker 1: I began to let go of that fear of being 90 00:05:10,480 --> 00:05:13,640 Speaker 1: judged by others. When I was putting my content out 91 00:05:13,640 --> 00:05:16,320 Speaker 1: there on social media, knowing that my family or the 92 00:05:16,320 --> 00:05:18,040 Speaker 1: people that I grew up with that they're going to 93 00:05:18,120 --> 00:05:20,359 Speaker 1: be seeing this content. They're gonna be learning things about 94 00:05:20,360 --> 00:05:22,680 Speaker 1: me that I never shared before, and they're going to 95 00:05:22,800 --> 00:05:25,279 Speaker 1: be judging me and trying to prove certain things that 96 00:05:25,320 --> 00:05:27,600 Speaker 1: I say false based upon the idea that they have 97 00:05:27,839 --> 00:05:31,280 Speaker 1: of me. Right, knowing that all of that was inevitable, 98 00:05:31,279 --> 00:05:34,040 Speaker 1: and I would have these uncomfortable conversations with the people 99 00:05:34,040 --> 00:05:36,200 Speaker 1: in my life as a result of me being my 100 00:05:36,279 --> 00:05:39,000 Speaker 1: honest self in my media and in my content, right, 101 00:05:39,400 --> 00:05:42,480 Speaker 1: me pushing past all of that and all that uncomfortableness, 102 00:05:42,560 --> 00:05:45,560 Speaker 1: knowing the judgment was coming. That's literally when like there 103 00:05:45,600 --> 00:05:48,320 Speaker 1: was a battery put in my back, and my entire 104 00:05:48,520 --> 00:05:51,760 Speaker 1: life has has changed and probably span of over you know, 105 00:05:51,920 --> 00:05:54,000 Speaker 1: not even two years at this point, right, you know, Like, 106 00:05:54,040 --> 00:05:57,000 Speaker 1: for for example, I always had a bit of an 107 00:05:57,080 --> 00:05:59,520 Speaker 1: identity crisis, right because I felt like I never really 108 00:05:59,560 --> 00:06:03,160 Speaker 1: fit in anywhere, you know, and in my own community 109 00:06:03,200 --> 00:06:04,599 Speaker 1: as a as a left you know, there are often 110 00:06:04,640 --> 00:06:06,800 Speaker 1: times I felt like I was shunned by them and 111 00:06:06,960 --> 00:06:09,799 Speaker 1: I existed sort of in this in this gray area, 112 00:06:10,000 --> 00:06:11,560 Speaker 1: and and that was something that brought a lot of 113 00:06:11,560 --> 00:06:14,279 Speaker 1: shame for me, you know, And and it brought this 114 00:06:14,360 --> 00:06:17,480 Speaker 1: idea that I wasn't good enough. And I would very 115 00:06:17,560 --> 00:06:21,320 Speaker 1: much not discuss that that sort of self doubt that 116 00:06:21,360 --> 00:06:23,760 Speaker 1: I had as a result, right, I would try to 117 00:06:23,839 --> 00:06:27,200 Speaker 1: overcompensate for it in various ways in my life. And 118 00:06:27,240 --> 00:06:30,560 Speaker 1: the funny thing is that when I began to open 119 00:06:30,680 --> 00:06:33,440 Speaker 1: up about that and talk about that publicly and essentially 120 00:06:33,440 --> 00:06:35,520 Speaker 1: the thing that embarrassed me the most, right this this 121 00:06:35,720 --> 00:06:39,320 Speaker 1: idea of of sort of not being enough in any circle. 122 00:06:39,520 --> 00:06:42,520 Speaker 1: When I began to open up about that, I started 123 00:06:42,520 --> 00:06:45,480 Speaker 1: finding an actual community of people who resonated with me, 124 00:06:45,560 --> 00:06:48,279 Speaker 1: you know. And and when I talk about what changed 125 00:06:48,320 --> 00:06:51,520 Speaker 1: for my life and all that's happened. It's literally based 126 00:06:51,640 --> 00:06:54,080 Speaker 1: upon that idea. Right, That's how I got my my 127 00:06:54,160 --> 00:06:57,520 Speaker 1: first podcast deal for my podcast life as a gringo. Right, 128 00:06:57,680 --> 00:07:00,000 Speaker 1: Like that was me owning one of the most embared 129 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:02,520 Speaker 1: are seeing aspects