The image of the Zen philosopher is the monk up in the green, quiet hills, or in a beautiful temple on some rocky cliff. The Stoics are the antithesis of this idea. Instead, they are the man in the marketplace, the senator in the Forum, the brave wife waiting for her soldier to return from battle, the sculptor busy in her studio. Still, the Stoic is equally at peace.” ~Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman, “The Daily Stoic”
The grind is real. Each day is a stream of Mondays never letting up on the operational tempo. Nevertheless, I re-attack each day with the unrelenting ambition to be better than the day I was before. From the morning affirmations, to the evening reflections before lights out, I continue the grind leaving it all on the mats to show my family an example of what it means to be a professional. From this controlled chaos, I find my path to stoicism, a quest to find inner peace to help me transcend to a plane of positivity and virtue.
Spartans, what is your profession? … AWOO! AWOO! AWOO!” ~King Leonidas, “300”
Development
These past few weeks has been focused on developing my entrepreneurial skills. I crushed three books from this year’s entrepreneurship reading list: Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeir Hansson, Ignore Everybody by Hugh McLeod, and The Lean Startup by Eric Ries. The key takeaway I’ve learned so far on my intellectual journey is it is better to cultivate outlandish ideas and take action instead of following suit with the rest of the team. The one size fits all approach to career progression and success is a myth in today’s culture.
When you truly stand for something decisions will follow.” ~Jason Fried, David Heinemeir Hansson, “Rework”
More and more individuals are following their own path to what success means to themselves instead of the chosen path laid out by institutions and other top-heavy bureaucratic organizations. The amount of startups in today’s market are growing at a much faster rate than they use to even a decade ago. What’s the reason, you ask? It’s a cultural shift due to what our current generation has learned from their parents. They have seen the struggle of holding two to three jobs, juggling debt, and often spending family time in passing instead of routine.
Tim Ferriss’ 4-Hour Work Week is a key piece of literature which addresses the breakaway culture we have in today’s your professional cohorts. To me, time is the most important commodity now a days because we cannot get more of it no matter how much money we have. There is no better time to pursue your dream than at this moment. Realizing the steps that must be taken to achieve your goals and following through with the action required is inherent to understanding your true self. This formula, aligned with being true to the values you hold dear, is the path to inner peace.
How many have laid waste to your life when you weren’t aware of what you were losing, how much was wasted in pointless grief, foolish joy, greedy desire, and social amusements – how little of your own was left to you. You will realize you are dying before your time.” ~Seneca, “On the Brevity of Life, 3,3b” (as cited in “The Daily Stoic”)
Teach, Coach, Mentor
The cover photo for this reflection is of the book series Dog Man, the Supa Epic Collection, by Dav Pilkey. Pilkey is a famous children’s books author who also created the Captain Underpants series, who has also been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD). Pilkey used comic books to overcome his ADHD when he was a kid and created a series that assists others with ADHD to do the same thing through his series.
These past few weeks, Dominic and I, have been diving in to Pilkey’s Dog Man series at a minimum of 10 pages a day. I have noticed Dominic has been able to follow along, more willingly than usual, with the Dog Man book in comparison to others. This is for parents out there interested in techniques to get their children reading more often. I learned about these books from my sister-in-law and her husband who told Claudia and I how well Pilkey’s books have worked for their kids and I am paying it forward. I never would have imagined my life turning out this way all those years ago before Claudia and I were married and built our family. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
The Anniversary
Seventeen years ago, on Feb. 18, 2022, I married my soulmate. These stories always sound cliche and like the latest romantic comedy trending, but when I think back I remember how raw and real we were. One night could have made a difference between many years of marriage to one another or totally separate lives. A chance meeting amongst mutual friends set us on the same path alongside one another. Now we have two amazing kids and numerous achievements under our belts because we push each others ambitions into fruition.
Our relationship has thrived because of Claudia’s along with my own ability to keep coming back for more. We know what are our boundaries are and we do not settle for anything less than mutual respect and our best foot forward to keep our family a priority. There is a lot of passion and a lot of fight in our journey and that resolve is why we are still standing after so many years of marriage. I expect her to treat me like a king and she expects nothing less than to be treated as my queen. We have each others backs and we keep showing our children what a strong and loving marriage is supposed to look like. Marriage is not all sunshine and rainbows, it’s a full contact sport which gets real after the vows are exchanged. There is no one else out there for me and Claudia feels the same, and that confidence and faith in one another keeps our union indestructible. We wouldn’t have it any other way. One team, one family!
~Doc