Welcome to Stoic Snippets,
The track that is short in time,
But not in depth.
In the past few weeks,
I have not been able to train Brazilian Jiu Jitsu,
A sport I have come to love but which is certainly hard on the body.
While I've been resting,
I've been having a lot more time to think,
Which is a positive thing,
I'm sure.
I'm reminded how Epictetus tells us that we don't have full control over our bodies,
Something I thought was strange,
But as I sit with an injured knee,
I understand this concept more and more.
The good news is,
You do have control over your thoughts,
Even if you don't over your body.
And the control over your thoughts you always have,
Whereas your body you don't.
So instead of wrestling with my friends,
I started wrestling with some ideas and I would like you to join me in this combat sport.
As since Mox Aurelius himself told us that the art of living is more like wrestling than dancing,
It seems like a fitting thing to do.
So here's Epictetus.
Working within our sphere of control,
We are naturally free,
Independent and strong.
Beyond that sphere,
We are weak and limited and dependent.
If you pin your hopes on things outside of your control,
Taking upon yourself things which rightly belong to others,
Then you are liable to stumble,
Fall,
Suffer and blame gods and men.
Now in Jiu Jitsu,
There are some general guidelines.
Even if you're not sure what to do,
There's some things you can do to increase your chances of not being tapped out or at least surviving the round.
One of those things is to keep your limbs close to your body when you're defending yourself.
This is because your arms and legs are way stronger in certain positions,
Generally the positions that are close to your center of mass.
And the further your limbs are away from your body,
It's harder to control them.
You have less strength in these positions.
And you kind of know this.
Have you ever tried to hold something heavy out in front of you with a straight arm?
It's super hard.
But if you just simply bent your arm and brought it closer to you,
Well,
It's much easier to carry even heavy things.
In Jiu Jitsu,
We call this an isolated limb.
If we're wrestling and I can get your arm away from your body,
So it's sticking out to some degree away from you,
Then I can really isolate that arm and put it into positions I couldn't otherwise if they were close to you.
So general rule,
Limbs close to you is safe,
Limbs far from you is weak.
Now what does this have to do with stoicism?
Well Epictetus is saying something similar here.
If you let your mind wander too far away from the present or away from your center of mass and control,
Then you are jeopardized.
When you keep things close to you,
You're free and strong.
And by close to you,
You can be in the present moment and you can be dealing with things that are in your control.
And even when you think that you are out of control,
There's always a choice.
Again,
In Jiu Jitsu,
You get caught in a position that is uncomfortable and painful.
Your arm is wrapped around your head.
You're not sure which way up is.
This is how life feels sometimes.
But you may not be able to do much about that position for the moment.
But just like in life,
You can choose to slow your breathing.
You can choose to relax.
You can choose to make space,
Bide your time and be ready to escape when the moment presents itself.
What you learn in Jiu Jitsu,
Even when you've been pinned down by the biggest guy in the club,
Is that nothing lasts,
Including the bad times.
You'll get an opportunity and all you got to do is make sure that you are ready when it presents itself.
This occurs both when things are good and when things are bad.
So as you go out into your day,
Know that you can be strong in your wrestle with life by following some general rules.
Stay in the present and focus on what you can control.
When things get hard,
Focus on these things even more and remember that these things do not last.
Lastly is a lovely quote from Epictetus to bring it all home.
So when trouble comes your way,
Think of yourself as a wrestler who God has,
Like a trainer,
Paired you with a tough young buck.
For what purpose?
To turn you into Olympic class material.
Good luck out there.
Now if you're looking for some training of this type,
Then why not consider one of my retreats.
I'm hosting one in the new year to get you set up for the year ahead of you.
If you want to take part in that,
Make sure you DM me in Inside Timer,
Register your interest.
We have limited spaces and I'd love you to be there.
All right,
Speak soon.
