The Big Idea: Do Things That Develop Toughness
- a nation is born stoic and dies epicurean — Will Durant
- stoics say sacrifice today for tomorrow (invest wisely)
- epicureans say live for today (eat drink and be merry, yolo)
- there is truth to both, but stoicism is what I recommend
- Arnold wanted big calves, moved to South Africa to train with Reg Parks, worked out at 5am and did 1000 lb calf raises, calves grew 2 inches in one year
- humans have gotten softer over time
- adversity makes men and prosperity makes monsters — Victor Hugo
- there are three types of people: those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and people who wonder what happened — farmer’s proverb
- stoics say “toughen up”
- the “hard” is what makes it great — Tom Hanks
- test yourself, push yourself, toughen up,
- spartans trained their children for toughness by feeding enough but not too much
- let me embrace the sour adversity, for wise man say is the wisest course — Shakespeare
- yolo is for suckers
- do hard shit, you’ll be happier and richer
- Sioux children took freezing cold baths to toughen them up
- tremendous respect will come to you in business and life if you are tough
- use it or lose it
- bones grow weak if they are not used but they grow stronger if you stress them
- who do want working/fighting next to you? someone who’s been tested and survived or someone who’s soft?
- toughness will give you a competitive edge in a world with 7 billion people
- go without your phone for a day
- jeff bezos never uses the elevator
- every once in a while, you can work 24 hours straight
- next time you don’t want to do something, do it anyways to build your discipline muscles
- go camping
- go a month without driving
- lifting weights slows down aging at the cellular level
- go without salt and sugar
Tai Lopez is an entrepreneur, investor, and blogger who runs an awesome online book club. 67 Steps is a lecture series teaching how to be successful in health, wealth, love, and happiness. I’m a big fan.