Hi, everyone, and welcome to the guided meditations of Marcus Aurelius. I am your host, John Stillman. This episode is a nighttime episode about discipline for those that are interested in building consistent habits and following through on the actions that support a virtuous life. If you're new to the podcast, a nighttime episode is meant for you to listen to right before you go to sleep, as opposed to in the morning or the middle of the day. If you want to listen to the discipline episode and get on with your day afterwards, you want the daytime episode. Before we get started, I highly recommend listening to the journal episode on discipline if you haven't already done so. And the reason for this is that it will help you put some definition on how this topic relates to your life. Okay, let's cover some ground rules. First off, understand that this is a kind of meditation episode. This podcast is designed to help you relax to a very deep level. So you should only listen to it in a place where you would feel comfortable sleeping for at least the next 30 to 45 minutes. Do not listen to this while you are driving or sitting on a bus. Otherwise, you can potentially injure yourself or someone else, or you might miss yourself. Be mindful of whether you listen to this and pick a place that is safe for you to do so. I would also highly suggest going to the toilet before we get started because that can become a huge distraction. If you need to do that now, just hit pause and come back after you're done. Honestly, I'm always looking to improve these episodes. So if there is a particular sort of principle you would like to implement into your subcontracts in the future, let me know in the comments and I will do my best to make an episode on it going forward. So with that out of the way, let's get started. Take a deep breath. Close your eyes. Listen carefully to sounds that you may hear around you. Are there sounds of people? Sounds of animals? Maybe even sounds of wind or traffic. Not all of those sounds are important for you to hear while you're listening to this. Things that are alerting you of an emergency are important. But any other sounds can actually help you sink deeper into relaxation. So let those unimportant sounds drift into the background, away from your awareness, and let them help you reach deeper down into a wonderful relaxed state. The unimportant sounds fade away into background noise and let them do their job to help you relax. As you continue to relax, I'd like you to imagine your center core. The center core is different for every person, but it is wherever you feel is the center of your body. Some people believe it's in their solar plexus, and some people feel it's in their forehead. But wherever you feel is the center of your body, I'd like you to imagine that spot now. Now imagine what it might look like to pull all of your energy deep down into your center core. Whatever that might be like for you, you decide. Now imagine that you have little bits of energy in different places. You've spent time over the last twenty-four hours, and imagine pulling all of that energy back from those places and pulling it deep down into your center core. Now imagine floating up out of your body. And imagine floating to the wall that's in front of you. Imagine touching it and feeling the texture with your fingers. Now imagine floating up out of your body and floating to the wall behind you. Imagine touching the wall there. Now imagine floating back and pulling yourself deep, deep down into your center core. Now imagine floating up out of your body and floating to the wall on your left. Imagine touching the wall there. Now imagine floating back and pulling yourself deep, deep down into your center core. Now imagine floating up out of your body and floating to the wall on the right. Imagine touching the wall there. And now imagine floating back and pulling yourself deep, deep down into your center core. Now imagine floating up out of your body and floating down to the floor. Perhaps to look up at yourself, wonderfully relaxed. Now imagine floating back and pulling yourself deep, deep down into your center core. Now imagine floating up out of your body and floating to the ceiling if there is one. Or maybe ten feet into the air if there's not. Then imagine floating down back and forth like a feather. Down and down and back and forth as you slowly drift down. And imagine pulling yourself deep, deep down into your center core. And while you may notice that your mind is already doing what it might notice processing information itself organizing ideas can feel soft, making sense of things in a logical way. There's nothing mysterious happening here. We're a leaf. This is floating. One step leading naturally to the following every sentence. You don't have to try to relax. You can let them wash over. Effort isn't required at all. Like warm water, your only time is to notice. Finding a way that you're hearing words. Perhaps notice you become aware of your body. Notice that understanding happens automatically. Without effort. Without effort. That's how your mind works. Without instruction. Now, consider the essential fact of settling when your body is still snowfalling. The mind has fewer variables to memory. The ground. And when the mind has fewer variables, it becomes more efficient. Until everything feels more receptive. You may already observe small changes. You're slowing a tide now. Longer pauses between thoughts. And the rolling of completion has its own natural rhythm. It's not something you need to control. Creating a simply the natural outbeat. Your shape is a good example. Your arm. You don't calculate it all the way down. Yet it follows to your predictable rhythm. You might imagine a place where time feels wide and unhurried. Balance. Where I can simply be just like breathing. Colours may relax and follow rules too. Or textures. Muscles that are not released of safety and comfort that are not required but doesn't need work into the