Hey there, it's Ryan Holiday, host of the Daily Stoic Podcast, and I know Stoic, Stoicism, these are not words that cry out in the English language with much emotion or positivity.

I mean, we think it means invulnerable emotionless robotic

but that's not what stoicism is. Stokes made great works of art, they ran for

public office, they got married, they had children, they tried to make the world a better place,

and they also dealt with the same problems that we deal with here in today's world.

And that's really what survives to us, their tradition of using ancient philosophy to deal with the daily problems of modern life, or just life generally.

Every week on the show you hear daily meditation for me on the best insights from so philosophy that can help you in your life and then I have big in-depth conversations with scholars, with elite performers, with athletes, with thinkers, actors, people who have applied

Stoicism in their own life from Malcolm Gladwell to Matthew McConaughey,

Camilla Cabejo, all sorts of fascinating figures, people you wouldn't expect to be interested in,

soak philosophy but happen to be.

I'm going to play a clip from the Daily Stoke right now to give you a taste of the show,

and while you're listening, follow the Daily Stoeck on the Wundry app or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hey, it's Ryan. Welcome to another episode of the Daily Stoic podcast. You know, the founding of stoicism is this, the choice of Hercules. This is the story that Zeno hears when he washes up in Athens. The choice of Hercules is the choice between the easy road and the hard road, virtue and vice. A difficult way with the delayed gratification and then the short-term immediate gratification.

And it's funny, this today's guest, his book starts with something very similar.

Paul Rabel is asked by Bill Bellachik to put this lacrosse thing aside, which is in some ways Bill Bellacek's first love.

He just loves the game lacrosse.

But Bill Bellacek offers Paul a chance to put the cross aside and try out for the New England Patriots, like in the middle of the dynasty.

And later a player would do this and make tens of millions of dollars and win multiple Super Bowls.

So it wasn't like this far-fetched thing.

He's asking Paul if he wants to play in the NFL.

And Paul really thinks about it and then Bellachiket, I wouldn't say he sort of takes it the offer away, but he goes, but look, you know, it is special.

You have a chance to be the greatest of all time at what you do, and that's not something to take lightly.

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