“To become empty is to become one with the divine—this is the Way.” —Japanese master archer Awa Kenzo
We’ve been enjoying Stillness Is the Key by Ryan Holiday, who has authored several books and dedicated his blog to Stoic thinking. In this new book, Holiday draws on timeless Stoic and Buddhist philosophy to show why slowing down is the secret weapon for those charging ahead.
As the book overview states, “More than ever, people are overwhelmed. They face obstacles and egos and competition. Stillness Is the Key offers a simple but inspiring antidote to the stress of 24/7 news and social media. The stillness that we all seek is the path to meaning, contentment, and excellence in a world that needs more of it than ever.”
Holiday is one of the reasons Stoics are making a comeback in popular culture over the past decade. Drawing on a wide range of history’s greatest thinkers, from Confucius to Seneca, Marcus Aurelius to Thich Nhat Hanh, John Stuart Mill to Nietzsche, Holiday argues that stillness is not mere inactivity, but the doorway to self-mastery, discipline, and focus.
I think we might have just seen one of the most stoic team members in U.S. Olympic history.
In case you missed it, the U.S. men’s gymnastics team just won their first medal in 16 years, capturing a team bronze at the Paris games. And they owe it all to a guy who’s become an instant icon. Here’s how Kathleen Walsh, reporting for Glamour Magazine, describes him.
“Have you ever been so good at just one thing that you became an American hero? Introducing: Pommel Horse Guy.
Pommel Horse Guy—real name Stephen Nedoroscik—is a specialist on the USA men’s gymnastics team, so his one job at the 2024 Paris Olympics was to absolutely kill it on the pommel horse. The rest of the time, Nedoroscik had nothing to do but nap, for which he became an instant internet celebrity before he even approached his signature event. (It was reported elsewhere that he was meditating, to which I say, tom-ay-to, tom-ah-to.)”
It’s unusual for a world class gymnastics team to bring along a specialist who only competes in one event – almost unheard of. And Nedoroscik mastered what Ryan Holiday says is an essential quality in any successful athlete: the ability to clear your mind so you can let your training take over.
Holiday writes, “Whatever you face, whatever you’re doing will require, first and foremost, that you don’t defeat yourself. That you don’t make it harder by overthinking, by needless doubts, or by second-guessing. That space between your ears—that’s yours. You don’t just have to control what gets in, you also have to control what goes on in there. You have to protect it from yourself, from your own thoughts. Because the mind is an important and sacred place.”
The U.S. men’s team told the Today Show the day after their competition that they deliberately didn’t watch other teams’ routines or the scoreboard. They only focused on what they could control – their own gymnastic performance.
Nedoroscik embodied that principle perfectly. No pressure. Just presence. Just happy to be there. Going over his routine in his mind, envisioning perfection. Whether he was busy envisioning, napping, or actually meditating, he became instantly meme-worthy, peacefully waiting for his turn on the pommel horse with his head tilted back and his eyes closed.
When it was time, he calmly stood up, removed his Clark Kent glasses, and delivered an almost perfect 14.866 routine to clinch bronze for the men.
All great leaders, thinkers, artists, athletes, and visionaries share one indelible quality. It enables them to conquer their tempers. To avoid distraction and discover great insights. To achieve happiness and do the right thing. Ryan Holiday calls it stillness–to be steady while the world spins around you- until it’s your turn to spin.
And thats what Pommel Horse Guy did: spun his way into a medal for his team.
After that, he transformed into the exuberant 25-year-old at his first Olympics that he is, jumping up and down, fist-pumping, and hugging his teammates. Stillness is the key to success. Then celebrate like you’ve earned it.