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Psychopaths can make any risky choice without a thought, as their brains cannot process fear.For the rest of us, we often feel frozen before a life-changing decision — by imagining what could go wrong.
“We suffer more in imagination than in reality.” — Seneca
Stoic philosophers had three useful ways to break out of this mental freeze:
- Separate the controllable from the uncontrollable.
- Force the mind to see opportunity where others see obstacles.
- Practice ‘Premeditatio Malorum‘ — anticipation of potential pitfalls.
Surprisingly, they remain as relevant today as they were in ancient Rome.
1. Separating Controllable From Uncontrollable
Marcus Aurelius wrote, “You have power over your mind — not outside events.”
Epictetus put it simply: “Some things are in our control and others not.”
Diana Nyad Story
In 2013, Diana Nyad attempted her fifth swim from Cuba to Florida. She was 64 years old. Four previous tries had failed due to jellyfish stings, asthma attacks, and storms.
Nyad focused on what she could control. She trained her body to withstand cold water for longer periods. She assembled a support team with shark experts and navigation specialists. And got them to develop a special mask to prevent jellyfish stings.
The things beyond her control remained significant: ocean currents, weather patterns, and marine life movements. Each played their role.
When storm clouds gathered, she kept swimming. When currents pushed her off course, her team adjusted. When jellyfish appeared, she trusted her protective gear.
After 53 hours in the water, Nyad reached Florida. She became the first person to make this swim without a shark cage. “I never knew I would succeed,” she said later. “I just knew I could control my preparation, my attitude, and my response to whatever the ocean threw at me.”
What Nyad did was focus her energy on what she could influence.
2. Seeing Opportunity In Obstacles
The Philosopher-King Marcus Aurelius observed, “The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.”
Stoics believe that obstacles are temporary, expected, and nature-given. So they embrace the challenge, adapt themselves, and grow stronger out of the experience.
These are two great examples of this, the second one especially heart-warming:
Green Bay Packers Story
When Aaron Rodgers left the Green Bay Packers in 2023 after playing there for nearly two decades, many thought the team would collapse. Rescue came from Love.
Jordan Love had sat on the bench for three years, drafted in 2020 to Rodgers’ visible frustration. Rodgers even won two MVP awards after Love’s arrival, as if to prove the Packers wrong.
But when Rodgers moved to the Jets in 2023, Love seized his moment. While Rodgers struggled with injuries and losses in New York, Love led the Packers to the playoffs in his first season as starter, throwing for 4,159 yards and 32 touchdowns.
The obstacle of losing a legendary quarterback pushed the Packers to develop their next star – exactly as they had done years earlier when Brett Favre left and a young Aaron Rodgers stepped up.
Def Leppard Story
Rick Allen, the drummer of Def Leppard, lost his left arm in a car accident in 1984. Most people thought his drumming career was over.
Instead, he worked with engineers to design a special electronic drum kit. The system used foot pedals to trigger sounds his left arm would normally play. He learned to redistribute complex rhythms between his right arm and his feet.
In 1987, Def Leppard released “Hysteria” — their best-selling album ever — with Allen’s new drumming style.
3. Using Premeditatio Malorum To Transform Fear
“Premeditatio Malorum,” translated as the “premeditation of evil,” seems like a counterintuitive approach to decision-making. But it can provide a controlled path through uncertainty, and transform imagined fear into a strategic tool.
Chris Hadfield Story
In 2009, astronaut Chris Hadfield trained for a space walk to repair the Hubble telescope. NASA required him to imagine every possible disaster.
He practiced in a massive pool, where instructors would suddenly cut his oxygen supply. They would tangle his safety lines. They would turn off his lights.
“What’s the next thing that could kill me?” became his daily question. Each morning, he listed potential problems: a torn spacesuit, a broken tether, or a tool floating away. Then he developed solutions for each scenario.
During the actual space walk, his left eye started burning. The anti-fog solution in his helmet had irritated it, causing tears. In zero gravity, the tears formed a blob that covered his eye. Soon, both eyes were crying.
But Hadfield stayed calm. He had imagined far worse scenarios. He knew his training. He completed the repair while temporarily blind, using his memory of the equipment’s layout and his practiced movements.
Later, he explained how the Stoic practice helped: “By visualizing failure in advance, success becomes less about luck and more about preparation.”
Each day of indecision is a day stolen from your most ambitious self.
How To Practice Premeditatio Malorum
Premeditatio Malorum helps us face fears with logic instead of panic. It turns vague worries into clear problems we can solve.
1. Be Honest To Yourself
The first step is brutal honesty. What’s the absolute worst that could happen?
Start by writing down your exact fears. Don’t say, “Everything might go wrong.” Say instead, “I might fail this project and disappoint my team.”
Naming our fears can make them smaller. When we look at them closely, we often find they’re not as big as we imagined.
Perhaps AI will take your job. What could happen? You may struggle financially. You may feel embarrassed to meet your successful friends.
By naming these fears explicitly, you strip them of their paralyzing power.
2. Plan Prevention And Repair
Next comes prevention and repair. For each potential disaster, develop a concrete mitigation strategy.
For each specific problem, create two plans: how to prevent it and how to recover from it.
Fear of public speaking
• Prevention: Practice your speech twenty times
• Recovery: If you stumble, pause, smile, and continue; the audience often forgets small mistakes
Fear of job loss
• Prevention: Apply to one new job each week while employed. Join three industry groups. Take one new certification course every six months.
• Recovery: Keep three months of savings ready. Build a list of 50 companies you’d like to work for. Write down all your skills and achievements.
Fear of money problems
• Prevention: Save 10% of each paycheck. Learn one new job skill each quarter. Cut three unnecessary expenses now.
• Recovery: Create a bare-minimum budget. List five ways to earn quick side income. Know which bills you can pause temporarily.
Fear of damaged reputation
• Prevention: Document your successes weekly. Help three coworkers each month. Share credit for team wins.
• Recovery: Keep proof of your good work. Stay connected with past bosses who liked you. Learn to tell your career story well.
3. See Opportunities And Rewards
But the Stoic approach doesn’t stop at risk management. It demands you also consider the potential rewards.
They taught every challenge brings a chance to grow stronger. More important, they ask us to think of the cost of inaction.
For a moment, stop overestimating external risks. Instead, think about how you might lose out on a big success if you don’t do anything.
When you face a challenge:
- First, list what you might lose
- Then, list what you might gain
- Finally, consider the cost of doing nothing
4. Build Courage
This isn’t about recklessness. It’s about calculated courage.
Each difficulty makes you stronger — but only if you face it directly. Think of courage like a muscle. Each time you face a fear, your courage grows.
True wisdom lies not in eliminating risk, but in developing the resilience to navigate it. Your capacity to respond to a challenge matters more than the challenge itself.
A simple act of courage is to stop whining about things outside your control. Act despite fear, and the fear will dissolve.
Final Words
Premeditatio Malorum isn’t about dwelling on negativity, but about confronting our deepest fears with clear-eyed rationality.
Innovators aren’t completely fearless, they just refuse to let fear have the final word. Each tough decision expands their boundaries of what’s possible.
The next time you find yourself trapped in an endless loop of “what-ifs,” remember the Stoic practice. Define your fears. Plan your defenses. Imagine your potential. Then act.
Because in the end, we regret not the risks we took, but the opportunities we were too afraid to pursue.
√ Also Read: The Stoic Triangle of Happiness
√ Please share it with someone if you found this helpful.