1 00:00:15,680 --> 00:00:18,599 Speaker 1: Yes, Yes, I am Dramas And this is the Street 2 00:00:18,640 --> 00:00:22,759 Speaker 1: Stoic Podcast, bringing you your daily dose of timeless stoic 3 00:00:22,880 --> 00:00:26,599 Speaker 1: philosophy remix for the hip hop generation. And with that 4 00:00:26,680 --> 00:00:29,400 Speaker 1: in mind, let's get things started with your daily shot 5 00:00:29,520 --> 00:00:38,800 Speaker 1: of inspiration. Today. We are going to be focusing around 6 00:00:39,240 --> 00:00:44,639 Speaker 1: the stoic idea of taking action, right, and I want 7 00:00:44,680 --> 00:00:47,199 Speaker 1: to I want to tackle it from a perspective of 8 00:00:48,840 --> 00:00:54,840 Speaker 1: understanding your own power and recognizing that you are are 9 00:00:54,840 --> 00:00:57,920 Speaker 1: not any less than than anybody that you are seeing 10 00:00:58,200 --> 00:01:01,200 Speaker 1: or idolizing out there, right. And a song that came 11 00:01:01,240 --> 00:01:04,080 Speaker 1: to mind for me when kind of thinking about this concept, 12 00:01:04,080 --> 00:01:07,720 Speaker 1: particularly from that vantage point, was the song Glory by 13 00:01:07,800 --> 00:01:11,160 Speaker 1: Common Right. And in that song, the quote that I 14 00:01:11,160 --> 00:01:17,640 Speaker 1: pull was everyday women and men become legends. And he's 15 00:01:17,680 --> 00:01:22,520 Speaker 1: talking about the idea regardless of kind of how you 16 00:01:23,040 --> 00:01:26,679 Speaker 1: interpret it, be it every single day someone becomes a legend, 17 00:01:26,840 --> 00:01:32,360 Speaker 1: or the fact that you're ordinary person, your everyday man 18 00:01:32,480 --> 00:01:35,200 Speaker 1: or woman has the ability to become a legend, right, 19 00:01:35,760 --> 00:01:38,800 Speaker 1: And it's just reminding yourself that that no one is 20 00:01:38,880 --> 00:01:45,119 Speaker 1: inherently more special than you. They just decided to actually 21 00:01:45,200 --> 00:01:49,040 Speaker 1: take action. That's what separates people that you see that 22 00:01:49,080 --> 00:01:51,160 Speaker 1: we idolize that we look up to that just seem 23 00:01:51,240 --> 00:01:53,480 Speaker 1: like they have figured something else out that the rest 24 00:01:53,520 --> 00:01:56,000 Speaker 1: of us are struggling to make sense of. Right, The 25 00:01:56,080 --> 00:02:00,720 Speaker 1: only difference is they saw a problem. They we're searching 26 00:02:00,800 --> 00:02:05,760 Speaker 1: for something. They had an idea, and they decided they're 27 00:02:05,800 --> 00:02:08,959 Speaker 1: going to take action on it. And a quote that 28 00:02:09,600 --> 00:02:13,400 Speaker 1: comes to mind here for me, it's Seneca quoting Epictetis, 29 00:02:13,400 --> 00:02:17,760 Speaker 1: and it says, the fool, with all his other faults, 30 00:02:18,440 --> 00:02:22,720 Speaker 1: has this also, he is always getting ready to live. 31 00:02:23,880 --> 00:02:27,799 Speaker 1: And he's talking about as human beings, we all have faults. Right, 32 00:02:28,200 --> 00:02:32,160 Speaker 1: But the additional fault of a fool is that they're 33 00:02:32,160 --> 00:02:36,240 Speaker 1: always getting ready to live. Right. The opportunity is always tomorrow. 34 00:02:36,320 --> 00:02:39,320 Speaker 1: They're going to do it tomorrow, next week. Right, They're 35 00:02:39,360 --> 00:02:42,480 Speaker 1: putting it off for the perfect time. Right, They're waiting 36 00:02:42,520 --> 00:02:45,040 Speaker 1: on something to happen. They're waiting for a sign, they're 37 00:02:45,040 --> 00:02:47,760 Speaker 1: waiting for a yes, They're waiting for whatever it might be. Right. 