of my life. This idea that I 130 00:07:02,520 --> 00:07:05,479 Speaker 1: was always viewed is not enough and I didn't belong anywhere, right, 131 00:07:05,560 --> 00:07:09,120 Speaker 1: and me expressing that and talking about that honestly literally 132 00:07:09,160 --> 00:07:11,920 Speaker 1: gave me the audience that I was always searching for. Right, 133 00:07:11,920 --> 00:07:14,800 Speaker 1: It gave me the platform that I was always yearning for, 134 00:07:14,920 --> 00:07:18,040 Speaker 1: that I was working for. Right, I accepted that I 135 00:07:18,120 --> 00:07:21,360 Speaker 1: know who I am and and therefore the opinions of 136 00:07:21,400 --> 00:07:24,640 Speaker 1: others does not really matter to me or shouldn't matter 137 00:07:24,680 --> 00:07:26,160 Speaker 1: to me. And the more and more I put myself 138 00:07:26,200 --> 00:07:28,720 Speaker 1: out there, the less and less value I placed on 139 00:07:28,760 --> 00:07:30,760 Speaker 1: the opinions of others. So I just think that this 140 00:07:30,840 --> 00:07:36,080 Speaker 1: is critically important, even just for for anybody living a 141 00:07:36,120 --> 00:07:39,760 Speaker 1: normal day to day life. You know, it's incredibly unfulfilling 142 00:07:39,800 --> 00:07:42,880 Speaker 1: to feel like you're holding parts of yourself back and 143 00:07:42,920 --> 00:07:47,720 Speaker 1: it's incredibly unnecessary. Now that that's kind of touching on 144 00:07:47,800 --> 00:07:49,480 Speaker 1: the idea of applying this to your life, But I 145 00:07:49,520 --> 00:07:51,120 Speaker 1: want to dive a bit deeper into it. Right, So 146 00:07:51,160 --> 00:07:53,880 Speaker 1: we've heard the words of Eminem. We've heard Marcus are 147 00:07:53,880 --> 00:07:56,160 Speaker 1: really is. I've talked a bit about my own personal 148 00:07:56,160 --> 00:07:58,760 Speaker 1: life and how this principle has really affected me. Now 149 00:07:58,840 --> 00:08:01,360 Speaker 1: let's really dive in to how you can make it 150 00:08:01,400 --> 00:08:04,360 Speaker 1: your manstra for today. But first let's take a quick 151 00:08:04,360 --> 00:08:15,520 Speaker 1: break and then we'll be right back. All right, So 152 00:08:15,560 --> 00:08:17,720 Speaker 1: we've heard the words from one of the greatest to 153 00:08:17,800 --> 00:08:21,080 Speaker 1: ever grace a microphone in my humble opinion, Eminem. We've 154 00:08:21,120 --> 00:08:24,000 Speaker 1: heard one of the stoics, Marcus Aurelius, one of one 155 00:08:24,000 --> 00:08:26,840 Speaker 1: of the most influential kind of historical figures on on 156 00:08:27,160 --> 00:08:30,360 Speaker 1: my life. Thus far, you've heard how I've applied this concept, 157 00:08:30,400 --> 00:08:32,880 Speaker 1: this principle to my life, how it's affected me. Now 158 00:08:32,960 --> 00:08:35,640 Speaker 1: let's talk about how you can make it your manstra 159 00:08:35,720 --> 00:08:40,280 Speaker 1: for today, right, This idea of of focusing on what 160 00:08:40,400 --> 00:08:45,400 Speaker 1: you can control, right, And I think inevitably someone is 161 00:08:45,760 --> 00:08:48,720 Speaker 1: going to make a judgment about us, that that pisces 162 00:08:48,760 --> 00:08:51,320 Speaker 1: us off right, that that triggers us, and you have 163 00:08:51,400 --> 00:08:55,480 Speaker 1: to adapt the mindset and thought process of asking yourself, 164 00:08:55,520 --> 00:08:58,000 Speaker 1: you know, am I happy with who I am? And 165 00:08:58,040 --> 00:09:00,680 Speaker 1: if the answer is is yes, then you have to, 166 00:09:00,880 --> 00:09:04,440 Speaker 1: you know, ask yourself that second question. You know, why 167 00:09:04,480 --> 00:09:09,440 Speaker 1: should this person's opinion have any effect on me? You 168 00:09:09,480 --> 00:09:13,400 Speaker 1: know who you truly are. It's impossible for anybody to 169 00:09:13,800 --> 00:09:16,680 Speaker 1: know you as well as you know yourself, so their 170 00:09:16,720 --> 00:09:19,840 Speaker 1: opinion really shouldn't matter. I always say, check credentials, right, 171 00:09:20,080 --> 00:09:22,120 Speaker 1: and and the reality is that person is not walking 172 00:09:22,200 --> 00:09:24,000 Speaker 1: in your shoes day in and day out, so they 173 00:09:24,000 --> 00:09:27,920 Speaker 1: don't have the credentials to to pass judgment upon you. 174 00:09:28,120 --> 00:09:30,960 Speaker 1: I understand that that's easier said than done, right, But 175 00:09:31,040 --> 00:09:34,080 Speaker 1: I think focusing on on these questions, and whenever you're 176 00:09:34,120 --> 00:09:36,720 Speaker 1: faced with a situation like this, or maybe you're triggered 177 00:09:36,720 --> 00:09:39,200 Speaker 1: by somebody having an opinion of you that you don't 178 00:09:39,240 --> 00:09:42,640 Speaker 1: deem to be correct, try and sit back on those 179 00:09:42,720 --> 00:09:46,320 Speaker 1: questions for yourself. You know, the reality is opinions are 180 00:09:46,440 --> 00:09:50,959 Speaker 1: just that, right. They are are someone's interpretation of you 181 00:09:51,160 --> 00:09:55,480 Speaker 1: or a current situation, and their interpretation really has no 182 00:09:55,840 --> 00:09:58,600 Speaker 1: effect on your life. And you have to remember that, right. 183 00:09:59,120 --> 00:10:01,920 Speaker 1: You have to remind yourself of the precious time that 184 00:10:01,960 --> 00:10:04,400 Speaker 1: we have here on on this earth, right, And not 185 00:10:04,480 --> 00:10:06,800 Speaker 1: to get too dark, but that's the reality. You know, like, 186 00:10:06,960 --> 00:10:09,800 Speaker 1: are you gonna waste your time on social media going 187 00:10:09,880 --> 00:10:12,880 Speaker 1: back and forth with some some troll you know who 188 00:10:12,960 --> 00:10:16,239 Speaker 1: who you're never going to get through. They're just enjoying 189 00:10:16,440 --> 00:10:20,040 Speaker 1: poking the bear essentially, and it's quite frankly, a waste 190 00:10:20,040 --> 00:10:23,319 Speaker 1: of precious time. Right And and even in the real world, 191 00:10:23,320 --> 00:10:26,880 Speaker 1: you know, we're often confronted with with people who want 192 00:10:26,880 --> 00:10:30,560 Speaker 1: to push our buttons, who you know, quite frankly somehow 193 00:10:30,600 --> 00:10:34,000 Speaker 1: have like the fast track to agitating us. Right, but 194 00:10:34,440 --> 00:10:37,720 Speaker 1: are you going to to confront someone in the street 195 00:10:37,840 --> 00:10:42,080 Speaker 1: and possibly put yourself in a position that compromises the 196 00:10:42,160 --> 00:10:44,520 Speaker 1: life that you see for yourself, Like, that's what we 197 00:10:44,600 --> 00:10:47,520 Speaker 1: all have to have to take into account again. You 198 00:10:47,520 --> 00:10:49,640 Speaker 1: are fighting a battle that you can never win if 199 00:10:49,679 --> 00:10:53,120 Speaker 1: you're sitting there trying to change someone's opinion of you 200 00:10:53,400 --> 00:10:55,959 Speaker 1: at the end of the day, are you really going 201 00:10:56,000 --> 00:11:00,520 Speaker 1: to sacrifice your own happiness over someone's opinion? And the 202 00:11:00,559 --> 00:11:04,880 Speaker 1: answer should be, of course not right. So with that said, man, 203 00:11:04,920 --> 00:11:07,560 Speaker 1: thank you all so much for checking out the Street 204 00:11:07,679 --> 00:11:11,160 Speaker 1: Stoic podcast. Do your best to apply these concepts that 205 00:11:11,200 --> 00:11:13,960 Speaker 1: we discussed today and see your everyday life and I'll 206 00:11:14,000 --> 00:11:20,920 Speaker 1: catch you all next time. The Street Stoke Podcast is 207 00:11:20,960 --> 00:11:24,199 Speaker 1: a production of I Hearts Michael Tura podcast network.