“A ship should not ride on a single anchor, nor life on a single hope.” Teach Different with Epictetus

Transcript

Dan Fouts (00:10)

Hey, everybody. Welcome to the Teach Different podcast. We got an awesome quote tonight from a Stoic philosopher, Epictetus, who’s going to challenge our thinking about life and hope. And our guest today is here for round two, we could say. Jarvis Funches, who is the inspiration, if you haven’t read the Teach Different story, but is the inspiration behind a lot of what we do here at Teach Different. A former student of Steve and it’s just an amazingly inspirational story. So we’re glad to have him back. And for those of you who’ve never listened to one of these conversations, we’re going to take a really profound quote and we’re going to say what it means to us, not to anyone else, but to us through our life experiences. Which is so important, you know, to see the wisdom of the world through your own life experiences and giving meaning, you know, as you do that. But then we’re going to push against it, right? We can’t just look at the world one way. We’ve got other people in the world to deal with, and so we’re going to hear from each other’s different perspectives and maybe consider some counterclaims to the quote and disagree with it and train our brain that it’s okay. That there’s different ways of looking at the world, and that is the original inspiration behind using quotes, and that’s why we’re here and it’s so exciting. And then we’ll ask questions at the end. So, Jarvis, great to have you here. I’m going to read the quote twice, and then, you know the drill, you’ve already done it before. You’re going to just say your first thoughts and we’re off. So here we go. A ship should not ride on a single anchor, nor life on a single hope. A ship should not ride on a single anchor, nor life on a single hope. Jarvis, welcome back. And what do you think?

 

Jarvis Funches (02:16)

Thank you for having me back. This quote jogged my memory to think that, you know, just having one anchor and just even having one hope is, I feel like that it wouldn’t work because your brain is only trained to think of one thing. You’re stuck in a bubble. Let me say that. You’re stuck in a bubble and the best teacher is experience. So you will have to come out of that bubble. So I kind of, I feel like that’s, I’m kind of going against that right now because you know, like having one point of view, you only have your point of view, you see what I’m saying? So, having multiple points of views would be the best way of that. So I feel like that’s just, you know, that’s just putting yourself in a bubble. So, you know?

 

Steve Fouts (02:58)

Too many eggs in one basket, right? Everybody’s heard of that phrase. And here’s something to think about real quick about the author of the quote. And Dan, you mentioned the author, right?

 

Dan Fouts (03:12)

Epictetus, Stoic.

 

Steve Fouts (03:13)

Epictetus is his name. Now Jarvis, we’ve never, I don’t think I’ve ever talked to you about the stoic philosophers. This was a group of philosophers over 2000 years ago, and they developed a philosophy of life, like all philosophers do, that believes that life is made up of pretty much 99. 99999%. of everything that happens to you is out of your control. The only thing you can control is how you kind of react to events and react at what’s coming at you. And if you try to control other people, or, you know, get disappointed when you don’t get that present at Christmas, or you get hurt by somebody who calls you a bad name, or you just get angry at that person that’s driving next to you that isn’t going quick enough. You are going to spend your life unhappy, unwise, and you’re gonna miss wisdom, because wisdom is really just in how you react to things. So I bring that up to go back to this quote. Okay, Epictetus was one of the famous Stoic philosophers who came up with this quote. A ship should not ride on a single anchor, nor life on a single hope. The way I’m reading this is, it’s fine to have dreams, hopes, but if you put everything into one dream and one hope and something happens where you didn’t, it has nothing to do with you, something in life happened that made you kind of have to veer off that, not through a fault of your own, but because, hey, you know what, you’ve got to adapt. You know, you got a family member that, you know, is paralyzed. Now you thought you were going to be, you know, working this job and you were going to be doing a nine to five, but you’ve got to like for the next few months, maybe sit with them and help them out and delay things for yourself. But that’s not something that you asked for. Like, that’s just, you got a new anchor now. So I really think that this approach, what this quote is saying to me at least is, you gotta be flexible. You gotta be adaptable, right? Are you with me? 

