Muscle for Life with Mike Matthews - My Top 5 Takeaways from Julius Caesar by Philip Freeman

Episode Date: December 2, 2019

“Can you recommend a book for…?” “What are you reading right now?” “What are your favorite books?” I get asked those types of questions a lot and, as an avid reader and all-around bibliophile, I’m always happy to oblige. I also like to encourage people to read as much as possible because knowledge benefits you much like compound interest. The more you learn, the more you know; the more you know, the more you can do; the more you can do, the more opportunities you have to succeed. On the flip side, I also believe there’s little hope for people who aren’t perpetual learners. Life is overwhelmingly complex and chaotic, and it slowly suffocates and devours the lazy and ignorant. So, if you’re a bookworm on the lookout for good reads, or if you’d like to get into the habit of reading, this book club for you. The idea here is simple: Every month, I’ll share a book that I’ve particularly liked, why I liked it, and several of my key takeaways from it. I’ll also keep things short and sweet so you can quickly decide whether the book is likely to be up your alley or not. Alright, let’s get to the takeaways. Want to be notified when my next book recommendation goes live? Hop on my email list and you’ll get each new installment delivered directly to your inbox. Click here: https://www.legionathletics.com/signup/

If you like what I'm doing here on the podcast and elsewhere, and if you want to help me do more of it, if you want to help me help more people get into the best shape of their lives too, please do consider supporting my sports nutrition company, Legion Athletics, which is currently holding its biggest sale of the year for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Now that means that for the next few days, you can save up to 30% on everything in our store over at www.legionathletics.com. That's L-E-G-I-O-N athletics.com, including our protein powders and our protein bars, our famous pre-workout supplement pulse, and our post-workout supplement recharge, our fat burners, our multivitamins, joint support fish oil, and more. And as you'll see when you head over to the website, everything in the store is currently marked down 5% to 15%. And when you enter the code BRIDAY19, numerals 19, at checkout, you'll save another 15%. And even better, if you're in the United States, your order is going to ship free.

And if you're not in the United States, your order is going to ship free if it is over $99. So again, if you appreciate my work and if you want to see more of it, please do support me so I can keep doing what I love, like producing more podcasts like this. To shop and save now, head over to www.LegionAthletics.com and use the code FRIDAY19 at checkout and you'll save up to 30% on your entire order. Hey, this is Mike from Muscle for Life, and I'm often asked about books. People ask me for book recommendations on various topics. They ask me what book I am currently reading and what books I have recently read and what my favorite books are and so forth. And as an avid reader, I am always happy to oblige and get some book recommendations in return as well I also just like to encourage

people to read as much as possible because I think that knowledge benefits you much like compound interest benefits your bank account in that the more you learn the more you know and the more you know the more you can do and the more you can do the more opportunities you have and the more you know, the more you can do, and the more you can do, the more opportunities you have to succeed. And on the flip side, I also believe that there is little hope for people who aren't perpetual learners. I know that might sound a little bit pessimistic or cynical to you, but let's face it, life is overwhelmingly complex and chaotic. And if we look around, we can find plenty of evidence that it simply suffocates and devours

the lazy and ignorant. So if you are a bookworm and you're on the lookout for good reads, or if you'd like to just get into the habit of reading more, then this book club is for you. The idea is very simple. Every week, I'm going to share a book that I've particularly liked,

and I'm gonna tell you why I liked it and give you several of my key takeaways from it. I'm also going to keep these episodes short and sweet so you can quickly decide whether or not a book is likely to be up your alley or not. Okay, let's get to the featured book, which is Julius Caesar by Philip Freeman. Now, if you like to read biographies to find ideas, models, systems, habits, and so forth that extraordinary people have used to achieve great things, you want to read this one because Julius Caesar wasn't just one of the greatest military geniuses of all time. He was also a first-rate order and statesman just one of the greatest military geniuses of all time, he was also a first-rate order and statesman with one of the finest minds the ancient world ever produced. And his story reminded me of Alexander the Great's remarkable military conquests, shifty political intrigues,

