Whether at work in a physical location or remotely at home, adopting a few cat traits can teach you how to manage stress, develop independence, and live life on your own terms.

Here are a few examples:

Be free as the air and do only what you have chosen to do. Work only at jobs that fulfill you; heed only your own counsel, and pursue your true desires.

To maintain your inner calm and peace, identify the source of your stress, deal with the issue thoroughly, then let go of it for good-don’t ruminate or brood-and calm will return.

Know how to assert yourself calmly, and defend your space at the first attempt at intrusion. You deserve more than a walk-on part!

Wisdom is not a subject that can be learned or taught. It is a state, a stance that requires a step back from the agitation of life in order to comprehend it better in its universality. The wise person knows how to sit on the moon in order to gaze at the earth, just like the cat sits on the roof to observe the moon.

Emancipate yourself from other people’s views of you. To your own self be true.

Learn something new every day.

A cat is independent; it’s one of their main characteristics. But yet by our very nature, we can not be totally independent, as cats are (people have always leaned toward living in groups). Despite everything, we all have an interest in regularly taking into account the degree of dependence and independence in our lives, so we’ll ask ourselves from time to time:

How financially independent am I?

Do I alone determine my life’s major directions or are they determined by the needs of my partner, parents, or children?

To what extent am I dependent on my work for the money it brings in? Am I so much in debt that I have no other choice than to rack up overtime, spending weekends and holidays working?

Am I obliged to put up with my boss’s moods in order to keep my job, even though there’s a better position waiting for me elsewhere if only I were to allow myself to apply for it?

We can not live independently like a cat, but we owe it to ourselves to correct certain tendencies that can evolve, often without us realizing it.

Work to recapture a substantial part of independence in all areas, and you will win your freedom.

Learn to be served like a cat (they know how to delegate). Knowing how to delegate is key in the workplace (and in other areas as well); many company directors and other managers are incapable of trusting others and delegating, so they spend far too much of their time checking and validating their employees’ efforts. This can create a “mothering” culture where employees will want every minute detail of their work checked and approved. The result is wasted hours and excessive work for the boss. Effective delegating will develop time for yourself, to do what you like, rather than constant monitoring.

Regularly creating your own calm (cats love calm!) conditions creates the conditions for your well-being and is the best solution for avoiding ulcers.

Learn to say “no,” as a cat does. Don’t take on tasks that are not part of your job description with such regularity that your colleagues and superiors come to expect it of you, with no financial compensation for the extra workload.

Cats are natural bosses; a catlike attitude is very well suited to a professional context. Consider:

Be efficient when necessary and deal with problems immediately.

Always be watchful without being noticed.

Be responsive if needed and make that special effort.

Don’t spend your energy unnecessarily; also, ration your work.

If you’re the boss, be like a cat by always maintaining a firm yet benevolent attitude, encourage with a glance, and be present.

A cat is tenacious.

Be patient and tenacious in everything you do. Never give up!

Cats are always cautious.

When there’s a doubt, there’s no doubt. Follow your instinct!

And here’s a bit of extra advice from the resident “cool cat” of TV’s Shark Tank, Damon John:

Being broke can actually fuel success as an entrepreneur.

Why?

It forces you to think more creatively, use your resources more efficiently, connect with your customers more authentically, and market your ideas more imaginatively.

It forces you to be true to yourself, stay laser-focused on your goals, and come up with innovative solutions to make a meaningful mark.

Sources: “How to Think Like a Cat” by Stephane Garnier, 2018 and “The Power of Broke-How Empty Pockets, a Tight Budget, and a Hunger for Success Can Become Your Greatest Competitive Advantage” by Daymond John (with Daniel Paisner), 2016