How to Focus on What Matters and Let Go of the Rest with Ryan Holiday

All the Hacks: Money, Points & Life

Chris Hutchins

Business, Education, Investing, Society & Culture, Places & Travel, Self-improvement

4.7 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 22 October 2025

⏱️ 62 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

#251: Discover why Stoicism matters more than ever and how to make it part of your daily life. We share practical ways to focus on what you can control, build resilience, and cultivate the four Stoic virtues: courage, self-discipline, justice, and wisdom. Ryan Holiday is a bestselling modern philosopher and author of The Daily Stoic, The Obstacle Is the Way, Ego Is the Enemy, and Stillness Is the Key. His books on Stoic virtues have sold over 10 million copies in 40+ languages. He’s also the founder and host of The Daily Stoic podcast. Link to Full Show Notes: https://chrishutchins.com/ryan-holiday-mastering-stoicism Partner Deals Mercury: Help your business grow with simplified finances LMNT: Free sample pack of my favorite electrolyte drink mix Vuori: 20% off the most comfortable performance apparel I've ever worn Gelt: Skip the waitlist on personalized tax guidance to maximize your wealth Bilt Rewards: Earn the most valuable points when you pay rent For all the deals, discounts and promo codes from our partners, go to: chrishutchins.com/deals Resources Mentioned Ryan: The Daily Stoic | Podcast | YouTube Courage Is Calling Discipline Is Destiny Right Thing, Right Now Wisdom Takes Work The meditations of Marcus Aurelius Letters from a Stoic by Seneca The Dialogues of Plato Old Enough! TV Show Full Show Notes (00:00) Introduction (01:06) What Is Stoicism? (02:42) Is Stoicism Relevant in Today’s Society? (04:59) The Journey of Becoming a Stoic (07:42) Why Humans Don’t Like to Do the “Hard” Things (13:34) The Importance of Putting Your Impressions to the Test (17:42) The Reason Humans Are Never Satisfied (20:41) How the Stoics View Happiness (23:22) Where to Draw the Line Between Things in Your Control vs. Not (29:30) Why It’s Important to Pause and Reflect (32:56) The Four Stoic Virtues (35:15) How Ryan Applies Discipline to His Life (37:46) Stillness Unlocks Elite Performance, Happiness, and Self-Awareness (39:09) Why Ryan Doesn’t Like Watching the News (41:24) Can You Have Fun as a Stoic? (43:18) Ranking the Stoic Virtues (44:16) How Can We Be More Courageous in Our Daily Lives? (46:50) Instilling Courage in Your Kids (50:47) The Role of Justice in Stoicism (53:27) Approaching Wisdom as a Method (55:15) How Can Someone Gain More Wisdom? (57:39) Experiencing Emotions as a Stoic (01:00:08) The First Step Toward Stoicism (01:01:02) Where to Find Ryan and His Work Connect with Chris Newsletter | Membership | X | Instagram | LinkedIn Editor’s Note: The content on this page is accurate as of the posting date; however, some of our partner offers may have expired. Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Most people work hard to improve their lives, optimize routines, plan for every outcome,
0:06.3	and try to stay in control. But what if the constant chase for control is exactly what's
0:12.5	holding us back? In this episode, I'm joined by best-selling author Ryan Holiday to explore
0:17.8	stoicism, an ancient philosophy that's helped everyone from emperors to
0:22.4	entrepreneurs focus on what really matters and perform at their best. As Ryan puts it,
0:28.7	we spend a good chunk of that focused on the parts of it that are not up to us. And then we wonder
0:36.6	why we don't get the things that are up to us
0:39.1	as good as they can be. We'll talk about how to use discipline without over-optimizing, why
0:44.0	defining success for yourself can be a competitive advantage, and what it takes to stay grounded
0:49.4	when the world feels chaotic. If you're trying to improve how you think, work, parent, or lead, this episode is
0:56.5	packed with ideas and tactics to help you level up. I'm Chris Hutchins. If you enjoy this episode
1:01.9	and you want to keep upgrading your money, points, and life, click follow or subscribe.
1:06.9	Ryan, how do you explain stoicism to people who aren't familiar?
1:15.3	That's probably the question I get the most, or I get, oh, you write about that.
1:20.9	Usually I try to tell people, stoicism is not what you think that word means. When people hear the word stoicism or hear the word stoic, they think sort of unfeeling or
1:25.9	invulnerable or repressed, which the Stoics in practice
1:30.0	were not. I think what I say is Stoicism is this idea that we don't control the world,
1:35.5	but we control how we respond to the world, right? We don't control what happens. We control
1:38.8	how we respond to what happens. And it's an ancient philosophy built around that pretty basic,
1:43.8	but very difficult premise. And it's an ancient philosophy built around that pretty basic, but very difficult premise.
1:46.5	And for 2,500 or so years, it's been this secret weapon of very successful people, people who've
1:54.5	been through a lot of adversity and difficulty. That's the basic idea. That's what I read about.
	...

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