"Do not seek for things to happen the way you want them to; rather, wish that what happens happens the way it happens: then you will be happy." - Epictetus
Reflection
Plans fracture. Features vanish. Roadmaps redraw themselves mid-sprint.
We brace. We hesitate. We hope the dust will settle.
The shift isn't what breaks us. It's locking into a plan that no longer compiles.
The Stoics understood this well. Epictetus taught peace isn't in steering the world but in being in sync with its motion.
Yes, sometimes change reveals cracks in the structure, like planning missteps, rushed decisions, and priorities that never belonged. Still, Stoic thinking doesn't dwell there.
It shifts the frame from judgment to responsibility.
The real question isn't "Why did this happen?"
It's "Who will I become in response?"
Some freeze, others force ahead. The practiced developer pauses observes, and adjusts with care, not impulse.
Don't retreat. Adapt. Rewrite your mental model. Pull the real branch. Commit to what's in front of you, not the version you hoped for.
Let go of the plan. Return to the problem. That's where the real work lives.
Today's Insight
Adaptation is awareness in motion.
Clarity begins the moment you align with what already is.
Action Steps
- Spot the Shift - Identify a recent unexpected change. A dropped feature? A shifted goalpost? A misaligned decision?
- Trace Your Reaction - Did you resist? Did you overcorrect? Did you investigate?
- Refactor Your Approach - Make one focused adjustment today. No reaction. Response.
Consider This
What if change doesn't just echo through the system but points you to where you need to go?
What kind of developer might you become if every shift taught you to build with greater precision?