“To be everywhere is to be nowhere.” – Seneca

Stoicism is a philosophy on how to live your best life – honing wisdom, virtue and positivity while learning to handle and reduce negative emotions, and realizing that many things in life are beyond your control. Like traffic. Like other people’s opinions. Like hearing Baby Shark.

The most famous Stoics in history – Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus, Mr. Rogers – managed stress, dealt with setbacks and faced adversity by practicing gratitude, journaling and a variety of other methods that helped them lead more mindful lives. While this may sound like “hippy-dippy nonsense,” practicing Stoicism can help you while running your small business – from finding more time when you thought the well had run dry, to shifting your view of problems as opportunities rather than obstacles.

Here are five ways practicing Stoicism can benefit small business owners:

You’ll remember what you have control over – and what you don’t

This is one of the fundamentals of Stoicism. The late delivery of one of your flagship products from a supplier isn’t frustrating; it’s simply something that has happened. Frustration is something you choose to take part in, and it’s something Stoics consider a loss. When you lose control over your emotions, it detracts from focusing on the things you can control – and this is key to fulfillment. How will you inform your customers of this delay? A kindly worded email expressing your appreciation for their patience? An offer of free delivery on their next order? This is within your control. If you’re having trouble adopting this mindset, read 9 Stoic Practices That Will Help You Thrive.

You’ll care less about what others think of you

This doesn’t mean you should go around acting like an ass. You should care about how you and your business are viewed by others. However, when adopting a Stoic lifestyle, you need to give yourself completely to what you are doing and be grateful for the opportunity. If virtue is driving your decisions and you are satisfied with the outcome, then what others think of you (good or bad) is, again, simply beyond your control. Stoics believed that stage fright is simply the fear of not being applauded after a performance – a performer who blissfully sings to themselves while alone can be wracked with anxiety when preparing to sing in front of others. In both cases, they love singing, so what is the issue? Their concern for what others think. Running a small business is no different. Do you have imposter syndrome? Are you worried that people think your tuxedos for cats business is silly? As long as you’re doing it to the best of your ability – and learning from your mistakes along the way – then simply be grateful for the opportunity to try. Remember that all you have is this moment. A great read on this subject is Stoicism: How to Use Stoic Philosophy to Find Inner Peace and Happiness by Jason Hemlock.

You’ll be more efficient

When Stoics reflect on their own mortality, it isn’t a scary, sombre thing. Seneca and Marcus Aurelius both made time each day to remind themselves that their time was limited. Rather than sit around worrying about this, they used it as an impetus to make every moment count. Do you realise that the last interaction you had with a customer, the last idea for a new service that you jotted down, or the last cupcake order you baked could be your VERY last? Would you have done anything differently, or acted sooner? We have no idea what is going to happen. Rather than focusing on how morbid this may seem, try to use this thought as a springboard to being present in every moment. Once you get into this habit, tasks that burn your energy in exchange for little reward become unacceptable. Doing something to simply “pass the time” becomes not so normal. New avenues to productivity and purpose open up. And every moment should have purpose because you aren’t getting it back. Click here for tips on being more mindful at work.

You’ll want less

The ancient Stoics often referred to “practicing poverty.” This involved making a point to eat the plainest food, wear undesirable clothing and deny themselves the overindulgences of the wealthy. The purpose of this was to help them remember that the things that made them truly happy were already present in their lives: family, a place to live, nature or access to enough food. Is the purpose of your business to make you wealthy? If your answer is yes, then you’re probably destined for a life of stress. Fortunes come and go like the tide – is tying your happiness to them fulfilling? Say you’re one of two gym owners in town. The other gym has state-of-the-art equipment and a smoothie bar, and the owner drives a Porsche. Would this bother you if you didn’t have the same? You can’t control what that owner is doing. But you can control what you do with what you have. Perhaps you have a smaller client base that loves the atmosphere at your gym and sees great results from the fitness classes you run. If helping others achieve their fitness goals while fostering community relations is fulfilling to you, and you’re experiencing the added bonus of making a living doing it, should you waste energy being upset about how others present their success? For more on how to practise this, read How to Want Less and Be Happy About It.

You’ll be more grateful

Stoics believe that even the worst of times should be looked at with gratitude. Marcus Aurelius ruled over a vast empire, dealing with problems that most people will never encounter in their lives. Yet he often spoke of how grateful he was to experience these issues – to have the opportunity to make mistakes and grow as both a leader and a person. Again, bad things are going to happen – but these are just things. Your reaction to them is everything. Perhaps one of your staff made an error that angered a client. Should you yell at them and threaten their job, raising your blood pressure and ruining your day? Or should you look at it as an opportunity to teach them, letting them know how to correct their mistakes and make things right with the client? Only one of these actions will benefit you in the long run. If you aren’t looking at setbacks as a chance to grow, it will only take a few of them to break you. Click here for the Ultimate Gratitude Journal Guide.

Stoicism is great for helping small business owners achieve clarity and happiness in their work. Change is inevitable – but by practicing gratitude, resiliency and good judgement, we are equipping ourselves to face it, good or bad.

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