[Unshakable] Weekly Stoic-inspired Challenge To Cure Your Fear of Discomfort and Failure - Practice The Worst-Case Scenario With Me And Make Yourself Resilient
Join me for a Weekly Challenge of crushing your comfort zone and your fear of failure.
Have you ever wanted to start something but you were afraid to do that because you might fail? Let's say you wanted to switch careers (work in progress for me right now), start your own business, quit your job and travel for a year, break up with your partner, or "just" move to a new city and start a new life?
All this can be daunting and scary. There would be many people telling you why that could be a horrible idea. Heck, you are probably one of those people, otherwise you'd already do it.
Though here's a secret.
"We suffer more in our imagination than in reality"
-Seneca
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By practicing resilience you'll learn not to react to things that are outside of your control, like losing your job.
A really good way to go about it is to practice the worst case scenario. That's why I would like to create a weekly challenge which will help you question the idea of what's suffering.
My ultimate goal is to prove to you that what you think might be a "bad" scenario in case of something not working out will turn out to be bearable and you'd manage to live like that for a month or two before you get yourself back on your feet. You might even realize that not doing something that is scary but you really want might be the ultimate killer.
And hopefully at the end you (and me) will face our fears and do everything we desire and want, even if it might make our stomach crumble.
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These challenges and ideas are inspired by Stoicism (and Tim Ferriss).
I've already written about Stoicism in my post on Suffering Is Great - Why Homelessness Stoicism and Minimalism Keeps Me Steady As A Rock so check that out on a bit of a primer behind all this.
Okay, I'm intrigued but who are you to tell me I should train discomfort. What do you do for it?
Here are few things I do or I've done.
- I was homeless few times and I lived a homeless lifestyle for half a year
- I sleep on the ground as much as I can
- I fast (daily and occasionally some extended fasts, too)
- Sometimes I eat just rice and butter for days
- I get myself into potentially dangerous situations to test my mind and body (climbing trees, buildings, structures
- I go into extremes of doing something (For example, working all day)
- And probably much more that I don't even realize.
Nothing huge, but few things on the list thought me that I can survive no matter what. At least when it comes to certain areas, like losing a job, not having mone, failing at a venture, etc. There are still things I need to work on, which for me are mostly in the social bucket of things.
So let's get started, shall we?
This week's challenge
We will start with something easy.
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For three consecutive days, eat only one sort of simple and preferably cheap meal. For example, I eat only rice and butter. You can add beans on top. Or a carrot. That is a perfect hospital food you get in my country. Dry rice and dry stale sliced carrots. Mmmm, the delicatessy :).
Wait but why?
- So you learn that you can survive on a cheap food and eat the same thing for an extended period of time - eg. when you lose your job and finances are tight.
- So that you learn to appreciate the amazing food you are currently eating.
- And as a bonus, if you pick the right food, it can also help you with cleansing your body of all the toxins.
Okay, let's get this going and let me know in the comments what you'll be eating.
I will stick with my rice as a while back I bought 10 kg of it, just in case :D.
If you want to know how I modify my Images, check out my post about a tool I created
About the Author;
Hi, I am Joe and I love freedom.
Freedom of all sorts, social, financial, emotional, physical, freedom from your stuff or place.
My biggest passion is to show that it is possible to live life being free, work towards my freedom, and help others obtain their own versions of freedom.
I also love exploration and experimentation (of all senses).
My articles are about all of this (Freedom, exploration, experimentation)
as well as my own transparent and authentic experiences.
Cool challenge. I think stoically but do not live in a way such as you have. You remind me of Diogenes of Sinope in that regard.
I choose spaghetti and butter (with a little salt).
That is great that you have a Stoic mind @getonthetrain. I believe I was pretty Stoic before even knowing what it is, that's why I'm probably attracted to it.
Also, it's not like I "suffer" or practice every day with the huste and bustle of every day life it's sometimes very easy to forget :). Another reason for this challenge, an accountability and a reminder for myself and others.
Haha, I love that butter made it to your choice of food, too :). (Many friends of mine think I am made of butter, so I might be a bit biased ;) )
In what sense do I remind you of him?
In the ways of homelessness & sleeping on the ground, simple foods, few possessions and testing yourself against nature. At least from what I remember about reading of him.
Nice :). Maybe I should look more into him.
Or maybe everyone at that time lived like that as there was not much of a choice :).
Well, he was a pretty crazy guy from all accounts. Lived in a big pot near the marketplace, masturbated freely in front of anyone, and basically just messed with all people. Especially the main philosophers of his time such as Plato.
Haha, so maybe there's an idea for next challenge, freely masturbateing in front of people in order to learn not to give a single damn as well as heal sexual shame :) :D.
Not sure if many people would join for that :).
Yea, probs not ;P
So how did it go at the end? Did you manage?