Oddly, a New Year's Resolution for 2023
Finding discipline in Nathaniel Rateliff, Stoicism, and a bike path
It’s late December, 2022, and I’m feeling decidedly whale-like. A local bridge on the bike path has made a desperate attempt to remind me to get that under control, at least for other’s sakes.
Turn the clock back a couple of weeks and Minette and I and my in-laws are in Denver’s LoDo neighborhood to see Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats (Marcus Mumford opened) in their first arena show ever. Mumford is hilarious and Rateliff is powerful. It’s a hometown show for the Night Sweats and they give it their all. Nathaniel Rateliff relates how this is the culmination of a 17-year journey and that a number of times he was ready to pack it in and just flip burgers.
The next day turned into a noshing and book-buying spree and as such rated very high on the “fun weekend to remember” index. One of the titles I picked up was “Discipline is Destiny” by Ryan Holiday (‘Holiday’ is a fantastic name for a Stoic by the way) as I had heard him on various podcasts in the past.
I jumped in to “Discipline is Destiny” once we returned from our getaway. The author presents compelling examples of people who embraced discipline, and some who did not. I’m only a few chapters in and it’s hard to know what quotes not to share.
We take the easy way because it’s there … Success breeds softness. It also breeds fear. We become addicted to our creature comforts. And then we become afraid of losing them.
— “Discipline is Destiny”, Ryan Holiday
I came to the realization yesterday that I’m already uncomfortable, already embracing discomfort both through inaction and unconsciously. It’s the deadly kind of discomfort though, energy-wise and health-wise, a non-virtuous downwards spiral. I’m uncomfortable tying my shoes, putting on socks, clipping my toenails, wedding rings don’t fit, having worse sex. I missed out on indoor rock-climbing with my son because, well, I’m closer to imitating an actual boulder than doing bouldering. Everything is harder. By not working consistently and allowing distraction and numbing-out to win I am letting life pass me by: that’s pretty uncomfortable to think about.
Awhile back I took up writing end of year reviews (Year Compass is fantastic) which typically took most of a morning worth of coffee and journaling while snacking on Christmas treats. They are a bit of work and unless you have a great memory it’s almost mandatory that you’ve been journaling throughout the year and have those available. It’s a nice way to look at accomplishments and failures to go alongside whatever Strava, Instagram, or other online services put together as retrospectives for how you looked to others ;-) The YearCompass also asks you to plan out next year with goals related to family, friends, career, health, etc. and to take a stand on how you will live your life. I think I could use it to set this year’s goals but instead of that holistic view I kinda want to be more specific and just hone in on one focus, one that aligns better with Strong99.
I haven’t really made any New Year’s resolutions in a long time. I think around 40 I started dismissing them as clichéd and beneath me. That said, here goes…
In 2023, I will do at least one uncomfortable thing every day.
That’s it.
I was already thinking about this earlier in the month as fodder for my writing and eventually for another idea that Minette and I are kicking around. Then I started in on this book and the die was cast. Suffice it to say I’m all in: embracing discomfort aligns with Strong 99’s manifesto, intermittent challenges, and the Stoic virtues that appeal to me. Hopefully it’s a way out of The Great Stuckedness. And hey, I’m already uncomfortable every day so why not make it discomfort that serves me?
Q. What did the Stoics think about embracing discomfort in our daily lives?
A. The Stoic philosophers believed that discomfort and hardship were an inevitable part of life, and that it was important to learn how to handle these challenges with grace and resilience. They believed that by embracing discomfort and adversity, we can develop mental strength and character, and that this is essential for living a fulfilling and meaningful life.
— ChatGPT, OpenAI.com
Follow along: it’s going to be an interesting year. And when I falter you can bet I’ll be thinking about those 17 years that Nathaniel Rateliff spent becoming an overnight success.