Arete

An ‘arete’ is a sharp mountain ridge, but also to the Greeks, it means excellence. It was the ultimate expression of human greatness - moral, physical, spiritual. It’s what the Stoics were chasing. It’s still what we are chasing today.

But how do we get there? Well, it requires a certain philosophical approach. Because brilliance and inspiration and skill are not enough. “We are what we repeatedly do,” Aristotle said, “therefore excellence is not an act, but a habit.” In other words: Excellence isn’t this thing you do one time. It’s a way of living. It’s foundational. It’s like an operating system and the code this system operates on is habit. As Epictetus would later say, “capability is confirmed and grows in its corresponding actions, walking by walking, and running by running… therefore, if you want to do something, make a habit of it.” So if we want to be happy, if we want to be successful, if we want to be great, we have to develop the capability, we have to develop the day-to-day habits that allow this to ensue.

This is great news. Because it means that impressive results or enormous changes are possible without herculean effort or magic formulas. Small adjustments, good systems, the right processes—that’s what it takes. Things like:

• When we wake up

• What we study and practice

• Whom we have in our lives as influences

• Where we go and how we spend our time

There is nothing more powerful than a good habit. Nothing that holds us back quite like a bad habit. We are what we do. What we do determines who we can be. You know this. You’ve seen these forces at work in your own life, for better and—frustratingly all too often—for worse.

Today is the day to start harnessing these powers and wielding them properly. To stop being jerked around by our habit—-to no longer be a passive observer of our own virtues and vices. It won’t be easy, but it will be transformational.

I really like to push myself in order to raise my bar and to suffer and grow. I firmly believe we do not grow unless we suffer. About 5-6 years ago I decided, for some weird reason, I wanted to run a 100-mile trail race. However, in my mind, this was something I thought was impossible, but I decided to give the good ol’college try. I put my name in the Wasatch100 lottery and won an entry. The journey began….. The journey for this race has permanently changed my life for the better, however, during the race I focused on each step. I didn’t care how many miles I had traveled, but I focused on the journey and enjoying every single moment. When I crossed the finish line I had a very surreal feeling. That accomplishment, albeit one of the proudest moments of my life, didn’t feel that special. I had accomplished something I had never thought I could, but by focusing on the daily habits, enjoying the moment and the journey, I was able to accomplish the impossible.

What will it be? Habits answer that question. If you can cultivate good habits, you can survive—even thrive on—what lies ahead. If you relapse and fall to the level of your worst habits, these hard times will only be harder.

We’re inviting you to spend six weeks challenging yourself to change what you “repeatedly do.” And we are promising that if you can do that, you can achieve arete—personally and professionally.

If you want to be or do something, Epictetus said, make a habit of it. So let’s make a habit of arete.

And let’s remember his most urgent and challenging question: How much longer are you going to wait to demand the best of yourself?

How about not one-second longer?

Let’s start today!