B

September   3rd

FIRST,  A   HARD    WINTER  TRAINING

“We must    undergo a   hard    winter  training    and not rush    into    things  for which   we  haven’t prepared.”

—EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 1.2.32

efore the advent of modern warfare, armies typically disbanded during the winter. War was not the
total war as we understand it today, but more like a series of raids punctuated by the rare decisive
battle.
When Epictetus says we ought to go through “hard winter training”—the Greek word is cheimaskêsai
—he was disputing the notion that there is such a thing as part-time soldiering (or part-time anything for
that matter). In order to achieve victory, one must dedicate every second and every resource into
preparation and training. LeBron James doesn’t take a summer break—he uses it to work on other aspects
of his game. The U.S. military trains its soldiers day and night when not at war, in preparation for when
they have to go to war; when they do go to war, they fight until it’s over.
The same is true for us. We can’t do this life thing halfheartedly. There’s no time off. There aren’t even
weekends. We are always preparing for what life might throw at us—and when it does, we’re ready and
don’t stop until we’ve handled it.