Hi, my dear subscribers!

Recently, I noticed it’s so easy to fall into the deep rabbit hole of overthinking. So easy.

I have chatted with my friends and noticed that we all tend to overthink.

We anticipate some terrible outcomes for the events. We also tend to experience imposter syndrome regularly and easily fall into the trap of trying to control something beyond our reach.

All of that raises anxiety levels to the moon in less than a second.

🔔 Alert: I am going to share something personal 🫣

I find myself awake at night worrying about something beyond my control. I think of how my 80s will look or what will happen when I’m gone.

At the same time, I understand that it’s hardly possible to move forward if you are stuck with this overthinking whirlpool.

I believe that we can learn a lot from stoic philosophers from ancient times on this.

🎯 Dichotomy of Control

First, the stoic principles of the dichotomy of control are essential. We should all focus on what is in our hands and let go of what we cannot control. In other words, control the controllables. This is the number one stoic principle I find extremely helpful. It works in many aspects.

When you launch a project, you might worry, “What happens if it fails? What happens if I don’t do it on time?” But these thoughts don’t help. You know the risks so that you can plan for them. Your focus should be not on what if it goes bad but on what is in your power today to make it on time. Feel this difference.

When I launched my talent management projects for the tech team, I worried, “What if they don’t understand it? What if I make it in the wrong way?”. However, I started thinking in smaller steps and in a way of what I can do today that the team is more involved and that the team understands the concept better.

🤝 Don’t think, “He is dirty.”

The next principle of stoicism that I find really helpful is avoiding labeling. Stoics say if you see someone hasn’t washed their hands, you don’t immediately label them as dirty; you think, “They haven’t washed their hands.” This is about thinking in facts without overthinking. If someone seems rude to you in an email, you can assume they are generally impolite. But you also might think that they just don’t know how to write a good email, they might be in a rush, or they might be more of a verbal person who prefers face-to-face conversations.

⚽️ Talk less about gladiators

The third principle I try to apply daily is “talk less about gladiators.” Stoics value meaningful conversations over casual small talk. It’s all about quality time with your friends, partners, and colleagues. It’s always better to invest time in meaningful conversations that lead to ideas exchange, knowledge growth, and just better feelings.

I hope you find these thoughts helpful. If you want to dive more into stoic thoughts and their meanings in modern life, I highly recommend checking the Daily Stoic blog at https://dailystoic.com and excellent books by Ryan Holiday. You can start with “Obstacle is the way” and “Ego is the enemy.”

That’s it for today. Let me know if you apply other stoic principles in your life and at work.

Have a productive and mindful week.

Vlad

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