and a sudden and unexpected end. But in some ways, Caesar's tale is even more impressive because as astounding as Alexander's exploits were, he did inherit one of the greatest armies ever assembled and then was groomed to lead it by his father, Philip II of Macedon, who was a man of exceptional military brilliance in his own right, as well as Aristotle, one of the greatest thinkers in history. Now, Caesar, on the other hand, had a prestigious name, but his family had little money and basically no clout. And although Caesar technically could ascend the ranks of Roman society, nothing was going to be handed to him. In fact, as Caesar would find out, to climb the rungs of Roman sociopolitical power, he was going to have

to outwit, outmaneuver, and even overthrow some of the most powerful men of his time. And that's exactly what he did. And in a truly larger than life fashion as well, which is why we are still reading about Caesar today over 2000 years later. And in this book, the author shares a little anecdote. When Thomas Jefferson proclaimed to Alexander Hamilton that Francis Bacon, Isaac Newton, and John Locke were the three greatest men in history, Hamilton shook his head. The greatest man who ever lived was Julius Caesar, he replied. Now, by the end of this book, you may not agree with Hamilton, and especially if you are a testosterone-challenged male, but you will find at least a thing or two to marvel at

and a lesson or two to glean on the raw power of grit, guts, and glory. So with that, let's get to my takeaways, my five key takeaways from this book. The first one, quote, Students would study speeches from the past, then compose their own to address real or imagined situations. The art of rhetoric was subtle and intricate, emphasizing proper delivery, structure, and use of evidence, all without notes. Now, my note on this is people are always looking for shortcuts and hacks for living a more effective and fulfilling life. And one of the greatest I know of is the art of rhetoric, of persuasive communication. Simply put, the more you can impress and influence people with your words alone, the more likely you are to succeed in any and every endeavor you

embark upon. And the reason for this is obvious. In most arenas of life, success requires selling people on things, on ideas, approaches, relationships, products, and so on. And at bottom, salesmanship revolves around the principles of rhetoric. For example, to convince someone of something, you can use many types of rhetorical appeals, including logic, data, facts, authority, credibility, ethics, character, likability, emotion, sympathy, imagination, humor, irony, and the senses. You can learn to state theses simply and clearly. You can learn to present and address objections and counter arguments. You can learn to use rhetorical questions for illustration and emphasis. You can learn to craft personal stories that illuminate and fascinate.

And there are also superficial tactics you can deploy to further increase the approval of your messages like rhythm, repetition, metaphor, exaggeration, and rhyming. Now, very few people understand any of that. Very few people understand the real power of rhetoric, let alone how to wield it. And this almost certainly is not an accident. I don't want to launch into a tangential rant about the state of education here in the West, but suffice it to say that our current educational paradigm was explicitly designed to create obedient workers, not revolutionary thinkers, to create people who are just smart enough to understand orders and to pull levers and push buttons, but too stupid to ever question why or imagine other possibilities and

then rally people behind them. And that is one of the primary reasons that passive literacy, as it was once called, which is reading, is emphasized in our schooling today. And active literacy, as it was once called, which is writing and speaking, is given very short shrift. And if you do want to learn more about that and why I say these things, if you want to know, at least review some of the evidence of how our education system here, in America at least, has been perverted and subverted to serve the ends of the few at the top at the expenses of the many at the bottom, go check out John Taylor Gatto's work. John Taylor and then last name G-A-T-T-O. Anyway, back to the point. Fortunately, no matter how deficient our instruction in active literacy

may have been, it is never too late to learn what we should have been taught in school. And learning and practicing rhetoric is a fantastic place to start. more people get into the best shape of their lives, please do consider supporting my sports nutrition company, Legion Athletics, which produces 100% natural evidence-based health and fitness supplements, including protein powders and bars, pre-workout and post-workout supplements, fat burners, multivitamins, joint support, and more. Every ingredient and every dose in every product is backed by peer-reviewed scientific research. Every formulation is 100% transparent. There are no proprietary blends and everything is naturally sweetened and flavored. To check everything out, just head over to legionathletics.com.

