Dear Fellow Mortals,
This week felt like a small beginning for Dying Every Day.
We completed the first course from The School for Mortals, explored whether self-discipline can actually be trained on the podcast, and, after a long break, I started publishing videos on YouTube again.
If you missed anything or want to revisit something from the week, you can find it all in one place.
The First Course: Resist and Persist
This week we worked through all five days of Resist and Persist: The Stoic Art of Self-Discipline. The course began with a simple idea: self-discipline is about more than forcing ourselves to do difficult things.
Drawing on the Stoic disciplines of desire, action, and assent, we explored what governs us beneath the surface—what we want, how we respond when motivation disappears, and the judgments that shape our actions.
You can work through the complete course here:
Day 1: The Stoic Art of Self-Discipline (Read here)
Day 2: The Discipline of Desire (Read here)
Day 3: The Discipline of Action (Read here)
Day 4: The Discipline of Assent (Read here)
Day 5: The Disciplined Life (Read here)
There is no need to rush through it. Resist and Persist will remain in “The School for Mortals” section, so members can begin—or return to—the course whenever they like.
As a reminder, The School for Mortals is available exclusively to Dying Every Day members. If you’re not a member, you can become a member, join at 50% off, or, if cost is a barrier, accept a complimentary membership.
Membership helps make this newsletter possible. At the same time, I never want cost to be the reason someone cannot take part.
Finally, thank you to everyone who followed along, commented, and shared what resonated with them. This was the first course, but it won’t be the last. I’ll be releasing several more over the coming year.
“Can Self-Discipline Be Trained?”
This week’s Dying Every Day episode continues the conversation.
Is discipline something we either have or lack—or is it something we can actually practice and strengthen?
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
The episode looks at self-discipline not simply as willpower, but as the ability to create a little space between impulse and action, examine what is governing us, and respond more deliberately.
The episode is the first edition of Mortal Questions, an ongoing series where I take up questions about Stoicism, philosophy, and the ordinary difficulties of living a finite life. If there is a question you would like me to explore in a future episode, send it to askamortal@dyingeveryday.com.
It can be philosophical or practical, large or small. If it is something you have genuinely wondered about, there is a good chance someone else has wondered about it too. Your question can remain anonymous or not.
Dying Every Day (on YouTube)
It has been a while. But I finally started publishing on YouTube again.
I’m experimenting with a new visual approach to Dying Every Day on YouTube—combining the essays and podcast with artwork, simple animation, and the visual style I’ve been developing for the project.
Here are a few of the newest videos:
If you prefer watching to reading or listening, or simply want to help the channel get moving again, you can subscribe to Dying Every Day on YouTube.
If you enjoyed these videos, “liking” and “commenting” on YouTube really helps.
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Thank you for reading/listening; I hope you found something useful.
Until next time, remember to live.
J.W.
P.S. If you found something helpful this week, please consider sharing it.