 

Jarvis Funches (05:59)

Yeah, I’m with you. I’m with you. And you just actually opened my mind up to even think about that, you know, and that’s the crazy part about it and that’s very much true. Just having one dream and one hope and just having that tunnel vision on one thing and then it doesn’t happen. It kind of makes you fall into a slump or you feel like you’re not, you know, you wasn’t good enough or anything, but it had nothing to do with you. It was just because of life through a curve ball that you, so you have to be, like you said, flexible. You have to learn how to adapt to situations and you have to have the best, the kind of like hoping for the best outcome, but expect the worst. That’s, you know, and that’s the crazy part about life, man. Like you have to adapt and just seeing things from a lot of point of views. And I’m glad you said that because like, man, you just started jogging my brain. That was excellent. Cause like, that’s perfect. Like that’s the perfect example of having a tunnel of vision and then they don’t go and it doesn’t go the way you want. So now what do you do? Now what’s the approach? How do we go about it now? How do we play ball now? That’s the question now. So now you don’t give up. So now we have to learn how, we got to learn how to deal with this anchor, but also deal with my anchor. And it’s just learning about balance. Everything in life is about balance, you know?

 

Steve Fouts (07:11)

Dan, what do you think? Yeah, thank you.

 

Dan Fouts (07:14)

I think those are good examples. The Stoics, as you said, Steve, believe that you can’t control life’s events. You can only control your attitude and how you react to them. And if that’s true, then you can’t have a single hope because when life deals you a different set of cards, you don’t know what to do because you have not developed the skills of being able to adapt to a new environment. I got to bring in, I’m watching the Netflix series right now on Aaron Rodgers and it’s really interesting. He had a very singular hope to win the Superbowl. That’s what drove him. The guy’s a perfectionist, a self proclaimed perfectionist. Then when he won the Superbowl, he got all this attention, this media attention. People started criticizing him. He then started thinking that, oh my gosh, maybe winning the Super Bowl was not the most important thing in the world. What am I going to do now? He’d hitched everything on winning the Super Bowl. When it happened, he felt lost.

 

Jarvis Funches (08:27)

Exactly.

 

Dan Fouts (08:28) 

And so that’s enough, that’s an example of that in sports.

 

Jarvis Funches (08:32)

That’s a great example. Excellent example too, as well. ‘Cause like, even like you said, having one hope, even what happens once you achieve that, that, that one hope or that one dream and that one goal, like what’s next, do you have anything next in mind? ‘Cause what if you do achieve that one dream and that one hope, and it’s not all you thought it would be. So like, what’s next? What do we have? So you have to have, like you said, Mr. Fouts, you have to be flexible. Like you said, Dan, you just have to be optimistic about everything. You want to be, you want to have an open mind, you know, you don’t just want to be stuck on one thing. And it’s kind of hard, you know, to be multitasking things at one time, but I mean, it’s a privilege as well because you’re learning as well. So you guys have both two great examples of that. Like that, that was wonderful.

 

Steve Fouts (09:20)

And it’s making me kind of question the word anchor. It’s so easy to pass over words when you’re discussing something with people and you get, like, too far ahead of yourself and you’re thinking the word means something, they’re thinking something else. Pretty soon you’re like in an argument about something and you shouldn’t even be arguing really because you’ve got different definitions in your head. So I’m gonna kind of throw out an essential question, you know, a little early in this one, and that would be what does he mean by anchor?

 

Jarvis Funches (10:05)

Okay. From my point of view, and just off reading that quote, an anchor would be a burden, a bag. Or in a positive way, it’ll be something that I can learn from. Like I was saying earlier, it could be something that I could either get some knowledge from, I could take experience from, I could, you know, it could give me guidance or maybe it’s not good for me at all. Like I said earlier, I mean, yeah. So what do you think Dan?

 

Dan Fouts (10:31)

I’m thinking that I like that interpretation, Jarvis. The word that popped into my head was stability.

 

Jarvis Funches (10:41)

Stability. 

 

Dan Fouts (10:42)

A ship should not ride on a single anchor, that you shouldn’t have one thing that’s keeping you quote unquote stable.

 

Jarvis Funches (10:51) 

Exactly. True. 

 

Dan Fouts: (10:53)

To be stable as a human being, you need multiple anchors. To hold you in existence. 

 

Jarvis Funches (11:00)

Exactly. That’s, yeah, man. That was nice. 