And just to show how much I appreciate my podcast peeps, use the coupon code MFL at checkout, and you will save 20% on your entire order if it is your first purchase with us. And if it is not your first purchase with us, you will get double reward points on your entire order. That's essentially 10% cash back in rewards points. So again, the URL is legionathletics.com. And if you appreciate my work and want to see more of it, please do consider supporting me so I can keep doing what I love, like producing podcasts like this. Okay, moving on to the next takeaway quote. I competed with you, my dear, in devotion, virtue, frugality, and love, but I always lost. I wish everyone the same fate. And my note here is

that Caesar was a famed philanderer later in his life, but it was endearing to learn that he was intensely devoted to his first wife, Cornelia, whom he refers to here with this takeaway. And that was after her death, which likely occurred in childbirth. There's a question as to exactly how she died, but it looks like it was probably in childbirth. And Caesar's love for her, for his first wife, extended far beyond sweet words too. Early on, their marriage was put to the ultimate test when a general and statesman, Sulla, seized power in a military coup and then demanded that Caesar, who was a rising politico at this point, divorce Cornelia because she was the daughter of Sulla's political arch nemesis, Cinna. Now, naturally, everyone thought Caesar would

promptly comply, but when Sulla gave the order, Caesar looked the dictator in the eye and refused. And this stunned Sulla and his followers. They couldn't believe it because whether out of stubbornness, audacity, or maybe just love, Caesar was defying a man who had just in the last couple months ordered the murder of thousands of people. And just like that, Caesar lost everything he owned, was marked for death himself, and had to flee Rome to the mountains of southern Italy and go into hiding. How romantic is that, my female listeners, right? Okay, the next takeaway, number three, quote, Caesar struggled with poor health, regularly suffering crippling headaches and recurring bouts of epilepsy. He never allowed his weakened health to slow him down, however,

but instead used the life of a soldier as therapy. He marched endlessly, ate simple food, soldier as therapy. He marched endlessly, ate simple food, slept outside, and endured every hardship. In this way, he strengthened his body against illness. My note here is just that Caesar was one tough son of a bitch. So much so that when you read about the trials and tribulations he endured and then overcame, you can't help but reflect on how downright pleasant your problems are in comparison. So one of my favorite examples of this is when Caesar was kidnapped by pirates and then held for ransom. Now, these were men who were used to their captives toadying and begging for mercy, but they had never met anyone like Caesar before, who treated them like amusing bumpkins. For example, Caesar immediately demanded that they raise the price on his head from an insulting 20 talents to something more befitting

a man of his status, like 50 talents, which was about 300,000 silver coins. And then for 40 days, lived with them as their prisoner and shared their meals, joined in their athletic games, even wrote poetry for them and then called them uncouth barbarians when they didn't understand it. And there are even some stories of him ordering them around and sending slaves to shush them at night when they were making too much noise. And it gets better though, because while in captivity, Caesar would joke with them repeatedly that he was going to return and crucify them all after he was released. And that always drew hearty laughs from the cutthroats. And then one day, a ship bearing Caesar's ransom arrived and he bade the brigands for farewell and soon reached a Greek city called Miletus. And there he commandeered local ships and he raised a militia and then immediately set sail back to the pirates' base. Now, Caesar caught the buccaneers by surprise, seized all their loot, including the 50 talents that was paid for his release,

and then put them in chains and shuttled them to a nearby city called Pergamum. Now, to complete his revenge, though, Caesar needed the approval of the governor of the region, a guy named Marcus Junkus, or Junkus, probably Junkus, J-U-N-C-U-S, who happened to be in Asia Minor at the time. Now, of course, Caesar was not one to let anything stop him. So he threw the pirates in prison and then he set off to seek permission from Junkus to eliminate his former captors. Junkus heard Caesar's request, but instead decided to just sell the pirates into slavery and keep the profits for himself. That would not do for Caesar, though, who then rushed back to Pergamum before the governor's agents could arrive and seize the men. Upon arriving back in Miletus, Caesar did exactly what he said he would do. While in the

prisoner's custody, he led them out of their cells and had them all crucified on the spot. That's a story to remember when you are about to decide to have a bad day because the barista messed up your cappuccino or your Wi-Fi is slow or maybe you forgot where you parked. All right, takeaway number four. One lesson Caesar had learned from Roman military history was that the best commanders knew how to recover from disaster. And my note here is unlike Alexander the Great, Caesar suffered a number of devastating military defeats that pushed him and his armies to the brink of collapse. But each time Caesar

