#1822 Sick? Epictetus Says…

Not too long ago, I posted a little note on Heroic social celebrating an incredible stretch of SUPER DEEP work days as I got ahead on content.

I also celebrated the fact that I can easily dominate my Oura scores from within the bubble wrap of my zero tech inputs, perfectly controlled days, when I do go deep.

Here’s how I put it in that post:

I just spent 8 days with ZERO tech inputs (other than the Heroic app!)—no iPhone/texts/email/etc as I went DEEP on content creation to get another two months ahead so I can Focus ALL my Energy on the next Heroic WIN: closing out our current (crowd)fundraising round by the end of June. More on that soon.

(60 +1s and 9 PNs will be complete by end of day Friday. ✅ ✅!!)

It’s always amazing (and amusing!) to see how easily I can dominate my Oura scores in the bubble wrap of a perfectly controlled work environment. This is what that bubble wrap and 101+++ Heroic Targets hit in a perfectly executed protocol looks like for me. Haha. 😆 🤓

Then I put up screen grabs of my Oura scores reflecting that next-level domination.

The stats were pretty good, if I say so myself. (Hah.)

And…

Apparently…

The clever Heroic gods decided that it would be amusing to penalize me for excessive celebration (hah!) by giving me a remarkably good stomach bug that Eleanor had picked up.

So…

Although Eleanor had been knocked out for several days with a surprisingly strong stomach bug, I had successfully navigated it unscathed during that highlight reel week.

Then…

I got hit.

HARD.

In the couple days after I posted those scores, my scores dropped a bit.

Then… I got some REALLY bad scores. Like, jumbo bad.

In the middle of the night I might have been awakened by the stomach bug demons and woke up with a 40 Readiness.

Then…

Just to make sure they gave me the best possible chance to practice my philosophy, the Heroic gods decided to drop the hammer one more day and night such that I woke up the following morning with my ALL-TIME WORST Oura Readiness score of 37!

I actually didn’t feel THAT bad but that Readiness beat my prior Covid-worst of 39 so it was an impressive drop from the highlight-reel prior days.

And…

It was ALSO a truly GREAT chance to practice my philosophy.

I have Epictetus in mind as my principle guide when I find myself not feeling 100%—which is thankfully rare but, alas, I am not and will not be the first perfect person…so it happens.

More specifically, I have THIS wisdom gem from Epictetus in mind whenever I’m sick…

He once said: “Remember that thou art an actor in a play of such a kind as the teacher (author) may choose; if short, of a short one; if long, of a long one: if he wishes you to act the part of a poor man, see that you act the part naturally; if the part of a lame man, of a magistrate, of a private person, (do the same). For this is your duty, to act well the part that is given to you; but to select the part, belongs to another.”

The Heroic gods have selected me to play the role of a sick person for the day?

PERFECT.

Let me play that role as well as I can.

As I also keep THIS wisdom from Epictetus in mind: “Show me one who is sick and yet happy, in peril and yet happy, dying and yet happy, in exile and happy, in disgrace and happy. Show me! By the gods I would fain see a Stoic. Nay you cannot show me a finished Stoic; then show me one in the moulding, one who has set his feet on the path.”

TO BE CLEAR…

I still kinda suck at playing this role REALLY well (hah) but I am making progress (remember the Progressor!) so let’s go!

With that in mind, I decided to play my role as a sick person as well as I could—which, for me, meant I activated my FULL RECOVERY mode training protocol while making it a game to see just how fast I could turn my health around Speed Is a Force style—which, in this situation, included fasting from food (and training!) for two full days WHILE practicing gratitude for my normally-incredible health AND reflecting on JUST how precious our health and lives are.

I mean…

The fact that some microscopic little virus can knock me out like that is such a wonderfully humbling reminder of who’s ULTIMATELY in control—and that someone is DEFINITELY not me.

So…

Heroic gods…

Thank you for that excessive celebration penalty. (Hah!)

VERY CLEVER!! 😆

I got the message. 🫡

And…

That’s Today’s +1.

Here’s to playing our roles Humbly yet Heroically well as we dynamically adapt our protocols to whatever life (and those clever Heroic gods!) throw at us.

Today.

P.S. At the risk of getting another excessive celebration penalty but in the spirit of highlighting that the ALL IN recovery plan did work pretty well—my two days of fasting from eating and training helped me turn that 40 then 37 Readiness into an 85. 🤓

Then it was a little more bumpy as I paid back some HRV debt but I’ll take it!

P.P.S. At the end of that post, I also said this:

Whenever I go deep I also always have such PROFOUND gratitude for what @michael does to lead our team so Heroically to allow me to do what I do. Love you, brother!!!