Stoicism for a Happy Working Life

The working world barely caters to the needs of people. Rather, profit is the focus. For this reason, many employees have legitimate reasons to complain. But what good does it do? In the end, most of us have no choice but to adapt and see how we can cope with the existing circumstances. Because which one of us has the power to cushion or even end the negative consequences of globalization, digitalization, or market liberalization? Finding Strategies So, we need to find something that can make us happy in the modern working world, even though the conditions often do not prove to be conducive to happiness. We are not the first people in the world to face difficult circumstances. So why not take a look at how previous generations dealt with adversity?! And that's where the philosophy of the Stoics comes in: because they developed strategies with which they could create stable happiness even in extreme situations. Being stoic does not mean tolerating everything with equanimity. On the contrary: the Stoics were very keen on living as happily and joyfully as possible. They sought ways to create a stable happiness for themselves that should be independent of external factors. They managed to find a whole range of methods to immunize themselves against external influences. 3 Paths to Stable Happiness I would like to exemplify three strategies here with which the Stoics were able to find happiness that made them independent of external circumstances: Impulse Control The Stoics refused to give other people or things power over their emotional lives. They were determined not to let anything or anyone rob them of their peace of mind. Therefore, they paid great attention not to react impulsively and thoughtlessly. They restrained their impulses and controlled their thoughts and actions. Realistic Expectations The Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius (one of the most famous Stoics) advised people: "Begin each day by telling yourself: Today I will be dealing with interference, ingratitude, insolence, disloyalty, ill-will, and selfishness." With this perspective, one is prepared for almost anything and internally equipped. This makes it possible to deal more calmly with any kind of adversity. Gratitude The Stoics practiced a gratitude exercise that we now know as "negative visualization." This involves imagining that all the good things we take for granted were suddenly no longer there. Because we tend to completely lose sight of the good when we are faced with an unsatisfactory situation. Then our perception is distorted, because only the problem matters. This one-sided view significantly impairs well-being.