You're A Product Of Your Training

The Daily Stoic for the last day of March: “You’re a product of your training”.

“Chasing what can’t be done is madness. But the base person is unable to do anything else.”
—MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 5.17

I don’t think our destiny is determined by anything but our previous experiences, our present decisions and our future actions. And I refuse to believe our fate’s written in the stars, or controlled by our genes.

I think our education and the place we grew up in play a fundamental role, of course. But still, it’s only us who ultimately have the key to the person we will become. We are never too old to change our path. Today’s stoic meditation affirms:

“A dog that’s allowed to chase cars will chase cars. A child who is never given any boundaries will become spoiled.”

Now this is an interesting sentence. I was a very disciplined child. My parents never had to force me to do my homework, and I took my studies very seriously at college. Most probably, that’s part of my education. My parents were not severe, but they were certainly strict. Not being a psychologist, I cannot affirm that categorically.

You’re a product of your training

However, what I do know is that self-discipline and willpower are essential if you want to step ahead of the game. I never truly believed in “magical methods” or “silver bullets” for properly scheduling your time, acquire good habits, or being organized at work. Quoting the book:

“You must put in place training and habits now to replace ignorance and ill discipline.”

To me, it’s as simple as being organized, working hard, and trusting your guts.

You don’t need $30 books, $300 webinars or $3000 coaching sessions to show you that. A habit is acquired by believing in what you are doing, and working hard every day to get there. It’s the only way that works.

Is that a “training”? Probably is, even though I dislike the term. It certainly requires you to be constant and do your best every day. I think it’s  perseverance and tenacity what makes a difference in the long run.

Conclusion

Today’s Daily Stoic, “You’re a product of your training”, talks about the need of being consistent and put habits in place to stop seeking fallacies and start embracing your full potential. I agree with that, even though I won’t call that a “training”.

I believe that’s just a matter of stubbornness and hard work. No webinar, online gurú or course can show you that. Just switch the TV off, have a deep breath, believe in yourself, and get to work.