 

Steve Fouts (11:06)

Those are all different too. A burden, stability.

 

Jarvis Funches (11:13)

Man.

 

Steve Fouts (11:13)

Something to learn. You know, I didn’t even have my own definition, but let me try. Let me think on this.

 

Dan Fouts: (11:23)

Then I’m going to add something when you’re done.

 

Steve Fouts (11:25)

Okay. Well, you know what? You add yours first because mine’s going to drift to the counterclaim. I feel it.

 

Dan Fouts (11:31) 

Okay. A ship should not ride on a single anchor. A single anchor cannot hold a ship in place. So now the metaphor of a human life is the ship to me that, you know, you can’t be held in place in existence with one anchor. You have to have multiple anchors that ground you.

 

Jarvis Funches (12:02)

And drives you. Man, man, man, damn,  that’s crazy. Cause that’s true. It’s very much so true. Like, man, you have to be stable and for you to be stable, you have to have other resources because once this resource die out, or if this resource is not available, what else can you go to? You have to, you have to be stable. ‘Cause if you’re not stable in life, like you said, even with a ship, if you’re not stable, that ship is not going to start moving. So now they put the crew at danger. So if you’re not stable at life, they put your mind in danger. They put the people around you in danger because you’re not thinking at you’re, you’re not thinking at your best, you’re not at your best. You know what I’m saying? So that was, man, cause that related to me in life sometimes, you know what I’m saying? Like when I’m not stable, I’m here, but I’m not here. So that mean it, where’s my other stability? I’m missing a leg. Where is it? You know what I’m saying? So you have to, you know, and that’s just crazy, man. Cause I was just thinking about that in life, you know?

 

Steve Fouts (13:05) 

And think about it. I’m sorry. Go ahead, Jarvis.

 

Jarvis Funches (13:09)

No. That was it. I was just saying the balance. It’s crazy. 

 

Steve Fouts (13:12) 

It’s the balance. Well, it’s the balance. Like I’m thinking of a family, let’s call it family friends. That’s an anchor. And so just think about this. Maybe you go off and get in a relationship at some point with someone outside of your friends and family. And for a while, you might think your friends and family aren’t maybe as important as they used to be. You got someone who is really all you need and you’re going to put all your eggs in that basket. But then if that doesn’t work out, who wants to finish this sentence?

 

Jarvis Funches (14:00)

We know how that’s going to turn out.

 

Steve Fouts (14:02) 

I mean, look, you’re, in the end, Having a family, having friends, having multiple anchors and people that say, love you where you belong. That’s going to make you so strong for anybody else that comes into your life because you’re not going to be maybe expecting too much from them, you know, putting all your eggs in one basket.

 

Jarvis Funches (14:28)

See, now that you said it like that, I kind of got a counterclaim against that.

 

Steve Fouts (14:33) 

You start, you start it then ‘cause I was going to go counterclaim, go.

 

Jarvis Funches (14:37) 

Man, I would, oh man, I’m not doing that. I can’t. I refuse to put all my bags in and one into one basket because man, if that basket break, boy, your mind is going to be everywhere. So in that case, you mind, bro. Ah, bro. But sometimes it’s good though. It, and it is hard. it’s so hard to know when to put your basket, I mean, all your eggs on one basket. It’s so hard and it’s tricky sometimes too, at the same time, because sometimes you do need to sit all your eggs down so they can be careful, but at the same time, you don’t wanna sit ’em all there because you don’t know if what it’s sitting on is stable.

 

Steve Fouts (15:22)

You’re on the claim right now, Jarvis. You’re still on the claim. 

 

Jarvis Funches (15:27)

Like, I don’t know. It got me tricky.

 

Dan Fouts (15:31)

No, I think he’s straddling Steve. I think he’s straddling the claim where sometimes you have to go singular, but you can’t, you have to have backup as well. 

 

Jarvis Funches (15:43) 

Yeah, exactly. Exactly. He explained it more to like more, you know, in greater wording because I’m mixing it up with the counterclaim, but now it’s starting to go into real life. You see what I’m saying? And at that point I kind of drift off from what we were really on because now it’s in real life because sometimes it’s good to sit the eggs in all one basket but at the same time  it’s a great risk because not only is you putting your all your eggs in one basket you’re making this a stability now that you’re making this something that’s going to make you stable so it’s good, but then it’s bad because now, okay, it’s making me stable for a great good amount of time. I’m positive. I’m moving. I’m doing good. But when it breaks down, what do I do now? And that’s the danger part of it. It’s like, you gotta be mentally ready, man. Like, I don’t know man.

