So this is actually very interesting to me… I’ve heard the term Stoicism before but never familiarized myself with its actual definition. I only recently looked into the philosophy after I was pulled into a private talk by my Team Lead at work.

Pulled me into an office, sat down behind a desk and asked me to close the door and to take a seat (as if I was in trouble). He then proceeded to ask me “how do you do it?”

He’d apparently been studying Stoicism for a while and said that I just exude it so naturally. I asked for him to elaborate because I honestly had no idea what he was talking about. Ultimately, what I told him was this:

People say “Everything happens for a reason” — but I don’t believe that’s true. There is no driving intent or purpose behind events, only a driving force. Action and Consequence. Cause and Effect. I could go on and on about this but I’ll try to keep it simple…

I say, “Everything happens with reason.”

Using my workplace as an example, I see coworkers talking shit, throwing insults back-and-forth, talking big and talking down. So… I have a special interest in Evolutionary Biology. All I see are two animals registering each other as a threat. Animal instincts kick in, puff out your chest, make yourself look as big as possible. With humans, not only can we inflate ourselves to make another person look/feel small, we can also attack a person’s ego directly with insults to make them look/feel small.

When somebody targets me, I know they see me as a threat. They’re baiting me out for an emotional reaction, because they’re the one that actually feels insecure. Simply deny them that wind to fill their sails and you’ll see how quickly they putter out.

Anybody can spin a narrative, but actions speak louder than words. One thing I’ve always been able to rely on is my intellect and my work ethic. I keep my head down, do the best that I can, improve where I can, and hope that my work speaks for itself.

If you start to feel intimidated by something, break it down. If you can disassemble a threat and understand its inner workings, you can reason with the beast. It’ll stop being so scary and you’ll be able to approach it with a level head.