Who Are the Stoics?

These are ancient Greek Philosophers with wide ranging view points. It originated from a philosopher named Zeno of Cypress, who lost everything after a shipwreck. He started reading about Socrates, and studied with some of the most noted Philosophers in the city. Some of the main philosophers of Stoicism that came after Zeno were Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, and Epictetus. They cultivated inner peace by accepting things that they can’t change, and putting their energy towards their actions.

How to Develop Grit

1. Know what you want

Having clarity of mind for what you want will help you keep going. When you really know what you want, you will do whatever it takes.

2. Know the strategy

It’s a lot easier to keep going and do the hard thing when you know what your doing. Having a strategy and a plan will keep you on course. If you fail, don’t make excuses, make adjustments.

3. Learn to self regulate

Learning to self regulate through intrinsic tools like breath work and focus will help stay with long term goals. The reason for this is you will come up against challenges along the way, but your ability to handle them will determine whether or not you keep going.

4. When things get hard, don’t look for a way out, look for a way in

Most of us want to look for the exit when things get tough. In this case, remember what you want. be creative in finding a solution to keep going. remember why you started in the first place. This temporary pain is probably worth the reward. Don’t rush the process, trust the process.

5. Meditation

Think of meditation as brain training. Being able to stay focused throughout the day in a world of distractions is invaluable. Meditation can reduce cortisol, which is your bodies main stress hormone. There are many different forms of mediation, but the most common type is mindfulness. Simply sit quietly where you won’t be disturbed, and observe your thoughts. Do not judge them, just notice them. Being aware of your thought can help you change them, and even still the mind.

6. Be a life long learner

Constantly learning and adding to your knowledge base will strengthen the mind. Books, podcasts, seminars, and mentors are all great tools. The most effective way of learning is your own experience.

How to Develop Endurance

In this section, I’m going to talk about how to train the nervous system. This is important because we not only need a strong mind, but a strong body. This will help influence the decisions you make under pressure. Hormetic stressors are short term stressors that strengthen the body if able to recover.

1. Unconventional training

Unconventional training is the concept of using off-load gear for full body adaptation. For example, the equipment in the gym is very linear and everything is evenly weighted. This is much easier to work with, but you only work muscles in a certain capacity. This has its place, but with unconventional training your body constantly has to adapt to the load and mimics real life much more. This type of training is great for muscle imbalances because of adaptability. You will really be able to notice which muscles are working and which ones aren’t.

2. Saunas

Nomads in Finland build the first sauna 10,000 years ago. It used to be a hot hole in the ground, and evolved into stand alone huts. Stones would be roasted over an open flame, and ounce there was enough heat, they got rid of the fire, and got inside. They would splash water on the stones to create steam, endure the heat as long as possible, then jump into an icy cold body of water. Saunas were also used to build a sense of community.

3. Cold therapy

Cold therapy has actually been around for a very long time. Around 400 BCE, Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine used it for a variety of ailments. Around the 18th century, cold water became novel because it was usually replaced with heated water because it was more readily available. During the 20th century it was largely replaced with pharmaceutical interventions, with the exception of athletic therapy. All throughout history, cold water has been used to strengthen the mind, body, and spirit. Ancient solders, like the Spartans have used cold water to be more adaptive in battle. For thousands of years, monks have integrated this into their spiritual routine.

4. Fasting

Fasting has some remarkable benefits. Today, many of us are over eating. I’m not just talking the amount of calories, but the amount of times we are eating throughout the day. We are not giving our digestive system any type of break. Fasting, in addition to giving your digestive system a break, can assist in a process called autophagy. Autophagy is a process that goes around and cleans up cellular debris It’s a process of clearing the body of senescent cells, or cells you no longer need.