 

Steve Fouts (16:47)

You know, how about this instead of always having a little fallback plan and some backup, because whoever you’re talking to is going to notice like, you know, you’re not a hundred percent into me. How committed are you to this, say relationship and our family. If you’ve got these other people always in the back. So maybe what you could do is put yourself 100 percent in every situation, have it be an anchor, a single anchor, but then if it does not work out, just be ready. You’ve got to switch it and then go full bore on another anchor and just kind of go from one anchor. Please God, let this be my final one and then up, didn’t work, let me try this next one. But don’t be like, don’t be trying to have five anchors everywhere and take all your energy and give it, you’re not going to, everyone’s going to be unhappy with you if you don’t put it all in.

 

Jarvis Funches (17:51) 

So basically, so basically what we’re saying Mr. Fouts is that, basically, what we’re saying, what I got from what you were just saying is that when it comes to a situation or anchor just put your all into it. Whether it works or not, just put your all into it. Right, just do it. But there comes a point. That’s why, let’s see, like, that’s what I keep saying. There is going to come a point where you’re going to get tired of putting your all into every single anchor. Because now you’re going to start to, you’re going to, soon eventually, you’re going to develop the process of thinking of, ain’t no anchor going to be stable enough.

 

Steve Fouts (18:30) 

Right.

 

Jarvis Funches (18:31)

And now when you get in that mindset, it’s kind of hard to even bring you out of it. Like, I’m going to give you a real life scenario. Okay. We keep going to work, right? Okay. We just say for instance, the boss says he’d give us a hundred thousand dollars this year. We come every single day and make 20 sales a day. Okay. We make those 20 sales a day, 365 days a day. No 100, 000. Right. Okay. Cool. Boss, man. You know what? Maybe it was a difficulty. It’s cool, man to man. We’ll try this again. We do it again. We do it again. We do it again. Okay. Now at this point, I’m going to start to get the mindset of you’re jagging me off. Okay. And now I keep falling victim to it. You see what I’m saying? And now, and now that’s going to make me feel like, you know what, maybe this year I know I’m not going to get that a hundred thousand. So I’m not even going to come in every day. I’m not going to sell 20 cars a day. So now guess what? Now your clientele is depreciating. But also I’m depreciating because guess what? I lost interest. I lost value. I don’t want to be a part of it now. See that’s what comes in when having too many damaged anchors. You see what I’m saying? I get what you get. I get what you saying. Put your all into it,but at the same time you’re going to it’s going to be a point in time of life where you’re going to be like, I’m just tired of dealing with damaged anchors. Like, like you said, you’re going to be praying to God, but come on, man. God don’t come where you want him. He come when you need him. He’s the on time. 

 

Dan Fouts (20:04) 

You’re going to give up. You’re going to stop trying. And if that happens, no one wins.

 

Jarvis Funches (20:11) 

Nobody wins. So that’s why I always say like, you want to have that, like, I truly agree with you, like in this situation that like, give you a hundred percent, but there’s gonna be something like, like, man, like, now what, now, like, okay, now we was just against it. Now, what if it’s time where I am given 50 percent and there is a person giving me 100%. How do I know the difference? Okay. Then that means if this person is giving me a hundred percent and I’m only giving 50, now I have the option to either do this. Okay, I’m going to step out on his ledge again. I’m going to try it one more time. I’m going to try it again. But see, that’s what hope comes in at. See, something got to give me hope. See, if I’m riding my ship and I got one anchor in this halfway broke, but I see some land over there and I feel like I could throw another broken hook out there ‘cause he’s going to grab the land. I do it. I do it. But It’s going to become a time where you’re not just going to do it. So in that point, and it’s like, I always say it’s a time and a place for everything. So, I mean, it’s tricky, man. Like it’s, man…

 

Steve Fouts (21:19) 

It’s tricky. man. The anchor, you know, your example, Jarvis, this idea of basically your boss promising you all this stuff that never comes through. That to me is an answer to the question, what type of anchor should you be looking for? Because if the answer is another man’s promise,

never.

