105 Timeless lessons from ancient Stoic warriors
No. 105 – 16 Feb 2025
Welcome to the 105th edition of the True Progress Newsletter, a weekly newsletter on enhancing clear thinking and upgrading resilience.
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Insights
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Fear loses its grip when you face it regularly. The Stoics knew that practicing discomfort builds true mental toughness, not just wishful thinking.
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Avoiding pain doesn’t bring happiness—it prevents growth. Every challenge you endure becomes a stepping stone to your next level of strength.
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"Do not pray for an easy life; pray for the strength to endure a difficult one."
— Bruce Lee
Challenge
The Controlled Discomfort Challenge
For the next 7 days, deliberately introduce small discomforts into your routine to train resilience:
Day 1-2: Take a cold shower or end your shower with 30 seconds of cold water.
Day 3-4: Skip one meal (if medically safe) or delay eating for an hour after feeling hungry.
Day 5-6: Do one thing that makes you uncomfortable (speak up in a meeting, ask for feedback, start a conversation with a stranger).
Day 7: Reflect: What did you learn about your mind’s response to discomfort? How can you expand your resilience further?
Exposure therapy shows that repeated exposure to discomfort rewires the brain to reduce fear responses. Ancient Stoics used voluntary hardship to build mental toughness.
Systems
Task splitting - break it down, get it done
Problem-solving is key to completing projects. At first, everything seems manageable, but soon, the sheer number of tasks becomes overwhelming. The real challenge isn’t the workload—it’s failing to break tasks down effectively.
When tasks become too large or turn into mini-projects, progress stalls. The solution? Break them into smaller, actionable steps to stay on track and maintain momentum.
Here’s how to start:
Identify the Big Tasks – List out everything that needs to be done for the project. Pay attention to any tasks that seem overwhelming or vague.
Break Them Down – If a task seems too large, divide it into smaller, specific steps that can be completed in one sitting. Each step should be clear and actionable.
Set Priorities – Determine which tasks need to be completed first to keep the project moving forward.
Time-Box Your Tasks – Assign realistic time frames to each smaller task to prevent procrastination and ensure steady progress.
Track and Adjust – Regularly review your progress. If a task still feels too large, break it down further until it feels manageable.
Being effective and time-efficient is a byproduct of feeling a sense of inner control.
Till next week,
— Carlos & Stef
