You're in a meeting from hell that has already run overtime when a co-worker asks a nonsensical question about paradigm shifting a value proposition. You sit in silent fury hoping a mob of emus will take them down for pushing the discussion out another 15 minutes. And you wonder, how on earth did I get here? Nearly 2000 years ago, Marcus Aurelius faced similar frustrations as Roman emperor, and his timeless insights into human behaviour show that not much has changed in the workplace. He understood that some things are within our control and others are not. We have power over our own minds, but not outside events or other people's actions. In Stoic at Work, Annie Lawson offers 49 modern rules that invoke ancient wisdom to help anyone with a job manage the mind games, the meltdowns and the disturbing reality that we must work until we die. With a little Stoic inspiration it is possible to transform work from a place of irritation to a place of joy. Or a place that is a bit more tolerable, at least.