 

Jarvis Funches (21:45) 

Never follows through.

 

Steve Fouts (21:47) 

Never, but I’m going to go hard counterclaim right now. I’m going to try to argue that there could be something like an anchor that you actually can use. And that’s the only thing you need. And I’m just gonna throw out belief in God.

 

Jarvis Funches (22:10) 

You feel like that? Okay. 

 

Steve Fouts (22:12) 

And I’m going to go with this here or like a Like an affirmation, if you’re a Christian, a belief that like Jesus died for you, for your sins, and that you believe that his life and that motivation and that anchor for you, you know, to be a good person, to be humble, to, you know, take the person outside of the flock and bring them in, to not judge people, to be compassionate, that anchor, if you get that, don’t ever get rid of that, and don’t look for anything else, you can have everything else be a little bit less than that, but you got your anchor. Like don’t be, don’t be running around and thinking it’s a human being that God’s on the couch with you. Like stop it.

 

Dan Fouts (23:11)

Alright. So, can I just jump in real quick? So like, a word like kindness as well. I mean, you mentioned God, Steve, but just taking it more as circular, non-religious. If you define your single hope as something like kindness or love or some general valuable term that accommodates a lot of muddiness in it, where it doesn’t always work out, but you’re always shooting for kindness. You fall, you don’t always get it. It doesn’t always work out, but that anchor. Aligns your energies in a very healthy, life enriching sort of way. So in that sense, going with the counterclaim, it depends on the type of hope that you’re articulating as your anchor.

 

Steve Fouts (24:02)

Are you saying a hope that other people are kind or a hope that you yourself can be kind no matter what the situation?

 

Dan Fouts (24:23) 

I was thinking about it in the spirit of Stoicism and Epictetus, the author. Your reaction, being kind, no matter what people do to you, towards you.

 

Steve Fouts (24:23) 

I got you.

 

Jarvis Funches (24:24) 

Okay. And that’s what? See, you know what? And I got something great. I’m gonna lay it on the table right here. I gotta quote. Well, I don’t know if it’s my quote, but I said a lot. So I call it my quote. I say love people for who they are and not for who you want them to be. And what I mean by that quote is that this, and like you said, Dan, like, you know, just having that positive being, you know, even though you’re going through muddy situations, just still having that positive being. I feel like having knowledge of who you’re dealing with in the situations that you have deal with. And I feel like, like you said, Mr. Fouts, God puts you in a lot of repeated situations so you can learn, but it’s up to you, how you react to the situations. Just like the author wrote the quote. See, we all got the same point of view, but we all come from a different perspectives. You see what I’m saying? Now, this is where it get really juicy at, see now I can use these anchors to not only learn like how we’re doing, but I know not to use them as much as I need to because I can relate to any positive being that I’m thinking in my head. That’s where it comes to, whatever you think of yourself, you can’t respond into the reality of the world. So whatever you is thinking in your brain, that’s where you have to learn how to become at peace here. See, if a lot of people become at peace here, but your brain, like, look, in the reality world, like we say, non religious people, if you learn how to be at peace in here, you learn how to love yourself in here, knowing that everything, reality or material, doesn’t matter as long as you’re at peace in here resides, it beams you off. It makes you want to be positive. Now, corresponding to the Christians, us having God. Us going in the corner, praying to God, knowing that he’ll make everything alright. Whether he do it on time, or whether he do it at all. I know that, without a doubt, I got God on my side. And that’s what keeps people going. Just even being positive, so I feel like whatever you think of yourself, that’s what you really put out into the world. And I feel like once again, coming at peace with yourself plays a big part in that and finding yourself plays a big part in that because a lot of people do find themselves playing or mimicking other people. Like they don’t even know who they are for real. You just mimicking somebody else that you’ve seen. You’re not seeing it. Maybe other people don’t know, but you know, personally you’re mimicking somebody else’s lifestyle. It’s not you. It’s not what you really, you know what I’m saying? So find yourself come at peace with that. And a lot of things, and that’s what I have done. And it’s crazy, like, these quotes always, you know, respond to me, because like I said, on the last chat, I spent three years in prison at 18, all the way up until I was 21. So when I got out of jail, I realized that I no longer wanted to live to society’s standards. And that’s what this anchor comes in at. Because it could be an anchor ‘cause you really do think what people, what people feel about you or I have to be this type of person in life so these people can like me. That’s the reality of the world. Or in the spiritual realm, you feel like, hey, if I do this to this person, I’m going to get punished for it. You know, like that’s not always reality, but how you deal with that situation in your brain is it’s your reality. It’s how you want to go about the situation. No, I’m not going to be negative because this person is negative. You don’t have to be like those. You are unique because you’re not like those. It doesn’t make you unique because you’re like those, you know what I’m saying? Like, and that’s what can help a lot of people. Whoever listening to this, like, just always remember, be unique because the one thing truly is not a heartbeat out here like yours. And it’s never going to be a person like you again in life. So always cherish that. Even if you’re not rich, even if you is poor, even if you are on the streets, cherish that the fact that it’ll never be a person like you a day in life again. So you have to learn how to first become at peace here. We can’t, I can’t make anybody else feel good. If I’m not feeling good inside. I can’t, I just can’t say anything positive to you, Steve, or Dan. If I’m feeling negative, I just can’t, it’s not going to work like that. But if I’m feeling at peace with myself, it’s just, going to vibrate off.

