On a recent episode of the Jocko Willink Podcast, the former Navy SEAL reviewed the Simple Sabotage Field Manual for friendly forces living within Nazi Germany. It was created by the Office of Strategic Services in 1944 as a spy's guide to damage enemy forces.

Oddly, most of it didn't involve James Bond-like gadgets. Its primary advice was for the average person to perform inconspicuous acts of sabotage. For instance:

• Clog drains
• Break tools
• Work slower or make a less than adequate effort
• Have an irritating attitude, act intentionally stupid, and be argumentative

Obviously, you'd expect a spy guide to have agents blowing something up. But Willink points out small irritants add up. They tend to build on each other exponentially, until it reaches a critical mass. Then, boom!

It's not the explosion you'd expect, but something falls apart. Willink explains we sabotage ourselves the same way. I couldn't agree more. I've always been an excellent undercover agent, blowing myself up on many occasions.

My weapon of choice was aggravation.

As I got older, it was easier to see how that feeling accumulated and what it did to me. I even developed a helpful way to visualize it.

The Aggravation Exhaustion Meter

As that aggravation level built up, it multiplied, making other small annoyances larger than they actually were. Now, think about this. Let's say you're getting up early in the morning, and tiny things build, tearing at you like this throughout the day. What's your emotional state by mid-afternoon?

Well, likely not good.

By the time I was finishing lunch, I could be that irritating, intentionally stupid, and argumentative saboteur. The general target was myself; at a point I'd just shut down. It was impossible to make a correct decision, I was tired, and my level of patience deteriorated to nothing.

That idea of aggravation accumulating got my mind churning.

I started seeing it as a meter, like a pressure gauge. As those frustrations built — multiplying on top of each other — levels started climbing to a critical mass.

As the meter dipped into the red, systems started shutting down.

Now in disaster movies, there's always a way to cool down the system before chaos occurs. Unfortunately, something fails. Life duplicates art here, following this plotline pretty closely.

It got me wondering how to cool down the system. Fortunately, after years of reading and listening to people much wiser than myself, an answer made itself clear.

Philosophy's Method For Cooling Down The System

"Keep in mind that what injures you is not people who are rude or aggressive, but your opinion that they are injuring you…the provocation really comes from your own judgement."

— Epictetus, the Enchiridion, translated by Anthony Long in How To Be Free

The Enchiridion are lecture notes taken from the Stoic philosopher Epictetus. And the name of the work is often translated as "handbook," or something kept close at hand. But Anthony Long has a different take.

He translates it to "hand dagger," or something kept close to you for personal protection. That's what Epictetus is for me. The former slave has lots to teach about being free by changing what goes on in our brain.

While we can often feel trapped — with no ability to make choices — Epictetus reveals we can always choose how we think. This is what frees us and gives us agency. In particular, when you realize a lot of aggravation is derived from how you think about things around you.

So, we allow the small things to annoy us and accumulate.

The philosopher says, "Nothing comes free of charge," even tranquility. To reach that level of calm we all desire, certain things must be let go. He reminds us "don't give power to things that aren't yours."

In other words, it's best to let go of things we can't control, like the following.

• The weather
• Traffic
• Other's opinion
• The random bouts of bad luck we all encounter

It all sounds simple and basic, but the idea is profound when you apply this to that mental pressure gauge of aggravation.

Applying This To The Pressure Gauge

I learned some of my major pressure builders were traffic on my commute and getting up early for work. They built stress before my workday started. But I couldn't control them, so what was the point of getting stressed?

I even embraced them since my thoughts could be controlled.

My ride to work — even on good days — tended to be at least forty minutes. So, I made it more interesting. Audio books and podcasts became my companions during the commute. Therefore, extra time in traffic meant more time to learn interesting things.

Furthermore, this worked with getting up early. I just got up earlier and added something for myself to the process — stretching.

This led to both stressors being neutralized, which meant less pressure built on my gauge early in the day. It was like a reverse to the accumulation of small things. Plus, I could extend this to other stressors.

My inner spy working to sabotage my day suddenly became much less powerful. Obviously, all stress couldn't be avoided. But I could identify trivial things to let go of, which dropped my pressure gauge down.

This left room to absorb those larger stressors when they did come, which kept me out of the red and still functional. This brings me back to the Simple Sabotage Field Manual.

You Not Only Sabotage Yourself, But Others Around You

Willink points out many of the tactics recommended in the field manual for destruction are the same performed by poor employees, significant others, or friends. Their small actions increase exponentially over time.

A bad attitude, deliberate incompetence, or being purposefully argumentative not only raises your gauge, but builds pressure on the people around you. In other words, you can become the saboteur in your own circle.

Therefore, keeping yourself out of the red helps others.

One of the best ways to do this is by channeling your inner Epictetus and searching out your small stressors that accumulate. Once you've got them, see what you need to let them go.

It might be enough to remind yourself that you can't control them. But if you're like me, find something tolerable to attach to them, and they'll lose their punch.

Once you can let go of the small stressors that accumulate during your day, it'll leave room on your gauge for the larger ones, so they don't overwhelm you. Moreover, you'll build up those around you, by lowering their pressure as well.

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