Welcome to the Daily Stoic Podcast, where each day we bring you a stoic-inspired meditation

designed to help you find strength and insight and wisdom into everyday life.

Each one of these episodes is based on the 2,000-year-old philosophy that has guided some of

history's greatest men and women to help you learn from them, to follow in their example,

and to start your day off with a little dose of courage and discipline and justice and wisdom.

For more, visitdailystoic.com.

Each morning you wake up and life presents you with an opportunity.

It's an opportunity to show up, to make a difference, to become the best version of yourself.

But then, what do you do?

You hit the snooze button.

You stay under the covers a while longer. You get a late start on the day and suddenly all your plans get pushed back. You chastise and berate yourself.

You start to feel like you'll never catch up, like the potential life you envision for yourself

will remain elusive out of reach. Almost 2,000 years ago, Marcus Aurelius was the emperor of Rome,

the most powerful man on the planet, and he faced this exact dilemma. He found himself making

excuses that it was nice and warm under the covers, as he told himself. So you were born to feel

nice, he writes in meditations, instead of doing things and experiencing them?

He looked outside himself to the birds, the plants, the ants, all of which were going about their individual tasks, putting the world in order as best they can.

So what was his problem?

Why couldn't he get out of bed in the morning and do the same?

You don't love yourself enough,

he said, or you'd love your nature too and what it demands of you. And you could say that each year

presents the same opportunity, right? Chance to show up, to make a difference, to become the best version of yourself to do what

...