You’re Never Going to Be Perfect | Ask Daily Stoic
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What do the Stoics say about the pursuit of perfection?
Welcome to the Daily Stoic Podcast, designed to help bring those four key Stoic virtues, courage, discipline, justice, and wisdom into the real world. You're never going to be perfect. We have goals. We have standards. We have what we know we need to do. And then discipline, that key stoic virtue, determines whether we do it or not. The problem is that some people seem to think that this discipline must be ironclad, and then they beat themselves when they fall short.
How can discipline influence our ability to achieve goals?
The Stoics had high standards. They had important jobs. They had a lot they needed to do. They also understood that perfection was not possible. What was possible, Epictetus said, was striving to be better. What mattered, Marx really said, was how quickly you picked yourself up after you were jarred by circumstances.
What does it mean to strive for improvement instead of perfection?
Sometimes we'll fall short. Sometimes we'll have to make an exception. Sometimes we'll just plain forget our training and our standards. But it's like that famous line in Steinbeck's East of Eden, which has a bunch of stoic themes, actually opened the Four Virtues series with a line from that. Adam Trask, in the book, the character, he's been impossibly hard on himself. He's racked with guilt. And he's told by the family servant, Lee.
How does resilience play a role in overcoming setbacks?
And now that you know you don't have to be perfect, you can be good. And that's the point. We don't have to be perfect. We just have to choose to be good. We have that choice. We can begin again. We can still fight through it. Good is better than perfect because it's real. Good is better than perfect because it's human. It's the striving, the effort, the genuine desire to do what's right. Good is what we are. And good is what we have to keep trying to be every day.
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What insights can we gain from Steinbeck's 'East of Eden'?
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Why is it important to focus on being good rather than perfect?
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And
How can leaders effectively manage difficult conversations?
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What do the Stoics say about the pursuit of perfection?
0:00–0:35
2
How can discipline influence our ability to achieve goals?
0:35–0:54
3
What does it mean to strive for improvement instead of perfection?
0:54–1:18
4
How does resilience play a role in overcoming setbacks?
1:18–2:05
5
What insights can we gain from Steinbeck's 'East of Eden'?
2:05–2:53
6
Why is it important to focus on being good rather than perfect?
2:53–3:41
7
How can leaders effectively manage difficult conversations?
3:41–5:34
8
What strategies can help maintain work-life balance?
5:34–11:45
Speakers
2 identifiedMore from The Daily Stoic
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