91% of Goals Fail: A Stoic Philosopher Explained Why 2,000 Years Ago

About this episode

This episode explores why most goals fail through the lens of Stoic philosophy, referencing insights from Epictetus.

Most resolutions fail because they are built wrong, not because you lack willpower. Epictetus worked out why 2,000 years ago. In this episode I break down three tests from Stoic philosophy that expose whether your goal is real or just fantasy dressed up with good intentions: Control, Cost and Consistency. Then I take six of the most common resolutions, get fit, save money, get promoted, be happier, quit social media, read more, and show you exactly how each one fails and what the Stoic fix lo...

People in this episode

Host: Jon Brooks

Topics covered

• Stoic philosophy
• goal setting
• self-improvement
• resolutions
• personal development

Keywords

• goals
• Stoicism
• Epictetus
• resolutions
• self-discipline
• philosophy
• personal growth

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: stoicchallenge.co

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• The Manosphere Got Stoicism Backwards · May 21, 2026 · 16 min
• Overthinking Is Not a Thinking Problem · May 11, 2026 · 14 min
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