“Don’t seek for everything to happen as you wish it would, but rather wish that everything happens as it actually will—then your life will flow well.”
— Epictetus, Enchiridion, 8
“It is easy to praise providence for anything that may happen if you have two qualities: a complete view of what has actually happened in each instance and a sense of gratitude. Without gratitude what is the point of seeing, and without seeing what is the object of gratitude?”
— Epictetus, Discourses, 1.6.1–2
Every one of us has moments where life doesn’t go as planned — the deal falls through, the opportunity slips away, the project we poured ourselves into collapses. Our instinct is to fight reality, to replay what went wrong, to wish things had been different.
But Epictetus offers a radical alternative: stop wishing for events to go your way — instead, wish for events to unfold exactly as they do. This mindset doesn’t mean resignation; it means alignment with life itself. When you stop resisting what is, your energy shifts from frustration to flow.
The Power of Acceptance
Stoicism teaches the “art of acquiescence” — the discipline of accepting reality as it comes. You cannot change the past, but you can change your opinion about it. You can choose to release resentment and replace it with understanding.
Acceptance isn’t weakness; it’s clarity. It allows you to move forward with wisdom rather than remain trapped in the loop of “what if.” When you accept what happens, you begin to see each event not as punishment or misfortune, but as part of your path — a lesson designed for your growth.
From Acceptance to Love
The most advanced Stoics didn’t stop at acceptance — they elevated it into love. Friedrich Nietzsche later called this amor fati, or love of fate — the idea that we should not only accept what happens, but embrace it with gratitude.
To love your fate is to see every twist and turn, every victory and setback, as essential to your story. It’s the recognition that the universe doesn’t make mistakes. What happens to you is also happening for you — shaping your strength, refining your character, and guiding you closer to your purpose.
Gratitude: The Gateway to Joy
Gratitude transforms acceptance into joy. It’s one thing to say, “I’ll make peace with what happened.” It’s another to say, “I’m thankful it happened.” That’s where true freedom begins. When you can look at your life — the good, the bad, the uncertain — and feel genuine gratitude, you no longer live as a victim of circumstance. You live as a conscious creator, awake and aligned with the flow of life.
Epictetus and Nietzsche both point us to the same truth: when you stop demanding that life conform to your desires, you discover that everything you need is already happening.
Armen’s Perspective
In business and in life, I’ve learned that resistance drains energy, while acceptance channels it. Deals fall apart, partnerships shift, opportunities evolve — but each moment carries something valuable if you stay open to it.
When you learn to embrace reality with both strength and gratitude, you move from frustration to flow. That’s when you stop reacting to life and start dancing with it.
— Armen Mardirousi
Entrepreneur · Real Estate Broker · Builder of Legacies