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Welcome to the Daily Stoke. For each day, we read a short passage designed to help you cultivate the strength, insight, wisdom necessary for living good life.

Each one of these passages is based on the 2000 year old philosophy that has guided some of history's greatest men and women. For more, you can visit us at DailyStoic.com.

These are the keys to success. For nearly three decades, Tom Morris has been one of the world's top public philosophers and pioneering business thinkers.

He's been on a mission to bring philosophy back to the center of daily life, traveling the globe, working with world-class business executives, athletes and coaches.

Administrators and entrepreneurs, Tom realized that regardless of the field or industry, everyone wanted the same thing, advice about excellence.

So we began his search to find the universal conditions for success and the skills or arts involved to achieve it.

My claim, Tom said in our interview with him for DailyStoke.com is that for success in any challenge, the great practical philosophers have taught me that we need what I call the seven seas of success.

And for him, those were one, a clear conception of what we want, a vivid vision, a goal clearly imagined.

Two, a strong confidence that we can attain that goal. Three, a focused concentration on what it takes to reach our goal.

Four, a stubborn consistency in pursuing our vision. Five, an emotional commitment to the importance of what we're doing. Six, a good character, a guide us and keep us on a proper course.

And seven, a capacity to enjoy the process along the way.

You can find all seven of these ideas in the writings of Seneca or Marcus Aurelius, Tom added. The great thinkers understood greatness.

You'll notice that all of Tom's seven seas of success fall under what the Stoics call the dichotomy of control.

Basically, we can control some things and can't control others and we should focus on what we control.

The Stoics knew that in the chaos of life as in sports, fixating on what we can't control is not a recipe of success, but of great agony and despair.

The road to success, winning championship titles in sports, becoming a best-selling writer or a successful entrepreneur, or just being a great parent is just that, a road.

And just like you travel along a road in steps, excellence is a matter of steps.

Excelling at this one, then the next, and then the one after that.

Today, try to spend some time with Tom's seven seas of success. Think about where you are along the road.

What can you do to make the next step? Focus on that, the things you control.

Check out our interview with Tom and check out Tom Morris' excellent books. He's written all sorts of bestsellers.

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