Ancient concepts of stoicism from Marcus Aurelius’ “Meditations” still offer insights into navigating the pitfalls of modern office politics.
Some years ago, I was in a meeting to discuss an event at which the CEO would deliver the keynote speech.
I checked my diary, and there was another meeting just before lunch. I joked about seeing the same crew in a few minutes. Turns out they were in the next one too. One former workmate elaborated. “Everyone cares about work. It is impossible not to, as it is so bound up with our identities and our egos. But most people care too much,” they said. “They get obsessed and caught up in issues that actually don’t matter. Obviously, we all care about what we do. But we should just let some things go. Don’t care too much.”
Moderately care about things that go wrong without obsessively ruminating on them. Some lucky people seem to breeze through work because nothing much bothers them.A stoic is not concerned with what others think. Marcus Aurelius cared about taking charge of his thoughts, focusing on what he could control, taking on board criticism and leading a simple life. He believed that wishing for a different reality was pointless, when his efforts could be directed towards something more meaningful.
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