3 Ancient Concepts That Helped Me (And Will Help You)
Welcome to the one day at a time podcast where we forget about yesterday. We don't worry about tomorrow. It's what are we going to do today? This all matters because you've only ever had or will ever have the fantastic twenty four hours a day you're about to embark on. So hopefully this episode is going to give you some daily dose of wisdom that you can take action on today to improve your life.
Speaker 1:Remember, all it takes is one day at a time. Good morning, beautiful people. It is Friday. So happy days. How are you?
Speaker 1:How's your week been? I hope you've had a really good week. Can I hope you're proud of yourself for sticking to the plan and getting those days out and enjoying the process? Few things I want to talk about today. I kind of finish off on the stoicism week I've been giving you in really, I'm sad but this is all kind of stoicism wisdom.
Speaker 1:The first thing is like our turtle mantra is, I'm not sure if I'm saying that right, it's a Latin word. It was used by the emperor Augustus and what it means is make haste slowly. So what he wanted to do is he wanted to live every day with vigor, with intensity and then make them also every day because the twenty four hours, one the day we live in the present moment is the only thing we ever have. So we should be making the most of it. We should be having rigor.
Speaker 1:We should be having intensity to the day, not in a bad sense, not busyness and like that, but like, wow like vitality to the day. And then but slowly having longed like having patience with the results obviously he wanted to rebuild Rome, was the first emperor of Rome, after Julius Caesar died he became the emperor, and he wanted to obviously rebuild this you know Maginha being in charge of the most powerful you know city or nation in a way in the world at the time. Of course you want to bring it all to life in your own vision but he knew the only thing he could do is make the most of every day and that's what he did and he was one of the best emperors. And another army story is when they load guns, so like when they go and reload the guns, have to take the magazine off, put the armor into that. This is what they say, they say slow is smooth and smooth is fast.
Speaker 1:So really the slower you go, the faster you get to the result. So if you try and panic with a gun messing it about panicking, can't get in, and get frustrated and you're like can't put the gun in and then someone's just to your left cool and calm. Right? Slow is smooth, smooth is fast. Same with the fitness journey, same with health and fitness.
Speaker 1:You try and rush it every day, go crazy trying to go on crash extreme diets. It's not going to work. You take it slow and smooth, right, and understand this is a journey and this is a lifestyle, not a diet. It works. That's the total approach.
Speaker 1:So you need to make sure you kind of you know digest that really and not really be too aggressive in trying to lose weight fast because it will mess with your mind right. Another thing that the stoics maybe it's debatable if it's useful for you know they used to you know they used to go around and remind themselves of death memento mori remember you will die live now. One of the, kings and stuff after going into tongues maybe it was Augustus again, maybe not, would get reminded like in his year when he was going through a town after winning a war or a battle like Mentumori, Mentumori, Mentumori, you are mortal, get carried away, don't think Don't get carried away with all this extravagance. Remember to stay control. Remember to live in presence in this moment is key and you know it helped them.
Speaker 1:And another one, love whatever happens to you, love your fate, right. So there was a story of Thomas Edison and he was the inventor, you know, electricity in a way, light bulb. There wasn't an inventor, electricity actually, I can't remember. But he was basically inventor, light bulb, all this type of stuff, right? And he had he had his lab filled with inventions, thousands of patents like millions and millions and millions of dollars worth and that was a lot back end, huge lab, a lot of things going on.
Speaker 1:One day he got woken up right and he goes Thomas Thomas the lab's on fire, it says chemicals and it's going wild, it's blowing up. Running, go there and his son was like you know, dad dad there's you know, it's gone, the fire's gone out. And he goes, son, go and get your mother, go and get your mother, she's never gonna see a fire like this again. Cool, calm and collected and people like why is he taking such a calm report? Well, he knew I can't do anything about this right now, it's chemical lab, it's literally on fire blowing up.
Speaker 1:I'm not gonna cry about it, just let's enjoy the spectacle and we go again. We go again tomorrow, we rebuild, love what happens to you, he used it as a chance to wipe the slate clean. Yes, there was patents and stuff lost and all our stuff, but he went on to be the one of the most successful inventors in American businessmen of all time. Because he basically started again, was a chance as a fresh outlook, breath, deep breath, you know, it was outside his control. There was no point crying about it, no point using that as a destructive phase.
