The Discipline of Will

We must be mindful of our judgments at all times. This entails having a “philosophical attitude” toward life and acceptance of things that happen as necessary and inevitable. We do not control things outside of our sphere of influence, but we can navigate our responses and attitudes towards such events. To achieve this discipline requires taking personal responsibility, offering no excuses for inaction, and never “passing the buck.”

Nobody ever made a movie about the person who quit. As reflected in the “Hero’s Journey,” we are hardwired to admire those that overcome obstacles despite having all the odds against them. Rather than bemoaning a task or job you are given, you can turn a bit part into a starring role. The road to success begins with acceptance and understanding coupled with an intense desire to excel at whatever task we are assigned.

Great leaders find a way to transform weaknesses into strengths. They take what potentially could hold them back and use it to move forward. They turn adversity into advantage. Marcus Aurelius had something to say about this in his Meditations, all those thousands of years ago. “The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.” The concept of cultivating coherence is predominant in Stoicism and is extremely useful in the hectic, pressure cooker that is the business environment. To make clear and rational decisions, we must focus on that which is in our control.

“If we judge as good and evil only the things in the power of our own choice, then there is no room left for blaming gods or being hostile to others.” — Marcus Aurelius

John Leach, a military survival instructor, studies who lives and dies in catastrophic situations. Due to our internal “freeze” response that we covered earlier in this book, we know 75% of people become incapable of any action. They are unable to think, and become unable to plot their escape. 10% of people freak out and become dangerous to everyone else, hindering all of their survival chances. Stories about survival often focus on the 15%, and how their approach keeps them alive. When someone is in a new, unfamiliar environment, particularly a stressful one such as a sinking ship or a burning aircraft, establishing survival goals – where the exit is and how to get to it – requires a lot more conscious effort.

“Every time I go on a boat the first thing I do is find out where my lifeboat station is, because then if there is a problem I just have to respond, I don’t have to start thinking about it,” says Leach. Typically, survivors survive not because they are braver or more heroic than anyone else, but because they are better prepared.[1]

[1] BBC – Future – How to survive a disaster, http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20150128-how-to-survive-a-disaster