“Apply yourself to thinking through difficulties — hard times can be softened, tight squeezes widened, and heavy loads made lighter for those who can apply the right pressure.”
SENECA, ON TRANQUILITY OF MIND, 10.4b
You will find yourself in difficult times, at some point in the future. That much is a given, for all of us. Challenges await us, no doubt.
But when they arrive, look for the space, the room that you have, within those difficulties. Think about how you can maneuver, adjust, and adapt within that space that remains. Where can you apply pressure to modify your circumstances? What can be softened/widened/lightened?
Of course, this brings us back to the central tenet of stoicism: Focus on what you can control. It’s no less true here.
So do whatever you can, when troubles assail you. Do your best, muster your remaining energy and drive, within the options that are still available to you. That’s all you can do!
But don’t despair and give up, just focus on what you do have control over, and do an excellent job there. Dig deep for “that kind of energy and creativity and above all faith in yourself that you need right now”, as author Ryan Holiday says in today’s entry of The Daily Stoic.
Hard days, revisited
A couple of days ago, I wrote an article that included a personal anecdote about my challenges at work. I wrote about a project that I don’t want to be involved in, which is driving me crazy. The point of that article was that we should set aside the situation, and likewise recognize and set aside the emotions that threaten to overwhelm us, and just focus on what we can control. I wasn’t having a ton of success actually applying that wisdom, though.
Well, in the last couple of days, I feel like I’ve turned a corner. I’ve been able to focus on what I can control in this nightmare project — which isn’t a lot, honestly! But just realizing that I don’t have control over much at all in this project, and realizing that I had to let go of the parts that were outside my control… well that kind of set me free a little bit.
The parts of this project that I can control, are what I’m focusing on now. I’m working within the space that remains, applying pressure where I can to soften/widen/lighten different circumstances (with varying degrees of success). I’m doing my best, with the room that I have to maneuver. And I feel a lot better about that, and about all of it.
