Mastery: The Stoic Way To Mastering Cold Showers

Issue No. 26 | June 26th, 2023 | Read Time: 3 Minutes

Happy Monday Everyone!

For any of you who follow me on Twitter, you know that I hate cold showers.

And yeah, I realize they've been found to help reduce inflammation, improve blood circulation, and even lower stress levels; but they're still my least favorite part of the day. 

But surprisingly, I don't take cold showers because of the health benefits, I take them because of the mental benefits.

I believe that doing someone you hate every single day is the best way to build your self-discipline.

Because if you can make something you hate into a habit, you can do just about anything.

But it wasn't TikTok or Twitter who originally got me into taking cold showers.

It was Seneca, an ancient Stoic Philosopher who lived nearly 2,000 years ago. 

In one of his letters to his friend Lucilius, Seneca talks about how he was an advocate for cold water plunges and regularly made it a habit.

“I, the former cold-water enthusiast, who used to celebrate the new year by taking a plunge into the canal, who, just as naturally as I would set out to do some reading or writing, or to compose a speech, used to inaugurate the first of the year with a plunge into the Virgo aqueduct.”

For those of you that don't know, the Virgo Aqueduct is a watercourse that was constructed to supply water to the ancient city of Rome. And what Seneca would do is jump into the aqueduct on New Year's Day as a form of celebration.But the sentence that really intrigued me was how he said he'd do it "just as naturally" as he would set out to do some reading or writing.Meaning, it became such an integral part of his life, he couldn't live without it.THAT'S how you make a habit.Whether it's cold showers, writing, working out, or reading, don't look at it as something you should do, look at it as something you must do.I haven't missed a single day of reading in over four years. And as much as I love reading, it's not necessarily because I love it, it's because it's now an important part of my life that I can't live without. So if you decide to start taking cold showers, don't concern yourself with the benefits.Just view it as another part of your day. A daily test that proves your self-discipline.Because if you do what's hard, your life will be easy. But if you do what's easy, your life will be hard.And that's how you live like a Stoic.

Until next time,

Isaiah Taylor

Dive Deeper

What I'm Currently Reading -

I'm currently reading

This Is Marketing

by Seth Godin. A book that breaks down the core aspect of marketing and how to cater to people's needs.

• If you'd like to see my notes pertaining to any of the other books I have previously read, then check out my websiteisaiahctaylor.comto view my entire library of notes and summaries.

Quote Of The Week

• "It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare, but because we do not dare, that things are difficult." — Seneca