Ryan Holiday is known for being a student of Stoicism and teacher of Stoic principles to people living in the modern world. He has been called a “modern philosopher.” Many of the stories in his book Discipline Is Destiny are about stoics such as Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, and Antoninius. To illustrate the principles he is teaching, Holiday also shares dozens of stories about exemplars of self-discipline, including military leaders, politicians, musicians, artists, and athletes.
He opens the book with a legend about Hercules at a crossroads and how he was offered the opportunity to choose one of two paths: One was the tempting path of a life of ease, without want, unhappiness, fear, or pain, with every desire fulfilled. The other was a long path of sacrifice, scary moments, and hard work, with no promise of rewards except in proportion to effort. The choice was between vice or virtue, the easy way or the hard way. Hercules chose the virtuous path, and it made all the difference.
Holiday explains that in the ancient world there were four key virtues: Courage, Temperance, Justice, and Wisdom. Simply put, he says that practicing these virtues is doing the right thing rather than the easy thing, and it’s the key to a life of excellence and honor. In this book, he focuses on temperance, defined as self-control, moderation, composure, and balance. In a word, discipline.
It’s been said that discipline is freedom, and in the introduction, he quotes Eisenhower who said, “Freedom is actually only the opportunity for self-discipline. “In the introduction he adds that self-discipline (temperance) is the ability to work hard, to say no, to practice good habits, to set boundaries, to train, to prepare, to ignore temptations and provocations, to keep your emotions in check, and to endure painful difficulties.
Self-discipline is how you realize your potential, and one line really struck me about this: Holiday said that “Failing to realize your full potential is a terrible punishment” (for not being disciplined).
The book is broken up into three parts. Part one is titled, “The Exterior” and it’s about the body. The author says we must dominate ourselves physically because if we don’t, outside forces will dominate us. There are numerous short chapters focusing on themes and tips such as attack the mornings, quit being a slave to bad habits, just show up, hustle, practice, sweat the small stuff, and more.
The second part of the book is called, “The Inner Domain.” The body is only one vehicle for our self-discipline, says Holiday. Some people have complete command over their body, but are a mess everywhere else. True self-control means moderation not just in what we do physically, but also how we think and feel. In this section, numerous short chapters talk about topics such as set priorities, do the hard thing first, resist temptation, set boundaries, do your best, avoid perfectionism, focus, and pause before acting .
The third and final part of the book is named “The Magisterial” (the soul). There are people who have a handle on their physical body as well as their mind, but most rare is one who combines those two disciplines with excellence in public life as a contributor to others and society. Some of the themes focus on handling criticism, being tolerant of others, making others better, being a leader, being kind, and more.
Discipline is Destiny is fairly long, at 300 pages, but easy to read, and many chapters are very short. The book will be especially appreciated by people who like hearing stories of historical figures to illustrate all the points. Holiday is clearly well-read and an excellent writer. He’s motivating too. Countless highlightable passages leap off the page as calls to action.
I’m not sure if this is Holiday’s best or most popular book (he’s written over a dozen, including NY Times bestsellers that sold millions of copies), but it’s a really good one. Readers may also want to check out some of his more well-known earlier titles such as The Obstacle Is The Way, Ego Is The Enemy, Stillness is the Key, and The Daily Stoic.
I enjoy his writing style in general and I believe the subject matter of Discipline Is Destiny is supremely important. I think everyone should read about discipline and self-control, and do their best to put what they learn into practice every day. I would recommend this to just about everyone, and especially people who want to improve their fitness and health.
Here’s the link to the hardcover on Amazon: https://amzn.to/48xmj81
– Tom Venuto,
Author of, Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle
Founder of Burn the Fat Inner Circle
About Tom Venuto
Tom Venuto is a natural bodybuilding and fat loss expert. He is also a recipe creator specializing in fat-burning, muscle-building cooking. Tom is a former competitive bodybuilder and today works as a full-time fitness coach, writer, blogger, and author. In his spare time, he is an avid outdoor enthusiast and backpacker. His book, Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle is an international bestseller, first as an ebook and now as a hardcover and audiobook. The Body Fat Solution, Tom’s book about emotional eating and long-term weight maintenance, was an Oprah Magazine and Men’s Fitness Magazine pick. Tom is also the founder of Burn The Fat Inner Circle – a fitness support community with over 52,000 members worldwide since 2006. Click here for membership details
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