Photo by Kaya Florczak (BJJ Photography)
I used to think that the word stoic just referred to someone who didn’t smile much.
Only recently, after listening to a very captivating podcast from Tim Ferris, did I actually learn what stoicism was, as well as how stoicism, martial arts and BJJ competition, and everyday obstacles are related.
For a more thorough read on stoicism, I have to refer you to Ryan Holiday’s bestseller The Obstacle is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials Into Triumphs. He does a very thorough job of articulating stoicism in a very enjoyable and easily consumable manner.
These two sources of stoicism I stumbled upon caused me to reflect a lot on how closely these principles apply to life as a martial artist and as an athlete.
The great stoic philosophers (Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, and Epictetus) seem to have produced more wisdom than I can consume, digest, and use in my own life!
Three quotes in particular resonated with me right away, and they prove to be an enormous help when it comes to processing and overcoming obstacles, both small and large.
Two of these quotes come from Seneca, a Roman stoic philosopher who served as an advisor to the emperor, was a famous playwright and composed one hundred twenty-four letters on morals before his death in the year 65 AD.
The other quote comes from Epictetus, a Greek stoic philosopher born into slavery but eventually allowed to study stoicism. Epictetus would go on to teach stoic philosophy until his death in the year 135AD.
But before anything else, here’s a quick bit on stoicism.
Stoics and the Internal Locus of Control
I wrote about stoicism briefly in a past article where I talked about having control over my happiness by having an internal locus of control.
Oxford defines stoicism as:
“the endurance of pain or hardship without the display of feelings and without complaint.”
An ancient Greek school of philosophy, stoicism is concerned with:
- Personal ethics
- The development and demonstration of virtues
- Acceptance of things as they are in the present moment
In the eyes of the stoics, logic, knowledge and critical thinking are essential for being happy.
The stoic possesses an internal locus of control, a term used frequently in psychology to describe the degree to which people believe they have control over the outcome of a situation.
This is important because stoicism posits that:
- Bad times are inevitable (and maybe even helpful, in a sense)
- There is no point in complaining about those bad times
- The only thing to do is to focus on what is under one’s control, and ignore everything outside of one’s control.
Here are three quotes that represent those principles from my point of view as a martial artist and BJJ competitor.
Seneca on Avoiding Adversity
“I judge you unfortunate because you have never lived through misfortune. You have passed through life without an opponent—no one can ever know what you are capable of, not even you.” – Seneca.
Adversity is an opportunity for growth.
Instead of shying away from bad times and misfortune, welcome them as opportunities to develop character and to learn more about yourself.
Your true colours will show when things go off the tracks.
- Do you avoid the difficult training partner that may put you in bad positions, expose your weaknesses, and steal some of your very delicate confidence?
- What’s going through your head when you’re down on points and time is running out?
- How do you deal with losing in front of your friends, family, teammates, and coaches?
Losses in competition are not embarrassing moments, but instead opportunities to improve as a competitor, as a martial artist and as a person.
How you respond to the loss is often where change comes from.
The same thing goes for injuries. These are unfortunate events that can end up being career-defining moments.
Many athletes have used injuries as the much needed (in an odd way) spark for a remarkable comeback, career turnaround or personal reinvention.
The stoics believed there was nothing wrong with a bit of adversity. In fact, they welcomed it.
Bad times are not always all bad.
BJJ and martial arts are great activities for learning how to deal with being under pressure, dealing with adversity and overcoming obstacles.
One effective tool for dealing with these inevitable troubles of life, as seen in the next section, is advice from Seneca on complaining.
Seneca on Complaining
“How does it help…to make troubles heavier by bemoaning them?” – Seneca.
Things don’t go according to plan, circumstances are less than ideal, everything goes out the window and chaos ensues.
How does complaining about your situation do anything to improve it? (Trick question, it doesn’t!)
The stoics believed in saving your breath and not complaining about one’s misfortunes.
As a martial artist, encountering and working through difficulties is just part of the game.
A phrase that has been popularized and is embodied by bow hunter and ultra runner Cameron Hanes is a modern version of Seneca’s advice:
- Do you have bumps and bruises, soreness and aches, and injuries?
- Are you tired, stressed, and lacking motivation?
- Have you been on the receiving end of a beating without a chance to reciprocate?
Guess what the answer to these questions will be…
Nobody Cares, Work Harder.
As Epictetus shows us, the only thing left to do when faced with misfortunes, besides not complain and embrace the growth opportunity, is to focus on what is under your control.
Epictetus on What You Can Control
“The chief task in life is simply this: to identify and separate matters so that I can say clearly to myself which are externals not under my control, and which have to do with the choices I actually control. Where then do I look for good and evil? Not to uncontrollable externals, but within myself to the choices that are my own…” – Epictetus.
As a martial artist, there are many aspects of your learning, training, and competing that are completely out of your control.
Instead, energy can and should be put towards what is under your control.
Of course, it is important that one properly identifies the aspects of a situation that are in fact controllable.
Effort, preparation and execution are all affected by the individual.
When analyzing a situation, be it training, competition, or a larger career decision, the individual who focuses on what they have control over is demonstrating an internal locus of control.
This creates an environment of accountability and responsibility.
When these three principles are used in succession, they serve as a great strategy for dealing with any misfortune, difficulty, hardship or obstacle you will encounter as a martial artist and as a person.
Stoicism – Putting it All Together
Here’s a scenario.
You’re a martial artist and you encounter an injury that sidelines you for nearly a year.
After the storm of emotions subsides, use the principles from the three quotes to get through this misfortune.
- The injury is a chance to develop your mental game, as well as one more opportunity to build character.
- Yes, injuries suck. But complaining about them sucks too. So as much as you can help it, keep quiet…because nobody cares, so work harder.
- Now that an injury has occurred, what can you work on? Focus on that and ignore everything else that’s outside of your control.
Avoiding bad times and misfortunes as an athlete and as a person is a recipe for disaster.
Instead, use this stoic wisdom to learn how to strengthen your mind, body, and spirit through tough times.
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