Philosopher King Maxims On Taking Risks
Go for the uttermost. Fuck around and find out.
“What would have become of Hercules do you think if there had been no lion, hydra, stag or boar - and no savage criminals to rid the world of? What would he have done in the absence of such challenges?
Obviously he would have just rolled over in bed and gone back to sleep. So by snoring his life away in luxury and comfort he never would have developed into the mighty Hercules.
And even if he had, what good would it have done him? What would have been the use of those arms, that physique, and that noble soul, without crises or conditions to stir into him action?”
― Epictetus
1. Upon reflection, you’ll notice discomfort or pain, even the experiential memory of them, fade from the mind with the wind of time.
Loss, the nauseating intensity in the gym, break ups, fatigue after a hard day’s work when there’s still more to do, ridicule for an embarrassing action — all suffer the same fate.
What always stands and matters most is what you do despite this discomfort, which brings you either joy or regret when the future comes. It’s through this curation of your actions that you’re the architect of the life you desire.
This wisdom is what Charles Bukowski realized when he said he, “was waiting for something extraordinary to happen but as the years wasted on nothing ever did unless I caused it.”
The point? You have nothing to lose, dear reader.
There's no reason not to fully employ yourself on a purposeful and beneficial endeavor.
No reason not to be confident and take bold risks, despite what it may cost you at the moment. No reason to fear making mistakes because of what people might think of you.
Forward progressive action and adaptation are all that matter as they influence your reality on a fundamental basis.
All else that seems unsavory to you: discomfort, embarrassment, stress, are illusions you can feel and ignore. They’re not as important or catastrophic as the mind tries to convince you.
You can handle them with disdain and do what you need to do.
They’re like the ghosts under the bed scaring children.
I assume, “You are no longer a boy but a full-grown man,” Epictetus would tell his students.
“If you are careless and lazy now and keep putting things off and always deferring the day after which you will attend to yourself, you will not notice that you are making no progress but you will live and die as someone quite ordinary. From now on, then, resolve to live as a grown-up who is making progress, and make whatever you think best a law that you never set aside,” he continued.
This is why regret hits hard, for over time, clarity shows you you could have done better.
It’s why you’ll feel ashamed for giving in to a fickle, useless emotion that would have been easy to conquer with a little bit of audacity.
The tradeoff may have been a life-changing opportunity, more strength and power, a loving relationship or simply staying true to yourself.
The upside would have been so much better and life enhancing — the pain forgotten.
Besides, you would have been happy and proud you did it scared, tired, broke.
Objective perception will free you from this purgatory.
2. The key to making the most of and enjoying the fullness of life is focusing outward: on your work, relationships, and pleasures instead of living caged in your mind. It’s also therapeutic.
Why? Because you know yourself too well: obsessive thoughts, insecurities, resentments and emotional hangups.
Getting stuck in these habitual ways of your mind may be comfortable — but unfulfilling.
Excitement is in exploring the novelty of the outside world with laser focus attention because of what you could learn, what dominos you can choreograph, what could happen.
Practicing this idea can be scary at first. You’ll fear failure, being ridiculed for embarrassing yourself, manipulation, getting betrayed or taken advantage of.
But those outcomes are outside your control, so they mean nothing, and getting hang up on them is foolish. You can leave other people’s mistakes to themselves.
Not to say you shouldn’t protect yourself.
This step is to perfect your initial presentation to the world while assessing if what happens corresponds with your interests, values, lifestyle and long-term goals. It’s what has the highest probability of winning.
You can always move on with the same energy to find your people or thing if you’re not getting what you want.
For sure, you may be uncomfortable using good intentions as a strategy. But, by judging the ends rather than means, how you use the results you get is what speaks of the quality of your character. Power doesn’t corrupt, it reveals. I digress.
Energy isn’t this one thing you spend and it’s forever vanquished.
Time, especially when you’re young or starting out, isn’t either.
You can stake it on multiple adventures so you can learn, get experience, and increase your luck.
Don’t wait for certainty. Nothing is.
Feel the crippling doubt and fear and smile at it with confidence, delight and pride that you're living dangerously for what matters and is under your control is the time, effort and attention you put in and how genuine and committed you are to get what you desire.
Empathy and a lesser concern for self-preservation will introduce you to a life you could never imagine.
A rich soul attracts everything worldly that most chase desperately but never get.
3. There's power in the little, consistent daily effort.
It doesn't seem like much when you do it, but over time the body of work, like Michelangelo's Pieta hatching from the boulder, becomes something to behold.
You’ll wonder in amazement and be proud of yourself.
This practice allows for the creation of a minimum viable draft or product from which to iterate.
For, to paraphrase Paul Graham, the longer you take to ship, the more unlikely it is that you’ll ship.
Employing this strategy in your skills, projects, health, career, or relationships is to reach the highest expression of your rational powers, in a manner the amateur (or yourself) would think you lackadaisical.
It helps both busy and free people. The only requirement is a grand ambition.
Decide your bare minimum and stick to it no matter what.
4. You’re only as effective as your thoughts are objective.
To think accurately, therefore, is the best exercise you can perform for a flourishing and smooth sailing life.
This power rests on your ability and courage to search the evidence for or against a thought, belief & feeling, and once confirmed or disapproved, committing to the right action.
5. There’s power in foreshadowing possible failure and still forging ahead.
Before it, you have irrational doubts about your strength to adapt and recover.
You almost give in to this nonsense.
But then you fail terribly and you endure the loss with grace, and wonder what you were so worried about.
You realize the pain of failure isn’t even close to feeling bad.
You can even afford a laugh.
It was all in your head and you can decide whether to interact with it or move on.
I don’t mean that you should pursue failure, but rather, to awaken you to the idea that taking more risks with a high upside and an equal possibility for loss is good so you can see that the pain of failing isn’t that bad and go out there and live.
Winning from pursuing these kinds of opportunities isn’t bad either.
If recovery is inevitable, then there’s no excuse not to go for the uttermost.
Fuck around and find out.
Stripped bare by the world, this action will also do wonders for your confidence.
Love part 2 of this. Facing OUTWARD is definitely the way to be. We can all live in the tortured and automatic feedback loop in our heads and never truly escape, but as you go outwards... freedom! Thanks for writing, I've just subscribed.