Discipline is Destiny - Ryan Holiday - Book Review

Discipline is Destiny by Ryan Holiday is a comprehensive, easy to read modern guide to Stoicism. Using famous people as examples, from sports stars to the Queen of England, Holiday effectively draws the reader in and gifts them with a can do attitude where anything feels possible. This book is a manual to self-discipline; combining ancient wisdom from Marcus Aurelius' meditations, and other ancient Stoics, with modern day Stoics who we can all identify with. This book is a valuable and inspiring guide to becoming more disciplined in our own lives.  

    While reading this book, I became aware of the gratification I granted myself through doing the hard thing and showing up for myself. Holiday uses some extreme examples of self-discipline in this book and highlights the drawbacks of such extremism, as well as the advantages. He emphasizes moderation in the book, highlighting that in a balanced lifestyle, there is space for both discipline and freedom. Living a lifestyle that is too regimented can be almost as damaging as not living with any restrictions at all; however. having too much discipline is still more fulfilling than none at all.

    My favorite example in the book was the contrast between Marcus Aurelius and his adopted brother Lucius Verus, whom he chose to share power with. Marcus was an example of someone who is constantly measuring up the pros and the cons and taking a cautious and measured approach to every decision he made, both as emperor and in his personal life. His brother Lucius on the other hand, was extremely impulsive and always chasing the next high or the next form of physical pleasure, taking very little time to weigh up the consequences of each action. 

    These two brothers were both gifted with the opportunity to lead a powerful empire but each was given different prospects for health. Marcus struggled with his health for his whole life, experiencing a lot of pain every day, whilst doing everything he could to stay healthy so that he could continue to oversee his duties as emperor. Lucius, on the other hand, was blessed with perfect health and took it for granted, abusing his body in every way possible with lavish parties where he consumed copious amounts of food and wine. He neglected his responsibilities as emperor and was left with no sense of purpose in life; this presented him with an ever more vacant hole to fill, and he turned to alcohol to sublimate. 

    The frequency of these parties and his chaotic and unrestricted lifestyle eventually took its toll on Lucius and his health deteriorated; he died before Marcus himself. If Lucius had exercised the same moderation and restraint as Marcus had, he would have lived much longer, but because of the lack of control he possessed over his impulses, his life was cut short.

    This is an excellent and historic example of two people who took completely opposite approaches to their finite existence. One squandered his opportunity, while the other made the most of everything he had. 

    We need to take heed of this lesson in a world where we all live like emperors. With access to as much food and wine as we could ever desire, we must learn self-restraint and make choices based not on what we want, but on what we need; learning to withstand cravings for instant gratification, to pursue a more meaningful and fulfilling existence.