38 00:02:47,960 --> 00:02:50,040 Speaker 1: This is something we are all guilty of. Right. I 39 00:02:50,040 --> 00:02:53,720 Speaker 1: don't want to make it seem like you know, I'm 40 00:02:53,760 --> 00:02:56,200 Speaker 1: always in the business of taking action, and I've just 41 00:02:56,240 --> 00:02:58,560 Speaker 1: figured out a way to block out the self doubt 42 00:02:58,680 --> 00:03:02,280 Speaker 1: and the procrastinating that it Neville comes up when working 43 00:03:02,320 --> 00:03:04,720 Speaker 1: on something right like, I relate to this just like 44 00:03:04,760 --> 00:03:09,480 Speaker 1: anybody else would you know. I recently started a wellness 45 00:03:09,480 --> 00:03:12,519 Speaker 1: brand and uh called just Be and based off that 46 00:03:12,760 --> 00:03:16,839 Speaker 1: book that I had written. And for me, it took 47 00:03:16,880 --> 00:03:20,079 Speaker 1: a while for this to even become something that I 48 00:03:20,120 --> 00:03:22,800 Speaker 1: really took incredibly seriously and really put a lot of 49 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:26,920 Speaker 1: energy into right and I had seen for a long time. 50 00:03:26,960 --> 00:03:28,720 Speaker 1: You know, I've been like a self help junkie. I've 51 00:03:28,720 --> 00:03:31,200 Speaker 1: been a wellness junkie. I've gotten to retreats, I've had coaches, 52 00:03:31,240 --> 00:03:33,720 Speaker 1: I listened to podcasts, I've read the books. But the 53 00:03:33,760 --> 00:03:36,040 Speaker 1: thing that always bothered me was I never saw anybody 54 00:03:36,080 --> 00:03:38,640 Speaker 1: who looked like me for the most part, in that 55 00:03:38,760 --> 00:03:43,840 Speaker 1: leadership position or shit, even even just around me having 56 00:03:43,840 --> 00:03:45,880 Speaker 1: the same experience. You know, when I went away to 57 00:03:46,120 --> 00:03:50,640 Speaker 1: a wellness retreat, there wasn't another Latin person there. There 58 00:03:50,720 --> 00:03:57,240 Speaker 1: wasn't you know, really much diversity whatsoever. And that bothered me. 59 00:03:57,280 --> 00:03:59,600 Speaker 1: And it didn't take anything away from the information that 60 00:03:59,640 --> 00:04:03,040 Speaker 1: I got, but it also told me something is missing 61 00:04:03,080 --> 00:04:06,760 Speaker 1: because our community needs to get this sort of information right. 62 00:04:06,800 --> 00:04:09,080 Speaker 1: It's changing my life and I want to be able 63 00:04:09,160 --> 00:04:10,760 Speaker 1: to share it with those around me. I want to 64 00:04:10,800 --> 00:04:13,920 Speaker 1: have that sort of impact on the people who come 65 00:04:13,920 --> 00:04:17,240 Speaker 1: from a similar background to myself, right, And I'm not 66 00:04:17,279 --> 00:04:20,599 Speaker 1: seeing anybody sort of take the charge on that. And 67 00:04:20,680 --> 00:04:23,200 Speaker 1: I can sit around and wait for somebody else to 68 00:04:23,279 --> 00:04:25,760 Speaker 1: do it. I can sit around complaining about it every day. 69 00:04:25,800 --> 00:04:28,360 Speaker 1: I can get on my podcast and bitch and moan 70 00:04:28,440 --> 00:04:32,040 Speaker 1: about it, and I can critique the wellness space as 71 00:04:32,080 --> 00:04:34,640 Speaker 1: a whole, right, or I can decide to take action 72 00:04:34,800 --> 00:04:37,880 Speaker 1: myself and be the change that I want to see 73 00:04:38,000 --> 00:04:40,480 Speaker 1: for me. I wrestled with this for a while because 74 00:04:40,520 --> 