Mastery: The Stoic Way To An Early Morning

Issue No. 39 | September 25th, 2023 | Read Time: 3 Minutes

Happy Monday Everyone!

On September 21st I woke up like any other day.

6:30AM to take out my dog and hit the keyboard by 6:45AM. 

But after I finished my hour of writing, I was left with a choice. Go back to sleep, or go to the gym.

I hadn't gone to the gym the day before so if I missed today then that'd mean I'd be breaking my biggest rule for maintaining my habits.

Never miss two days in a row.

I wish I could give you a happy ending on how I jumped out of my chair, changed into my gym clothes and drove straight to the gym.

But I'd be lying.

I went right back to sleep and awoke a few hours later with a wave a guilt crashing over me. 

The question that kept ringing through my head was,

"Is this who I want to be?"

Do you want to be remembered as the person who got up every day and put in the work, or the person who let some warm blankets tell your mind what to do?

Obviously I'm not perfect.

And I understand it's normal to sleep in once in a while as long as you don't make it your lifestyle.

But waking up early and getting to work is your first challenge of the day. If you fail that, you fail the day.

And it seems that Marcus Aurelius had this same problem. 

His book Meditations was a guide to himself on what to do to live a Stoic life. And at one point he talks about

how

to wake up early. . . 

“At dawn, when you have trouble getting out of bed, tell yourself: ‘I have to go to work — as a human being. What do I have to complain of, if I’m going to do what I was born for — the things I was brought into the world to do? Or is this what I was created for? To huddle under the blankets and stay warm?”

As a Stoic, you have to change your perspective. Don't just wake up with the motivation to not fail your day, wake up with the motivation to not fail as a human being. You weren't created to be comfortable 24/7. You weren't created to take the easy route.You were created to be relentless. To go after your dreams and not let anything stand in the way of achieving them. Especially something as simple as some warm blankets in the morning.So yeah, I failed as a human being.That's why it's so important to get back on track the moment you find yourself slipping from the path.And that's what I did. Because bad habits are the easiest to fall into. While good habits are the hardest to build.So next time you're trying to wake up early, remember the Stoic way. . .You were born to get up and work. And if you're going to let something as simple as a blanket stand in the way of that, then do you really deserve what you want?It's a heavy question, but sometimes the hardest questions lead to the most profound answers.So wake up and get to work.Because that's the Stoic way.

Until next time,

Isaiah Taylor

Dive Deeper

What I'm Currently Reading -

I'm now reading

Relentless

by Tim S. Grover, an incredible book on the mindset required to become absolutely unstoppable.

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

Quote Of The Week

• “If you’re not willing to do more than you’re being paid for, you’ll never be paid for more than you’re doing.” — Bob Proctor