somehow found a way to fight on and win. And in this way, he was quintessentially Roman, refusing to yield no matter the odds or costs. And it's really, this makes me think of something I wrote in my book, The Little Black Book of Workout Motivation. And to quote myself, I think about savagery because in many competitions, you don't have to be the best to win. You just have to be harder to destroy. Do you know why bulldogs were such formidable opponents in 19th century dog fighting? It's not because they were the strongest or most agile or

even hostile of breeds, but because of the extra fat and skin around their necks, which made it harder to rip their throats out. Other dogs had to work overtime to kill them. That's savage and illustrative. When you are indefatigable, when you can absorb a tremendous number of blows to get into the pole position. And when you can learn to embrace and even crave that process, you are a savage. And while you may not win every tilt, you are going to bat a lot better than average. All right, fifth and final takeaway quote. In all of life, but especially in war, the greatest power belongs to fortune. And that's a quote directly from Caesar. And then there's another quote here.

If fortune doesn't go your way, sometimes you have to bend it to your will. And that's also a direct quote from Caesar. And my note here is just how true these things are. Most of us know that nothing shapes the landscapes of our lives, societies, and civilizations like luck, but few of us seem to understand or want to acknowledge that there is an art and even a science, so to speak, to getting lucky. For example, persistence and passion for your ideas, putting yourself where opportunities can arise, establishing a wide network of acquaintances, seeking out new experiences, and looking for a small break that can develop into big advantages are all simple actions anyone can take to enhance their luck. Now, Caesar knew that well and time and again made his own luck through an almost frenetic

work habit, relentless determination, and an insatiable appetite for risk. He was never one to be paralyzed by fear or over-analysis. And he also understood that boldness alone has genius, power, and magic in it, and that to get anywhere in the world, you need the courage to wade into the unknown. And as Caesar famously said before stepping into the icy Rubicon River, let the dice fly high. Even his assassination can be understood through this lens. To the uninformed, it may just appear like bad luck. And of course it was bad luck to some degree, but it was also just as much his own doing, Caesar's own doing, through his failure to heed blatant warnings and constrain his political enemies. In other words, in the end,

after everything Caesar had accomplished through his ingenious plotting, indomitable will, and sheer force of personality, he made the fatal mistake of dropping the reins of fortune just long enough for a cabal of bitter and jealous rivals to yank them away forever. please do consider supporting my sports nutrition company, Legion Athletics, which is currently holding its biggest sale of the year for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Now that means that for the next few days, you can save up to 30% on everything in our store over at www.legionathletics.com. That's L-E-G-I-O-N athletics.com, including our protein powders and our protein bars, our famous pre-workout supplement pulse, and our post-workout supplement recharge, our fat burners, our multivitamins, joint support, fish oil, and more. And as you'll see when you head over to the website, everything in the store is currently marked down 5 to 15 percent and when you enter the code BRIDAY19 numerals 19 at checkout you'll

save another 15 percent and even better if you're in the United States your order is going to ship free and if you're not in the United States your order is going to ship free if it is over $99. So again, if you appreciate my work and if you want to see more of it, please do support me so I can keep doing what I love, like producing more podcasts like this. To shop and save now, head over to www.legionathletics.com, L-E-G-I-O-N athletics.com and use the code Friday19, numerals one nine at checkout, and you'll save up to 30% on your entire order. All right. Well, that's it for today's episode. I hope you found it interesting and helpful. And if you did, and you don't mind doing me a favor, could you please leave a quick review for the podcast on iTunes or wherever you are listening from? Because those

reviews not only convince people that they should check out the show, they also increase the search visibility and help more people find their way to me and to the podcast and learn how to build their best body ever as well. And of course, if you want to be notified when the next episode goes live, then simply subscribe to the podcast and whatever app you're using to listen, and you will not miss out on any of the new stuff that I have coming. And last, if you didn't like something about the show, then definitely shoot me an email at mike at muscleforlife.com and share your thoughts. Let me know how you think I could do this better. I read every email myself and I'm always looking for constructive feedback. All right. Thanks again for listening to this episode and I hope

to hear from you soon.