background. Your mind doesn't recognize image efficiency and efficiency feeling take its place now. Or not. You may find it interesting because to me in drifting that while one part of your mind is listening to these words, you may notice that thought another part begins like accuracy. Everything being said here makes changing shape. You are safe. You are in control. And you are simply allowing a temporary shift in attention. Nothing is being forced. There's no need. Nothing is being lost. Hold on to anything. In fact, awareness knows how to support. You may notice that feels slightly different. Knows how to carry sound faster or slower. And your mind just less important. How to sync. And as each sentence completes itself. There's no notice to hold on to it. A pleasant heaviness. Your mind can release it. That's how systems work. That's spread at a time exactly where it's needed. Without analyzing it too deeply, you just recognize this. Where nothing has to be. Your conscious mind can rest. Where nothing needs fixed. Everything is functioning exactly as it should be. And allow yourself to continue. How the comfort continues to unfold and efficiently in its own as this process continues. And now without needing to do anything at all, you can allow this experience to deepen naturally. Nothing to fix. You may begin to notice a general sense of release. No longer need to be. And that release can spread not in any particular direction, just everywhere it's welcome. Imagine slowly turning down a dial, just one small adjustment at a time, each turn softening the overall experience, making everything quieter, lower, more subtle. With each breath, you may notice a subtle shift. Not dramatic, just enough to feel that you're moving further inward. And right now, attention can become effortless. Thoughts don't need to stop. They can simply lose importance. Like background noise that fades as something calmer moves into the foreground. Now imagine a gentle downward movement, not physical, more like a feeling of depth. As if awareness is sinking into a softer, quieter layer of experience. Each moment builds on the last, like steps that descend so smoothly, you hardly notice moving until you realize you're already deeper. If numbers come to mind, they can drift downward now slowly, comfortably, each one marking a deeper level of ease. Five settling four slowing three less effort, more comfort. Two almost no need to think at all. And one simply being here. In this state, everything unnecessary has already fallen away. What remains is calm, steady and receptive. You're happy to stay right here because this level, this quiet, settled space is exactly right for whatever comes next. And you can allow yourself to rest here now, comfortably, peacefully, as the work continues. Consider this now gently. There is a quality that quietly shapes every meaningful achievement. A quality that turns intentions into actions. A quality called discipline. The Stoics understood something powerful. Great character is built one choice at a time. One action, one habit, one moment, and each moment offers an opportunity to strengthen yourself. Imagine what it feels like to follow through, to act with purpose, to move steadily toward what matters. Because discipline creates momentum, and momentum creates confidence. Now imagine the beginning of a day. A task awaits. A responsibility calls. A goal stands before you, and you meet it with calm determination. You ask yourself, what is the next right action? Then you take that action. Simply, clearly, deliberately. Feel how natural that becomes. Because discipline thrives in simplicity. One step, then another, then another. And each step strengthens the mind. Notice how good it feels to keep promises to yourself, to honor your intentions, to act in alignment with your values. The mind begins to recognize something important. Every disciplined action is evidence of strength. Every completed task is a vote for the person you are becoming. Now imagine a future moment. An opportunity to practice discipline appears. And immediately you feel a quiet readiness. You focus on what matters. You direct your energy wisely. You take action with clarity. Because action feels rewarding. Progress feels satisfying. Growth feels natural. And each time you practice discipline, it grows stronger. Like a muscle becoming more capable, more reliable, more steady. You begin to trust yourself deeply. You know that when something matters, you show up. When a task appears, you engage. When a goal calls, you move toward it. And this trust creates a quiet confidence. Confidence that follows you throughout your day. Now imagine the coming days. Small actions completed. Helpful habits repeated. Meaningful progress unfolding. With each step, the mind learns. Discipline creates freedom. Discipline creates strength. Discipline creates excellence. And I choose it. Now this experience can begin to gently complete itself. Nothing needs to change very much. Just a small shift, enough to notice the present moment while still remaining wonderfully relaxed. Everything that's been helpful can remain quietly in place, continuing to work on its own without effort or attention. Just allow awareness to float slightly closer to the surface. You may notice the space around you in a soft, distant way. Not sharply, just enough to recognize where you are. In a moment, there will be a simple choice to reach out to turn off the podcast and then let go back to sleep again. There's no rush. And after the podcast ends, there's nothing else to listen for, nothing to follow. You can simply rest, drift, and sleep deeply and comfortably as your mind and body continue to settle on their own. A gentle lifting of awareness, like drifting closer to the edge of sleep. Two, just enough alertness to do what you need to do. And nothing more. Three. Able to turn off the podcast now. And as soon as you do, you can allow yourself to sink right back into sleep. I will talk to you again soon, you know.