Stoicism - an ancient philosophical practice developed by great minds such as Socrates, Plato, Epictetus, Seneca, Marcus Aurelius and more - is used and credited by many of today’s leaders.
The word ‘stoic’ usually conjures images of an emotionless persona, devoid of joy. However, the English adjective has deviated from the original meaning behind the philosophy.
Stoicism is really just a practical life philosophy, focused on curating and maintaining inner peace through the central idea: that the path to happiness can be found through living in the present moment, avoiding succumbing to either desire for pleasure, or fear of pain, and treating others fairly and justly.
The Stoics believe that one can achieve this by living a life of virtue; especially upholding four cornerstone virtuous principles in life - practical wisdom, temperance, courage, and justice.
They also have a strong belief in the idea of operating within our locus of control. We can only control what we can only control - and therefore there’s no point giving attention to external influences in your life that you have no control over.
What’s really fascinating about Stoicism is that the philosophy is a poignant reminder that even 2000 years ago, humans had the same stresses and life problems, and the philosophers sought answers to the same questions we face today.
So how can we apply stoicism to the modern-day workplace?
There are several areas where the essence of the philosophy can really come in handy. Unlike Plato, we do not need to succumb to a life of poverty to embrace suffering and pain, but we can still use some of the principles to reduce stress, increase motivation and improve our wellbeing.