This is an excerpt from my book: Philosophy for Business Leaders: Asking Questions, Navigating Uncertainty, and the Quest for Meaning
1. Negative Visualization and Premortems
Incorporate the practices of negative visualization and premortem into your decision-making toolkit: The Stoics advocated a valuable approach to prepare for adverse events: mentally simulating the worst-case scenario.
This doesn’t mean dwelling on the negatives in every endeavor but rather exploring potential pitfalls along the way. By doing so, you equip yourself to proactively hedge against undesired outcomes to mitigate the impact.
“Begin the morning by saying to yourself: today I will meet with the busybody, the ungrateful, and the arrogant; with the deceitful, the envious, and the unsocial. All these things result from their not knowing what is good and what is evil. But I have seen the nature of the good – that it is beautiful; and the nature of evil, and that it is ugly; and the nature of him who does wrong, and that he is akin to me – not because he is from the same blood and seed, but because he partakes of the same mind and the same small bit of divinity. I cannot be injured by any of them, because no one can involve me in anything ugly except myself. And how can I be angry with my kin, or hateful towards them?” — Marcus Aurelius
2. Acceptance and Moving Forward
Accept the situation: Accepting your fate or the situation is not the same as giving up and not doing anything about it. If you don’t get the promotion for which you worked so hard, there isn’t much you can do to reverse the situation at the moment.
Zeno couldn’t do anything to go back in time and prevent the shipwreck. If you launch a product that fails, there’s little you can do to reverse that. According to the Stoics, if you practice negative visualizations and hedge for the worst-case scenario, there isn’t much you can do to change the outcomes and events that lie outside of your control.
As a result, the best thing you can do is to accept the situation and start thinking of ways to move forward. This forward-thinking mindset is essential to avoid falling into the trap of pessimism. It is crucial to acknowledge failure and think of new ways to improve the situation going forward.
“We must learn to put up with what we cannot avoid. Our life, like the harmony of the world, is composed of contrary things – of diverse tones, sweet and harsh, sharp and flat, sprightly and solemn. The musician who only loved some of them – what would he be able to do? He has to know how to make use of them all, and be able to mix them together. We must do the same with the good and the bad, which are of the same substance as our lives.” — Montaigne
3. Emotional Management
Manage your emotions to prevent negative consequences: Managing emotions doesn’t mean eradicating or negating them entirely. When someone insults you, you have the choice to either react impulsively or acknowledge the anger their insult may have provoked. Take a step back, count to 10, and consider a more effective way to deal with the situation. It’s crucial to invest time in reflecting on your emotions, understanding their origins, and selecting a response that benefits you in the long term. This emotional detachment enables you to make more effective decisions.
“It is not what men do that disturbs us (for those acts are matters of their own control and reasoning), but our opinions of what they do. Take away those opinions – dismiss your judgment that this is something terrible – and your anger goes away as well.” — Marcus Aurelius
4. Meditation and Self-Control
Practice meditation & self-control: In the Stoic tradition, meditation and self-control play a significant role in maintaining inner tranquility in challenging situations. This involves resisting impulsive reactions and aligning decisions with long-term goals. Meditation, according to the Stoics, enhances self-awareness, emotional management, and mental clarity, contributing to resilience in the face of uncertainty and adversity.
“The character of those things you often think about will be the character of your understanding, for the mind is dyed by its thoughts. Dip it, therefore, in a succession of thoughts such as these: for instance, that where it is possible to live, it is also possible to live well.” — Marcus Aurelius
5. Virtuous Response
Virtuous Response: When confronted with adversity, ask yourself, “What virtue can I practice in this situation?” For example, facing challenges with courage, responding with wisdom, and maintaining patience during difficult times.
“Our common life is founded on kindness and harmony; it is bound in a compact of mutual assistance, not by fear, but by love of one another.” — Seneca