 

Dan Fouts (28:45) 

I think you’ve found an anchor.

 

Steve Fouts (28:49) 

That sounds like an anchor and it sounds very similar to Stoicism, Jarvis. You know, we’re going to, this isn’t our last conversation. We’re going to be bringing in some Stoicism and I think that you’re actually on it. Because like I said before, they’re all about, it’s how you react to your, your experiences that are important, not the 99 percent that happens to you. It’s that? 1 percent that you put back out into the world. That’s their whole philosophy. So I think you’re, you’re right on it. They have a phrase in Stoicism called making progress. They say that the more you live inside this realization that the peace that you create in your own mind and your ability to control your reactions everywhere, you start making progress and becoming more wise by living a life like that. And everyone else is running around not understanding that their happiness is not right next to them, but they’re looking past it.

 

Jarvis Funches (30:03)

Or they’re not feeling it, you know? Like the vibrations, the vibrations. I feel like it’s two things you can control in life. Your circle and your brain. Birds of a feather flock together. Whoever you’re around, it’s gonna correspond on to you, whether you like it or not. Like, my grandfather always told me, you hang with four broke people, you’re gonna be the fifth. Know why? Because the whole circle has a broke mentality. It’s not going to make a difference about you coming alone with a rich mentality because they don’t see your point of view. So you coming alone, trying to help them, it’s only going to drag you down ‘cause they’re not going to understand. And eventually they’re going to make you comfortable or they’re going to make you feel dumb enough or even bad to even be around, man. You feel like you’re better than us or you’re a bougie or anything like that, or… 

 

Steve Fouts (31:01) 

They’ll hate on you.

 

Jarvis Funches (31:02)

Exactly. And then some people, well, a lot of people, 85 percent of the people are dumbing themselves self down to even be around these people off of what they think of them. So I feel like it’s two things you can control in life. Your circle. And your brain, your circle in your brain. I mean, that’s absolutely what you can’t control. You don’t have to be around negative energy. You don’t have to. Now, if you choose to sit there and stay in it, then you know, who knows what’s next, probably a negative outcome. You never know. But that’s what I, that’s what helped me in life. 

 

Dan Fouts (31:34)

Yeah that’s great. And you said 1%, Steve, I would say it’s 80, 20 Stoics. There’s a lot of things you can control in your head and the peace that you create for yourself, where the rest of the world is operating in a different frequency. But you have the right frequency, you know, in your thinking self. Well, this is great. We got an essential question a little earlier. Do any of you have one that has come from this conversation? What, what’s a good question to kind of end this?

 

Jarvis Funches (32:13)

I had a question. When do you know if an anchor is good or bad for you?

 

Dan Fouts (32:21) 

Great one.

