What Would a Year of This Look Like?

Summary

The Daily Stoic Podcast

Episode: What Would a Year of This Look Like?
Host: Ryan Holiday
Date: December 24, 2025

---

Episode Overview

In this episode, Ryan Holiday explores the practical meaning of virtue from the Stoic perspective, offering listeners a reflection on how to make virtue a daily habit rather than a lofty abstraction. Framing the conversation around the New Year's tradition of self-improvement, Ryan unveils the "2026 Daily Stoic New Year, New You Challenge," which is designed to encourage consistent, actionable steps towards living a life guided by courage, discipline, justice, and wisdom. The episode is an inspiring call to turn Stoic philosophy into a lived, daily experience throughout the coming year.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Stoic View of Virtue: Action over Abstraction

[01:53]

• Ryan opens by questioning, “What would a year of this look like?”—referencing the Stoic commitment to virtue.
• He emphasizes that for Stoics, virtue isn’t an abstract ideal:

  "Virtue was a way of life, not something we are, but something we do.” — Ryan Holiday (02:30)

• Citing Aristotle, Ryan explains that virtues are developed through practice:

  “We become builders by building...we become harpists by playing the harp. Similarly, then we become just by doing just actions, temperate by doing temperate actions, brave by doing brave actions.” — Ryan Holiday summarizing Aristotle (02:45)

Imagining a Virtuous Year

[03:05]

• Ryan invites listeners to visualize 2026 as a year not just of ambition or vague resolutions, but as a deliberate practice of daily virtue.

• He breaks down what it would look like to wake up and actively pursue:

  • Bravery
  • Self-command
  • Doing the right thing
  • Doing good for others
  • Continual learning and better thinking

  “Not in some grand heroic way, but in the small consistent choices we make that actually shape a good life.” — Ryan Holiday (03:40)

The Daily Stoic 2026 “New Year, New You” Challenge

[04:10]

• The challenge is centered around the word of the year: “Virtue.”
• Consists of 21 actionable challenges over the first 21 days of 2026.
• Each day’s challenge applies a core lesson from Stoic philosophy in a practical, accessible way.
• The aim is not just a better year but a fundamentally more virtuous one:

  “We're going to tell you exactly what to do, how to do it, why it works, and we'll give you strategies for maintaining these habits...not just for the rest of the year, but for your whole life.” — Ryan Holiday (04:40)

• Ryan shares that some of his enduring practices started with past challenges, emphasizing that excellence is cultivated through “day-to-day choices,” not inherent talent or luck.

The Importance of Commitment and Non-Procrastination

[05:00]

• Ryan urges listeners not to put off joining, pointing out that procrastination is itself a failure of discipline:

  “Don't procrastinate. Don't start the year by already failing at one of the virtues...That's a lack of self-discipline, right?” — Ryan Holiday (05:21)

• He encourages people to secure their participation so they can start strong on January 1st.

Invitation and Community

[05:33]

• The challenge is open to all—Ryan describes a global community of “thousands of Stoics...my family and my friends, all the people here at Daily Stoic.”
• For ongoing guidance, he recommends joining “Daily Stoic Life” for access to all challenges.

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Virtue was a way of life, not something we are, but something we do." — Ryan Holiday (02:30)
• “Not in some grand heroic way, but in the small consistent choices we make that actually shape a good life.” — Ryan Holiday (03:40)
• “Excellence isn't this thing that you're born with or you stumble into. It's cultivated. It's about these day to day choices and it's a challenge and it's not easy.” — Ryan Holiday (04:55)
• "Don't procrastinate. Don't start the year by already failing at one of the virtues, which is to say procrastination. That's a lack of self-discipline, right?" — Ryan Holiday (05:21)

---

Segment Timestamps

• [01:53] – Introduction to the concept of virtue in daily life
• [02:45] – Aristotle’s analogy: virtue as a craft, habits formed through action
• [03:05] – Vision for a year shaped by intentional virtue
• [04:10] – Details of the 2026 New Year, New You Challenge
• [04:55] – The role of daily decisions in cultivating excellence
• [05:21] – Warning against procrastination; importance of discipline
• [05:33] – Encouragement to join the Stoic community and sign up

---

Conclusion

This episode is a motivational reflection, urging listeners to see virtue as a tangible, daily pursuit rather than a distant ideal. Through clear examples, actionable guidance, and a communal challenge for the new year, Ryan Holiday brings Stoic philosophy down to earth, making it both approachable and immediately applicable. Listeners are left energized and equipped to begin 2026 with purpose, courage, and discipline—one day, and one virtuous action, at a time.

