Welcome to the Daily Dad podcast, where we provide one lesson every single day to help you with your most important job, being a parent.

I'm Ryan Holiday, and I draw these lessons from ancient philosophy, modern psychology, practical wisdom, and insights from parents just like you all over the world.

Thank you for listening, and we hope this helps.

Demand the best of yourself for them.

This is that weird time of year when we start thinking about how we want the following year to go.

We start thinking about what we call resolutions, the promises we make to ourselves about what we're going to do in the next 12 months.

On the one hand, it's a wonderful and inspiring bit of reflection that the whole world basically

comes together to do at the same time. But on the other hand, it's crazy that everyone puts it off

for so long. As Epictetus asks, why is it that we wait to demand the best for and of ourselves?

It's insane. If our kids were struggling in school, we wouldn't say just wait until

next year and try to turn it around. If they were taking an interest in math, we wouldn't wait a

couple of years for school to start teaching them. If they wanted to learn an instrument, we move

mountains to get them started right away. And yet we treat our own self-improvement with less urgency. We push it off. We tell

ourselves someday I'll get around to it. Nonsense. Here you are today staring down the barrel of

23. And while the best time to demand the best for and of yourself was years ago. The second best time is right now.

Put the missed opportunity behind you and repeat this passage from Epictetus.

From now on then, he says,

resolve to live as a grown-up who is making progress

and make whatever you think best a law that you never set aside.

And whenever you encounter anything that

is difficult or pleasurable or highly or lowly regarded, remember that the contest is now. You are at

the Olympic Games. You cannot wait any longer and that your progress is wrecked or preserved by a

...