As someone who has been working in software development for over a decade, I used to deal with different kinds of stressful situations, be it priority changes, deadline shifts, conflicting colleagues, etc. I overcame some situations naturally and some situations were quite traumatizing and emotional. I started getting acquainted with Stoic philosophy in the last couple of years, and before that I was always interested in psychology and esoteric philosophy. The principles of Stoicism began to integrate very quickly and organically into my lifestyle as I became more and more familiar with it, and I really feel that it has already helped me a lot.
Stoicism is an ancient philosophy practiced by Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus, Seneca, and many other historical figures. For me, Stoicism is about harmony, focusing on what’s important, staying calm, eliminating negative and harmful things, self-control, and generally being the best version of yourself. I’d like to share my favorite principles along with some examples:
“The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.” — Marcus Aurelius
Example:
It’s quite common to be in the middle of something and suddenly your priority changes, so most of us may feel like we’ve put in some effort in vain and now we have to start something new and leave the previous task unfinished, which is why many of us end up angry or frustrated as a result.
Principle:
One of the main principles of stoicism is to be able to look reality in the eye as it is, to perceive all events as if you want them to be as they happen. In most cases, protesting against reality is just pointless, and eventually you’ll have to accept it anyway, so why not do it now? The best thing to do is to let it go and move forward immediately. In other words, “Accept what you cannot change.”
“Be like a vine that produces grapes without looking for anything in return.” — Marcus Aurelius.
Or
“Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be one.” – Marcus Aurelius
Example:
When we help people by doing favors and giving of our time and effort, we often expect something in return, but that’s not always the case, so we can get upset. Let’s say you helped your colleague, and when it’s you who needs some help, he is busy, away from the keyboard and so on, and as a result you get upset.
Principle:
We all ask ourselves what our purpose is, so why don’t we just set a goal to be a good, kind person, to make a positive impact in the current time and place, no matter what events are happening, not because you expect anything in return, but because it’s the right thing to do and it feels good to be helpful. What really matters is whether you’re a just person or a selfish person.
“If you really want to escape the things that harass you, what you’re needing is not to be in a different place but to be a different person.” – Seneca
Example:
Let’s imagine a situation where you as a QA need to validate the task, but it’s too technically complex or you need additional access or assistance from Dev, so you come over and ask for help, and in response you hear something like this: “Your work is irrelevant”, which means that the Dev is 100% sure that they did it correctly, and there is no need for QA. This happened to me a long time ago, and an indirect quote I provided also contained some curse words, so at that point I had two options: either respond to the insult and escalate, or remain professional. I choose second and calmly explained that we have a protocol to follow and I cannot close the task without making sure that functionality is working properly. So either Dev will help me or I’ll need to ask my supervisor to ask him for help and it’ll eventually end up the same. Dev silently helped and we closed the task.
Principle:
We don’t control the input, but we can control ourselves to transform for a different output. By focusing on what really matters and excluding everything that distracts from our perspective, we can do much more.
“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” – Seneca
Example:
“Black Swan” (Nassim Taleb’s book of the same name) has become a commonly accepted term today, describing an event that occurs unexpectedly and, moreover, has a huge impact. The main reason something you couldn’t predict happens is the lack of information. Martial arts fighters spend years preparing for situations that may never happen, but if such a situation does happen, they are ready. The same goes for when people learn new technologies, new methodologies, and new skills in software development. They may not all be necessary to apply in every situation, but you have the power to recognize and apply the most effective solution if you are prepared enough.
Principle:
Opportunity lies beneath every event that occurs, you just need to recognize it and to do so you must be well prepared.