00:04:42,680 Speaker 1: I do have that self doubt that we all have, like, 75 00:04:42,720 --> 00:04:46,279 Speaker 1: who am I to lead something like this? Right? You know, 76 00:04:46,360 --> 00:04:49,640 Speaker 1: I've looked up to other people in this space. How 77 00:04:49,680 --> 00:04:51,600 Speaker 1: am I now going to become a voice or an 78 00:04:51,600 --> 00:04:54,080 Speaker 1: authority in this? Right? They have so much more experience 79 00:04:54,120 --> 00:04:58,159 Speaker 1: than me, And again it's me not recognizing that they're 80 00:04:58,320 --> 00:05:02,720 Speaker 1: gim beings just like me, who figured out what they 81 00:05:02,760 --> 00:05:05,840 Speaker 1: wanted or what they were looking for and then decided 82 00:05:05,880 --> 00:05:08,599 Speaker 1: to take action upon it. That's the only thing that 83 00:05:08,720 --> 00:05:13,479 Speaker 1: separates us, right, And once recognizing that and coming to 84 00:05:13,560 --> 00:05:15,240 Speaker 1: terms with that, and then being around some of these 85 00:05:15,240 --> 00:05:19,039 Speaker 1: people in person and seeing like their mind isn't any 86 00:05:19,080 --> 00:05:22,880 Speaker 1: sharper than mine is, you know, and their charisma is 87 00:05:22,920 --> 00:05:25,880 Speaker 1: not necessarily at a level that that mine isn't right, 88 00:05:25,920 --> 00:05:28,240 Speaker 1: and just seeing the humanity, I guess, the human being 89 00:05:28,320 --> 00:05:30,560 Speaker 1: behind all of it, you know, appealing back the curtain, 90 00:05:30,600 --> 00:05:33,560 Speaker 1: I recognize like, no, I do have a place here. 91 00:05:33,880 --> 00:05:36,640 Speaker 1: They're not anything inherently more special than I am, And 92 00:05:36,680 --> 00:05:39,360 Speaker 1: it's time for me to step into creating the thing 93 00:05:39,400 --> 00:05:42,960 Speaker 1: that I'm hoping to see right once again, taking that action. 94 00:05:43,520 --> 00:05:46,200 Speaker 1: So we have heard and the words of Common, we 95 00:05:46,400 --> 00:05:50,240 Speaker 1: have heard Seneco who was quoting Epictetus. I've given you 96 00:05:50,279 --> 00:05:53,320 Speaker 1: some insight into this concept of taking action and how 97 00:05:53,360 --> 00:05:56,200 Speaker 1: I am applying it to my life currently. Now let's 98 00:05:56,240 --> 00:05:58,360 Speaker 1: talk about how you can make it. You're a mantra 99 00:05:58,440 --> 00:06:01,039 Speaker 1: for today, But first let's take a quick break and 100 00:06:01,080 --> 00:06:12,720 Speaker 1: then we'll be read back. All right, So today we've 101 00:06:12,720 --> 00:06:17,000 Speaker 1: been focusing around the stoic idea of taking action. I 102 00:06:17,040 --> 00:06:20,839 Speaker 1: have referenced a quote from Common. I have a referenced 103 00:06:20,839 --> 00:06:23,960 Speaker 1: Seneca quoting Epicitis. I've given you some insight into my 104 00:06:24,000 --> 00:06:26,920 Speaker 1: own life. Now let's talk about how you can make 105 00:06:26,960 --> 00:06:30,320 Speaker 1: it your mantra for today. First and foremost, I think 106 00:06:30,320 --> 00:06:32,160 Speaker 1: we have to start learning how to trust our gut 107 00:06:32,200 --> 00:06:35,000 Speaker 1: just a little bit, right, Like, if you feel something 108 00:06:35,080 --> 00:06:37,520 Speaker 1: is missing, you know, be it in your own life, 109 00:06:38,440 --> 00:06:42,359 Speaker 1: be it in the world. Trust that you know, and 110 00:06:42,400 --> 00:06:45,520 Speaker 1: trust the fact that if you're feeling it, somebody else 111 00:06:45,560 --> 00:06:49,400 Speaker 