Having completed “Discipline is Destiny” by Ryan Holiday (Amazon), I want to highlight a couple chapters that truly stood out.

Just Show Up, Just Work

Show up.
… when you’re tired.
… when you don’t have to.
… even when you have an excuse.
… even if you’re busy.
… even if no one will notice.
… even if it’s beating you down.

Once you start, you can build on it. Once you act, momentum can grow. Showing up is the key—because when you show up, you can do.

Over a nearly 60-year career, Joyce Carol Oates wrote novels, stories, poetry, plays — millions of words. If she can show up every day, you can get on the treadmill. Pick up the violin. Answer emails. Write a scene. Lift some weights. Cross one thing off your list. 

It doesn’t matter what it is—all aspects of life improve when you work on them daily.

The Greeks have a word for this: philoponia—a love of hard work.

So, show up. Do the work. Not for perfection, but for progress. The grind pays off.

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