"The wise man does not have anything contrary to expectations": 5 ideas of stoicism for entrepreneurs

Create the right environment

Above all, make sure that former acquaintances and friends do not drag you along. Otherwise, you will fail. You must choose what is more important to you: to be loved by such friends and not to develop or become better, but to lose these friends.

Epictetus "Conversations"

Goethe expressed a similar thought. We all know his words: "Tell me who your friend is, and I will tell you who you are."

Think about who you are letting into your life. Ask yourself, “Are these people helping me to get better? Do they inspire me by their example? Or are they pulling me back? Should I spend more time with them?"

The second part of Goethe's statement explains why this is so important: "Tell me what you do, and I will tell you what you can do."

Learn to think negatively

That is why we can say that for a sage nothing happens contrary to expectations, for him everything happens in accordance not with his desires, but with assumptions. In particular, he foresees that something can oppose his designs.

Seneca "On the serenity of the spirit"

Often, we only learn through bitter experience that external factors govern our lives. But if the surprises catch you off guard every time, you will not only feel miserable at any failure, it will be very difficult for you to get down to business again. The only way to deal with this situation is to anticipate trouble ahead of time.

Of course, you can be called a pessimist. But it’s better to appear skeptical than to be caught off guard by unforeseen circumstances. By counting on troubles, you can prepare for them or even find a way to avoid them altogether. So you will always have a backup plan and no adversity can break you.

Do nothing out of habit

In most cases, we act in certain circumstances, not guided by the correct premises, but as a result of an unfortunate habit.

Guy Mouzonius Rufus "Lectures"

Think about how often you do something purely automatically. And if in response to the question why you are doing this or that this way, you say “Because it has always been done this way,” it’s time to think about your approach to life. Philosophy was created to help us in this.

Try to identify what you are doing mechanically or out of habit. Ask yourself: "Can't it be done differently?"

Think of yourself as a business

Just as one person enjoys improving his economy, so I enjoy the gradual improvement of myself.

Epictetus "Conversations"

It is very fashionable to be an entrepreneur now. There is no doubt that starting your own business is immensely satisfying. People devote their whole lives to this, working non-stop and constantly taking risks.

But shouldn't we be as interested in self-development as in developing our own business? Shouldn't we take our lives as seriously as we do our work? In the end, what is more important to us?

Career is not for life

Disgusting old man, emitting his spirit in the middle of a court session, sorting out the litigation of the most insignificant squabblers, eagerly catching the approval of ignorant spectators! Shame on him who dies in the line of duty, tired of life before work!

Seneca "On the transience of life"

We should not be so absorbed in work that we forget that we are all mortal. Do you really want to be remembered as a person who cannot stop in time? Is there really nothing in your life more important than work and are you ready to work until they put you in a coffin?

Yes, it is very important to be proud of your work. But this is not the only thing in this life.