The first thing to do—don’t get worked up. For everything happens according to the nature of all things, and in a short time you’ll be nobody and nowhere, even as the great emperors Hadrian and Augustus are now. The next thing to do—consider carefully the task at hand for what it is, while remembering that your purpose is to be a good human being. Get straight to doing what nature requires of you, and speak as you see most just and fitting—with kindness, modesty, and sincerity.
—Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 8.5
Imagine, for a second, what Marcus‘s life as an emperor must have been like. He would preside over the Senate. He would lead the troops in battle, direct the grand strategy of the army as its highest commander. He would also hear appeals—from citizens, from lawyers, from foreign governments. In other words, like most people in power, he was called on to make decisions: all day, every day, decision after decision.
His formula for decision making is a battle-tested method for doing and acting right—literally. Which is why we ought to try to use it ourselves.
First, don’t get upset—because that will color your decision negatively and make it harder than it needs to be.
Second, remember the purpose and principles you value most. Running potential actions through this filter will eliminate the bad choices and highlight the right ones.
Don’t get upset.
Do the right thing.
That’s it.
* Source: The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman