#313 - Olympic Skater Mark Tuitert: The Stoic Mindset

Mark is a gold-medal Olympic speed skater. He won gold at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. He is also the author of The Stoic Mindset: Living the 10 Principles of Stoicism, which will be released in Canada and the USA on April 9th (yes, that’s today!).In this episode, we talk about balancing hard work with enjoying life, courage in performance, luck and providence, and much more. Mark was a pleasure to speak with and I hope this episode proves useful.You can find Mark here:https://marktuitert.nl/en/Chapters00:00 Introduction00:52 Striving for Excellence02:10 Striving for Worldly Excellence and Understanding What's Truly Important05:03 The Importance of Character and Attitude in Winning08:32 Having a Well-Rounded Life and Avoiding Losing Oneself in a Single Pursuit09:40 The Danger of Losing Direction After Achieving Goals13:30 Embracing Struggle and Tension in Life22:12 Embracing Darkness and Facing Internal Thoughts29:33 Reconnecting with Family and Addressing Internal Struggles32:10 Accepting and Loving Where You Come From36:15 The Role of Luck and Providence40:04Taking Responsibility for Your Character44:11 Finding Inspiration in Others' Struggles49:51 Letting Go and Surrendering to Life55:35 Balancing Seriousness and Humor in LifeThis episode is also available on YouTube.Transcripts can be found on Substack: https://strongstoic.substack.com/Find this episode on:https://linktr.ee/Strongstoic The Strong Stoic Podcast is a raw, honest, and unapologetically deep podcast about philosophy and self-improvement. Join your host, Brandon Tumblin, as he breaks down a wide variety of complex and difficult topics aimed at provoking thought and opening your perspective.This podcast is listener-supported; if you would like to support the Strong Stoic (as well as gain access to exclusive content), you can do so on Patreon or Substack:Patreon: www.patreon.com/brandontumblinSubstack: https://strongstoic.substack.comKeywords:excellence, character, attitude, identity, Stoicism, competition, humility, grace, learning, setbacks, tension, struggle, courage, fear, obstacles, darkness, judgments, emotions, family relationships, stoicism, philosophy, negative energy, joy, positive emotions, relaxation, balance, athletic performance, luck, providence, surrender, outcomes, discipline, courage, love, support, agency, journey, humor, absurdity.