In today's era, owning a business is difficult and comes with numerous challenges, including economic downturns, reduced consumer spending, rising raw material costs, and an ever-increasing number of competitors constantly vying for market share
Due to the prevailing circumstances, many business owners face pressure that leads them to believe that businesses cannot afford to make mistakes. These mistakes, in turn, create immense stress, damaging both the physical and mental health of the business owners
This article will discuss three philosophical concepts that will help you gain a new perspective, not only finding solutions but also potentially improving your mental health and enabling you to cope with change more resiliently
Stoic philosophy (Stoicism)
“We suffer more in imagination than in reality.” Seneca
We suffer more from imagination than from reality
One of the key concepts of Stoic philosophy is the acceptance that we can only control certain things and should let go of what is beyond our control.
In the business world, there are many factors beyond our control, such as the global economy, politics, weather, import and export taxes, or even customer behavior at certain times
- We cannot stop the economic recession
- We cannot demand clear skies on the day of an outdoor event
- We cannot change the minds of all customers in the market overnight
But what we can do is manage our cash flow well, adjust our sales strategies, improve our products, create new content that reaches consumers, and learn from our mistakes to adapt consciously. Stoic philosophy doesn't teach us to give up, but rather to stop using our energy on irrational things and instead use it on things we can realistically accomplish
Zen philosophy
“This too shall pass.”
This… will pass
Zen philosophy, rooted in Buddhist concepts, emphasizes impermanence, letting go, and accepting the reality we face. Sometimes we encounter situations where we cannot go back and fix the problems, such as making mistakes at work that lead to missed opportunities or setbacks
Zen doesn't tell you to give up, but to accept mistakes and missed opportunities. If you think about it, dwelling on problems emotionally won't improve anything; it will only make your mood worse. Just accept it as it is and keep some of the lessons learned
In the business world, one company that perfectly exemplifies the Zen philosophy is Netflix. During the transition from DVDs to streaming, Netflix missed several key opportunities
- They separated the DVD service from the streaming service (called Qwikster)
- The sudden price increase has caused dissatisfaction among users
The incident caused a mass cancellation of accounts by users. If he had chosen to give up, we wouldn't have the movies we watch today. But he chose to leave the mistake behind, learn from it, and invest in his own original content, transforming himself from just a platform into a "creative studio" with over 250 million members worldwide.
Existentialism
“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.”
— Albert Einstein
Amidst difficulties, opportunities are often hidden
In an era where everything seems easier than ever, we're accustomed to "pressing a button and everything happens instantly."
Regardless of the reason:
- Do your homework with ChatGPT
- Order food through the app and wait at home
- Buy online with just one click and have your items delivered right to your doorstep
This ease gradually makes us avoid complications, hesitant to try challenging tasks, or stepping outside our comfort zone.
But in the business world, nothing is truly "easy." Creating something new or adding value often involves confusion, failure, and uncertainty. The heart of Existentialism is that "we are the ones who give meaning to what happens to us."
Whether it's success, failure, or difficulty, whether those things are valuable or not depends on the perspective we choose. Doing business means throwing ourselves into uncertainty. If we view mistakes as the "end," we will stop. But if we see them as "a step towards growth," we will keep going
Like James Dyson , he spent 15 years testing over 5,126 vacuum cleaner prototypes . Many would have given up after the 100th, but he didn't interpret failure as "it didn't work." He saw it as "data for moving forward," and ultimately, Dyson became one of the world's strongest innovative brands.
Because he chose to "define failure" as a path to success, not a dead end
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