Mystery Gift Box #003 | The Discipline of Perception

Hey friends,

The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday is a good read.

The book provides 366 meditations and interpretations on stoic work; each month represents a particular theme that’s key to stoicism.

The interpretation of the writings of the ancient stoic makes some of the lessons easier to understanding…

…although I don’t quite like the structure of the book (but we don’t have to get into that!)

The stoic work can be organised into three disciplines:

1. The Discipline of Perception (how we perceive the world around us)

2. The Discipline of Action (the decisions and actions we take)

3. The Discipline of Will (how we deal with things outside of our control, have clear judgements, and a true understanding of our role in the world)

All three disciplines focus on things that are within our control; by controlling our perceptions, we get mental clarity and strength; by controlling our action, we are effective; and by controlling our will, we are ready to deal with anything that comes from the external world.

The Discipline of Perception

January to April are the months for the Discipline of Perception. Here are 4 of my favourite meditations; one from each month:

21st January - A Morning Ritual (Clarity)

I love morning ritual… it’s probably my favourite part of the day. I called mine ‘the warrior in the making’; focusing on building and preparing my mind and body for the day.

A good morning ritual sets you up for the day and it’s important to experiment with different morning rituals to find one that works for you. A morning ritual doesn’t have to be productive or anything. It just has to be a carved out time for you to connect with authentic yourself.

Love a cold shower? Add it to your morning ritual. Love to read? Add it to your morning ritual. Love to sit in silence and think? Do it!

28th February - When You Lose Control (Passions and Emotions)

We all fuck up sometimes.

And sometimes we let the fuck up define us and forget who we truly are…

I am very guilty of this…

But the following quote was very helpful:

31st March - You’re a Product of your Training (Awareness)

You are what you do consistently; consciously or unconsciously.

And so you must put in place conscious habits (training) that replace your unwanted / unconscious behaviours in order to change for the better.

But what habits is worth adopting?

There are many but this is a key one…

The control of your own mind; the power to self-regulate and not let external events have control over your state of mind.

It’s hard but if it’s a habit that gives you unlimited power.

6th April - Prepare Yourself for Negativity (Unbiased Thought)

There are two parts here:

1. Be prepared (mentally) for anything that would come at you throughout the day

2. And when it does, act with patience, forgiveness, and understanding

I love this and I am thinking of adding this to my morning ritual!

But the quote above is missing something.

It only assumes that we would encounter negativity externally…

What about our inner demons and critics?

Those are harder to defend because they can’t be seen…

And they are a lot more dangerous because they know you very very well since they have been with you for a long time…

Be mentally prepared for both ❤️

Add a song to your morning ritual :) Here’s one of mine…

Have interesting gems you want to share with me and others? Share it by replying to this email and I will include it in the next gift box :)

With love,

Ryan O. 🎮

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