Transcript

[A]

My family owns a 2023 Toyota 4Runner, and honestly, it's my favorite vehicle that I've ever owned around town. It's smooth and reliable, but where it really shines is on our trips into the backcountry. We've taken it on backpacking adventures to Colorado and New Mexico, loaded up with gear and never had to think twice about whether it could handle the terrain. That's what Toyota Trucks are built for off road confidence, rugged durability, and the freedom to explore. Toyota has a long history with the outdoor community, and they're committed to helping more people get out there and experience what nature has to offer. From remote trails to scenic byways, Toyota Trucks empowers you to take the detour, roam freely, and discover places that still feel wild and untouched. And they're not just making great trucks. They're working to expand access to adventure so more people can connect with the outdoors and pass that passion on to the next generation. Discover your uncharted territory. Learn more at toyota.com trucks adventure-detours that's toyota.com trucks adventure detours foreign.

[B]

Welcome to the Daily Stoic Podcast, where.

[C]

Each day we bring you a Stoic.

[B]

Inspired meditation designed to help you find strength and insight and wisdom into everyday life. Each one of these episodes is based on the 2000 year old philosophy that has guided some of history's greatest men and women. Help you learn from them, to follow in their example, and to start your day off with a little dose of courage and discipline and justice and wisdom. For more, visit Dailystoic.com.

[C]

What would a year of this look like? As you know, the Stoics revere four courage, discipline, justice, and wisdom. But virtue can feel abstract, and the word itself is almost quaint. It's associated sometimes with self righteous moralizing than with anything practical or powerful. But the ancients understood virtue differently, not as a noun but as a verb. To the Stoics, virtue was a way of life, not something we are, but something we do. Aristotle described virtue as a kind of craft, something to pursue, just as one pursues the mastery of any profession or skill. We become builders by building, he said, and we become harpists by playing the harp. Similarly, then we become just by doing just actions, temperate by doing temperate actions, brave by doing brave actions. So what would a year look like if you actually practiced this? What would 2026 look like if it were filled with courage and discipline and justice and wisdom, not as an ideal but as a habit? A year in which day by day you chose the better action, the right Action, the virtuous action. Imagine waking up each day with a clear intention. To be braver, to be more in command of yourself, to do the right thing, to do more good for other people, to learn more, to think better. Not in some grand heroic way, but in the small consistent choices we make that actually shape a good life. And that's what we're building The Daily Stoic 2026 New Year, New youw Challenge around. We always try to build them around a word. And this year the word is virtue. Right? How to have a more virtuous 2026. And so it's a set of 21 actionable challenges, one per day for the first 21 days of the year. And they're all built around the best, most timeless wisdom in Stoic philosophy. I want to help you make 2026 not just be your best year, but your most virtuous year. We're going to tell you exactly what to do, how to do it, why it works, and we'll give you strategies for maintaining these habits and practices, not just for the rest of the year, but for your whole life. There are things I do day that I picked up in challenges we did in 2018, 2019, 2020. Because excellence isn't this thing that you're born with or you stumble into. It's cultivated. It's about these day to day choices and it's a challenge and it's not easy. The question is, are you going to be one of these people? And I hope you will be. And I hope you're one of the thousands of Stoics from all over the world that join me, my family and my friends, all the people here at Daily stoic doing the 2026 Daily Stoic new Year, New you challenge. It's going to be awesome. It on January 1st. You gotta sign up now. Don't procrastinate. Don't start the year by already failing at one of the virtues, which is to say procrastination. That's a lack of self discipline, right? Get in it now. Sign up now so you know what you're doing on January 1st, I think it's going to be awesome. I can't wait to see it in there. And just a little note, if you want to do this challenge or any of our challenges or courses throughout the rest of the year, I just sign up for Daily Stoic Life. As part of this. You get all the challenges for free. So you can sign up [e-mail] or just go to dailystoic.com challenge to sign up for the 2026 Daily Stoic New Year, New you challenge. It's going to be awesome. I can't wait to see it in there. And I can't wait for us to start on January 1st dailystoic.com challenge. You hear that?

[D]

That's not just a Toyota truck. That's the sound of no crowds, no alerts, no distractions, and no telling what you'll find next. You know, like a detour. So why would you ever take a tour when you could take a detour? Toyota trucks.