 

Jarvis Funches (32:21) 

That was something that I had to juggle with doing life, like, and I just use a different word than for the people that probably can’t correspond with the word anchor, like, when do you know if it’s a burden or if it’s a positive? When do you know, when do you ever know? When is it great timing for you to know?

 

Dan Fouts (32:43) 

Those are great. Going with the single hope, if you go with the counterclaim, a question is, what is the single hope I should base my life on? It’s going to be different for different people.

 

Steve Fouts (33:01)

That’s similar to mine. Mine was like, what kind of anchor is worth it?

 

Jarvis Funches (33:06) 

Exactly.

 

Steve Fouts (33:07) 

They’re so close. They’re, they’re related. All these questions.

 

Jarvis Funches (33:12)

That was, that was a real, like question that I always, you know, like in real life, like, when do you know when it is that moment? Like we were saying earlier, when do you like giving 100 percent every time and it’s not working. When do you know when it’s the one, and that’s what I always juggle. Even to this day like, I still don’t know when it’s going to be the one. And that’s why I always struggle to feel. So like, if there’s anybody that even, you know, could comment or, you know, watch this or even can answer my question, or even been through what I’ve been through, like, just let me know, like, you know? Like, how do you know when it’s the right time? Because a lot of time it could be off and that’s a problem I have with timing. And you know, like man.

 

Steve Fouts (34:05) 

That’s a tough one there because it is timing and it, I mean, that’s maybe a reminder that as much as we want to say, it’s all about what’s in our own head, it is kind of dependent a little bit on circumstances as to what’s going to work, you know, and sometimes it’s hard to know that. I don’t know if that’s what you were talking about with the 80 20 thing, Dan, but I don’t know. 

 

Dan Fouts (34:30)

No, just that a lot of, with Stoics, a lot of the energy of life is how you react to life and how you think about life and how you process it and how you control your behavior towards what’s given to you. And I just thought it’s, you were treating it like it was like 1 percent and everything else is out of control, but Stoics, they put a lot of, a lot of value on the human being’s ability to control their attitude and perspective. So I just, you know, brought that up. Well, this has been great, great questions. I think we work the claim and the counterclaim. This is a great one to see through your own personal experiences, I think, and really its very thoughtful to process this and how it relates to your life. I thought we did an amazing job doing that. And we played off each other’s ideas extremely well. Jarvis round two is over. This was fantastic, we’re going to have you back for multiple ones since you’re, as I said, at the beginning of the podcast, a key inspiration behind what we’re doing here. We’re just honored to have you as a guest. I don’t know what else to say. It’s great to have you here.

 

Jarvis Funches (35:56) 

Thank you. Thank you. I hope you enjoy your Netflix series, Dan. Let me know how it go next time, man. Thank you for even, you know, jogging my mind, man. You know, I’ll be looking forward to this, you know, that was great. But get that question out there though, Mr. Fouts, man, where, even though we can’t control it in here, man, when do you even know in here when this is the right time, man? Like, when is it, man? Like, ‘cause you, you would think it’s the right time and do it and then it’s not the right time. And then you think it’s not the right time and then don’t do it and then it’d be the right time. So like, it’d be just like, you know, like, the, I don’t know. So like, if 

 

Steve Fouts (36:37) 

It’s like I did too much or I missed the opportunity. I mean, figure that out. I’m gonna get you a copy Jarvis of a, it’s on the internet. I’ll send you like a link to this. But it’s called the handbook. That’s what it’s called. And it’s written by this Epictetus, this Stoic philosopher that came up with this quote, and it’s got a bunch of like really quick paragraphs that let his philosophy out that you literally, when you got like five minutes. You can just read one of the paragraphs. It’s almost like the Bible, like reading a verse. I’ll send it to you and you can just tell me what you think. And you’re going to get more in depth into that type of philosophy and tell me what you think.

 

Dan Fouts (37:30) 

Yeah, it’s a handbook showing how to live in a world that’s out of your control. 

 

Steve Fouts (37:36)

Yeah. 

 

Dan Fouts (37:36) 

What an amazing, you know, journey to share. All right, well, this has been great again. Thanks Jarvis for everything and for everybody, we’re looking forward to publishing this episode on the Teach Different podcast and hope you enjoy listening to it until next time. Take care.

 

Steve Fouts (37:57)

Take care.