You Are The Project

The Daily Stoic for May 5th. “You are the project”.

“The raw material for the work of a good and excellent person is their own guiding reason, the body is that of the doctor and the physical trainer, and the farm the farmer’s.”
—EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 3.3.1

For 15 years now, I train regularly at the gym. Approximately, 4-5 times a week. I still remember my first week, though. Even though the exercise I did and the weights I lifted would be ridiculous for me now, I spent the whole weekend at home in company of my cramps, unable to move.

My friends certainly had a great time laughing  while I tried to join them for a coffee that Sunday afternoon. I actually still smile while remembering it. I remembered asking one of them -who have been training regularly for some years- with fear in my voice: “Is it always going to be like this?”.

He laughed and assured me that after some months, I won’t get any cramps or aching muscles.

And he was right.

You Are The Project

The mind is, according to stoicism, our most precious asset. The one we must protect and exercise most. I find the metaphor of the gym quite appropriate in several different ways.

Just like when you lift weights, it takes time and perseverance before you see the results. We need to devote some time to our minds, to know what we want in life, to meditate and to nurture it. We need to take care of it regularly, because if not, it will take us some time to pick-up again.

Just like at the gym, the weight you put on the bars, or the dumbbells you choose, are less important than doing the exercise right. We all have our own pace, and it’s better to perform the exercise correctly and grow slowly, than having an injury.

So if it’s true that you are the project, you need to take care of it. Read, enjoy a relaxing walk sometime, listen to some quiet music. Whatever works to give you some room for your thoughts.

Stoicism has certainly showed me that we usually think we are too busy to do these kind of things. In my view now, the busier we are, the more important is to stop and let some oxygen go through.

Conclusion

Today’s Daily Stoic, “You Are The Project”, discusses how our minds are probably our most important asset. Just like we would do with our bodies when training or lifting weights at the gym, it’s important to train our minds too, and devote some time to let our thoughts reach the surface.