Ever feel like you’re constantly chasing success — measuring your worth based on results, and letting the outcome control how you feel? What if freedom wasn’t about controlling everything around you, but learning to focus on only what you can control?
The Stoics believe that true freedom comes from detaching ourselves from the results of what we are seeking and putting our energy into what we can control our efforts. This simple mindset shift has the power to change how we experience our lives and work.
The Archer Analogy: Effort vs. Outcome
Picture an archer. Hours of practice, precise aim, and unwavering focus go into training, just to be able to release that arrow. But once it’s gone, you can’t control what happens — weather, distance, wind. They can’t force it to hit the bullseye. The only thing you can control is the effort you put in, the work that went into drawing back the bow.
That’s the Stoic perspective, the only thing we can control is our effort, not the outcome. When we shift our focus to effort, we free ourselves from the emotional rollercoaster that success or failure typically brings. It’s not about the bullseye — it’s about the process.
How Stoicism Applies to Everyday Life
In a world that thrives on outcomes, how can we adopt the Stoic approach? Let’s look at a few examples:
- Career Goals: Ambition is great, but when we tie our worth to that next promotion or recognition, stress seems to follow. Instead, measure your success by the effort you put in. Did you show up? Did you truly give it your best shot? Focus on your work, not the outcome.
- Creative Projects: Artists often fear rejection. Whether it’s writing (I know I often do every day), painting, or designing, we can’t control how the world will receive what we create. But we can control how much care or thought we put into the process. Focus on crafting the work, not the applause.
- Relationships: In relationships, we can’t control how others act or feel. Whether it’s friendship, family, or romance, focus on being the best partner you can be. If the relationship thrives, great. If not, you’ll know you gave your best.
The Paradox of Freedom
At first, it might sound like Stoicism is advocating for emotional indifference, that we shouldn’t care about the outcome or anything. But that’s not the case. The Stoics weren’t saying we shouldn’t care about success — they were teaching us to care about our effort, not the outcome, just the things we can control.
By detaching ourselves from the need for results, we free ourselves from the fear of failure and chasing results. This allows us to focus on the present moment and put our focus and energy into that work, our effort.
Practical Steps for Focusing on Effort
Shifting your mindset takes time. Here are a few steps to help you get there:
- Define What You Can Control: Identify what’s in your control (your effort, your mindset, your actions) and what’s not (the outcome).
- Set Process-Oriented Goals: Rather than aiming for a specific result, or one end goal, instead focus on your effort and habits.
- Practice Daily Reflection: Spend time journaling about the effort you’ve put in each day, not the outcomes you had.
- Embrace Failures as Feedback: See failure as a lesson, not a setback. Growth is on the other side of failure.
- Revisit the Archer Analogy: Remind yourself that the bullseye isn’t in your hands.
A Life of Freedom
So, how does this Stoic mindset change your life? When you focus on your effort rather than the outcome, you become more present, resilient, and engaged in the process. This shift doesn’t mean you’ll work any less hard than you would have, it just means you’ll enjoy the journey more once it’s over. It’s not about the destination — it’s about the effort you put into every step along the way.
When you can let go of outcomes, you open yourself up to a kind of freedom that someone else can’t take away. And that freedom, which is rooted in effort, helps you find peace in the present moment.
Are you truly free right now? If you’re bound to outcomes, then likely not. But if you focus on your effort, you’ll find freedom that nothing else can give you.