1: out there is probably feeling the same way. And don't 112 00:06:49,680 --> 00:06:53,640 Speaker 1: allow yourself to sit around and wait and think you're 113 00:06:53,640 --> 00:06:55,719 Speaker 1: not qualified or just say, oh, somebody else is going 114 00:06:55,760 --> 00:06:58,120 Speaker 1: to think of it. I'll just I'll just wait for that. Like, no, 115 00:06:59,320 --> 00:07:02,159 Speaker 1: don't wait for somebody else to come and save you 116 00:07:02,560 --> 00:07:04,800 Speaker 1: or to solve that problem or to scratch that is 117 00:07:04,839 --> 00:07:09,240 Speaker 1: for you. Like life in its truest sense, like the 118 00:07:09,320 --> 00:07:13,520 Speaker 1: idea of living. That's a verb, right, that is the 119 00:07:14,200 --> 00:07:18,520 Speaker 1: act of actually doing something right, taking action. That's what 120 00:07:18,680 --> 00:07:23,320 Speaker 1: separates people who are actually living life from those who 121 00:07:23,360 --> 00:07:27,560 Speaker 1: are merely just existing. Our fulfillment, our happiness, you know, 122 00:07:28,400 --> 00:07:30,360 Speaker 1: being the change we want to see all of those 123 00:07:30,360 --> 00:07:33,160 Speaker 1: different things, Like, all of that is on the other 124 00:07:33,280 --> 00:07:36,360 Speaker 1: side of some sort of action, right, that is a 125 00:07:36,640 --> 00:07:39,640 Speaker 1: step forward, that is a part of progress, and all 126 00:07:39,720 --> 00:07:43,600 Speaker 1: that requires us actually taking action. At the end of 127 00:07:43,640 --> 00:07:47,440 Speaker 1: the day, like our lives depend on that, and the 128 00:07:47,520 --> 00:07:51,200 Speaker 1: reality is not to get too existential. The fate of 129 00:07:51,240 --> 00:07:54,680 Speaker 1: the world depends on that, right like, this world as 130 00:07:54,720 --> 00:07:59,239 Speaker 1: we know it requires people who are unafraid to take action. 131 00:07:59,360 --> 00:08:02,560 Speaker 1: That's the only way we progress as a society as 132 00:08:02,640 --> 00:08:06,240 Speaker 1: human beings. You know, I mean, technology, whatever it is, education, 133 00:08:06,880 --> 00:08:10,600 Speaker 1: whatever advances we see in the world around us, all 134 00:08:10,640 --> 00:08:14,160 Speaker 1: required somebody to first conceptualize it and then take action 135 00:08:14,440 --> 00:08:18,280 Speaker 1: upon it. Right, So all of us are relying on 136 00:08:18,280 --> 00:08:23,480 Speaker 1: one another to take action and progress our lives as 137 00:08:23,520 --> 00:08:25,720 Speaker 1: a whole, you know, as we know it. And again, 138 00:08:25,960 --> 00:08:29,760 Speaker 1: all of that revolves around being unafraid to take action. 139 00:08:29,920 --> 00:08:35,000 Speaker 1: It all requires people to be unafraid and unselfish in 140 00:08:35,280 --> 00:08:39,280 Speaker 1: taking action. Now, to recap all that we've been talking about, 141 00:08:39,720 --> 00:08:44,160 Speaker 1: this idea of taking action right common you know, breaks 142 00:08:44,160 --> 00:08:46,200 Speaker 1: it down, you know, in a way that reminds you 143 00:08:46,280 --> 00:08:48,920 Speaker 1: that you are no different from those who have found 144 00:08:49,000 --> 00:08:51,360 Speaker 1: success or the people that you look up to. They 145 00:08:51,400 --> 00:08:54,719 Speaker 1: too are everyday men and women, just like yourselves. Right, 146 00:08:54,840 --> 00:08:58,600 Speaker 1: nobody is inherently more special than you. Again, they just 147 00:08:58,640 --> 00:09:02,080 Speaker 1: decided to actually take action. And then we have a 148 00:09:02,160 --> 00:09:05,120 Speaker 1: quote from one of the Stoics Cenical quoting Epictetus here 149 00:09:05,920 --> 00:09:09,560 Speaker 1: talking about how you know, we all have faults essentially, right, 150 00:09:09,600 --> 00:09:12,600 Speaker 1: and he's describing the fool, but he's saying that the 151 00:09:12,640 --> 00:09:16,880 Speaker 1: fool is always getting ready to live, right, They're always 152 00:09:17,520 --> 00:09:20,280 Speaker 1: putting things off for another day, the perfect moment, the 153 00:09:20,280 --> 00:09:24,920 Speaker 1: perfect opportunity. And again, if you are waiting for something 154 00:09:25,000 --> 00:09:27,440 Speaker 1: to happen, that's not a mode of action, right, That 155 00:09:27,559 --> 00:09:31,200 Speaker 1: is not something you're actively doing. And living is a 156 00:09:31,320 --> 00:09:35,040 Speaker 1: verb again, it is something that requires action. You sitting 157 00:09:35,040 --> 00:09:39,640 Speaker 1: around and just putting things off, you are merely just existing. 158 00:09:39,880 --> 00:09:42,360 Speaker 1: And I don't think any of us want to be 159 00:09:42,360 --> 00:09:44,439 Speaker 1: able to look at our lives, you know, one day 160 00:09:44,480 --> 00:09:46,960 Speaker 1: on our deathbed, and I don't think any of us 161 00:09:47,000 --> 00:09:49,400 Speaker 1: are going to be happy if we look back and 162 00:09:49,400 --> 00:09:52,680 Speaker 1: think to ourselves, yeah, we merely just existed. We're merely 163 00:09:52,760 --> 00:09:57,719 Speaker 1: just a bystander, a passenger in somebody else's vehicle on 164 00:09:58,120 --> 00:09:59,760 Speaker 1: our life, right. I don't think any of us would 165 00:09:59,760 --> 00:10:03,120 Speaker 1: look back and say that that was a life worth living. Right, 166 00:10:03,320 --> 00:10:08,319 Speaker 1: So get out there and start actually living. Be unafraid 167 00:10:08,360 --> 00:10:11,720 Speaker 1: to take the action that is needed to create whatever 168 00:10:11,760 --> 00:10:14,599 Speaker 1: it is that you want to see, whatever change whatever opportunity, 169 00:10:14,640 --> 00:10:19,520 Speaker 1: whatever invention, whatever active progress that you are hoping to see, 170 00:10:19,840 --> 00:10:22,800 Speaker 1: all of it requires action, and all of us, as 171 00:10:23,040 --> 00:10:27,120 Speaker 1: people who share this common space of planet Earth, rely 172 00:10:27,240 --> 00:10:31,120 Speaker 1: on one another to take action and be the change 173 00:10:31,120 --> 00:10:34,720 Speaker 1: that we're all hoping for to continue the progression of society. 174 00:10:34,760 --> 00:10:37,760 Speaker 1: And I hope that wasn't too an existential or too 175 00:10:37,800 --> 00:10:40,559 Speaker 1: much of a grand deal's vision. But the reality is 176 00:10:40,600 --> 00:10:42,720 Speaker 1: all of that is true. We all have a part 177 00:10:42,720 --> 00:10:45,800 Speaker 1: to play, and a part of that is the idea 178 00:10:45,800 --> 00:10:48,640 Speaker 1: of actually going out and doing something. Now. With that said, 179 00:10:48,800 --> 00:10:52,079 Speaker 1: thank you so much for checking out the Street Stoic podcast. 180 00:10:52,480 --> 00:10:55,000 Speaker 1: Do your best to apply these concepts that we discussed 181 00:10:55,000 --> 00:10:58,360 Speaker 1: today in your everyday life, and I will catch you 182 00:10:58,600 --> 00:11:06,880 Speaker 1: next time. The Street Stove podcast is a production of 183 00:11:06,960 --> 00:11:14,599 Speaker 1: Iheart's Michael Thura podcast network. H