Speaker 1:And you turned it into a lesson, right? And that's what you want to do with Amofati. Happened with me, I used this technique many years ago with my business Rugby Warfare. I remember I ordered a lot of stock for one Christmas launch and I was a bit of a newbie to the importing exporting part of the business and I just signed just signed to work with DHL. I said DHL look I've got a lot of stock coming in but you're gonna invoice me and the reason why I went to DHL they made the invoice and things you know clearer as well so like we'll invoice you at the end when it lands in and stuff like that.
Speaker 1:Got all its clothing like delivered and I got hit with an invoice bill so big that it wiped out all my profits for Christmas and put me in a debt hole. I got a huge invoice for shipping VAT and duty and it wasn't even the same as what I worked out it was so big that it just didn't make sense right. In that moment when I got that letter through I had a coin in front of me. I've got I still got them. Let me see.
Speaker 1:Where are they? Where are So I got these coins. I have these sayings on them, and I know you might think, Scott, he's such a loser. No. It helps.
Speaker 1:So the coin I had was Amofati and I thought to myself, right I could panic right now and think Jesus Christ my business is over, I'm gonna have to go back to work for someone else. But what I thought was so honest as not merely to bear what is necessary beloved, but I said to myself who's the type of person Scott who can get out of this hole, you've done it many times before, it's me. Not in a vanity, vain way, but I was like the type of person like what I've I've been able to get out of debt before, you know, I've come from working class council estate in West Wales, went to uni, started a business, had no money, was in debt, but somehow kept going, kept growing it in ways, kept being strategic with growth. Got to this point now, it is a setback, but if there is a type of person that can get out of this hole, it's gonna be you, Scott. So I thought, right, it's time to really let's let's knuckle down.
Speaker 1:How am I gonna get out of this? Got a spreadsheet open and, like, right, that's amount in. Okay. How much stock have I got? Right.
Speaker 1:I'd have to sell x amount. Right. Would a sale work? Maybe how much money have I got around some ads? You know?
Speaker 1:How much leeway have I got? Can I just cut costs? Like, it just went into a frenzy state while I just went all analytical to work it out. And then I got a plan together within a few hours. I was like, right.
Speaker 1:I feel so much better now. I've got a plan. It's not it's not it's not good news for me, but it's possible to get out of this mess. And, you know, I did get out of it. Took a while, but I did get out of it.
Speaker 1:And that's because I had that mindset of Amalfati, the same mindset that Tom said, Sinad, when his his lab went on fire. And if I didn't hear of Haumafati in this that story and that mindset, that could have been the day that crippled me, the crumb that took me to to to who took me down. So I hope that it resonates. I hope that, you know, that you can use that in your own life if things don't go to plan. Use it as a way to teach you something and get out to the other side but do plan because it makes yourself it makes everything feel better.
Speaker 1:Hopefully that's helpful hopefully that you've had a good little introduction of stoicism in the last few days and yeah enjoy your weekend. You know, doesn't have to be crazy. You can still enjoy to the max without going crazy with food and drink. It is possible. Right?
Speaker 1:You have to go mental. But do enjoy the first weekend where you can eat indoors and stuff like that. So it's definitely worth doing. See your friends all that stuff, all the good stuff, don't be too hard on yourself but you know do your best, that is all you can do and I hope you've had a great week and I'll be back on Monday so I'll speak to you then. As always, live in the present moment is the only time you ever have.
Speaker 1:Come to the weekend as well. Enjoy and speak to you soon. And that's it. Thank you for listening to the one day at a time podcast with your host, Scott Fleer. Hopefully, you understood something I said.
Speaker 1:I hope that some wisdom kind of distilled through into your mind, and I want you to now action it today. I don't want you to think about tomorrow. I don't want you to think about yesterday. I don't want you to think about leaving a review on this podcast. I don't want you to think about going to another website.
Speaker 1:What I want you to do is as soon as this podcast ends, you will take action and make the most of today. Ground yourself today. Follow the one day at a time philosophy and your life will change.
