Don't Let Stress Kill You - It Ain't Worth it

You ever have “one of those days?” Well, of course you have. If you’re in business or doing anything worthwhile, you’re bound to have one. The key is not to make it a habit and to know how to deal with stress when it hits. I recently had several deadlines and an equal number of "fires" that kept interrupting me. Can you relate? In the middle of all of this my wife called from the side of the road where she’d been pulled over by the police. It turns out that I had somehow allowed her vehicle registration to expire. This was a routine traffic stop, but she was shaken up and … annoyed. (To be polite). I felt terrible about the whole thing; so I vowed to take care of it right away. I immediately stopped the presses in the office and headed over to the local Motor Vehicle Department. Surprise, surprise, the place was jam-packed. By the time I made it through the ridiculously long line, got told that I couldn't pay with a credit card, went to my bank to buy a money order, returned, and got spun around by the lady with the bad attitude, I could feel this huge knot creeping up my spine to the point of affecting my breathing. Thankfully, I recognized the sensation: Stress!—The silent killer. I began to consciously take control of my thoughts. I took my mind off the office deadlines, traffic tickets, cops and even my surroundings. I switched the channel in my head to something pleasant and flipped through a fluff magazine to pass the time away. I had a few chuckles and soon the stress-knot was gone. Within a short period of time, I had the vehicle registration (the two-year package this time) and I was on my way. I returned to my office, completed my assignments and life went on. The moral of the story: It ain't worth it. Don't let stress put you in the hospital or in the grave. It’s a proven killer. When you feel it overtaking you, don't ignore it; just acknowledge the feelings and then do your best to change the channel. You can’t eliminate stress, but you can defeat its negative consequences by practicing mindfulness. I would encourage you to go a step further and practice it daily, in advance of facing the pressure situations common to all high performing people. There’s a couple great Apps I use that you can download for free. One is called Headspace (https://www.headspace.com/) and the other is Calm (http://www.calm.com/). Give one a try. Take time to feed your soul, and you will better feed your clients and your business. Wayne

Thanks for reading my post. I'm an attorney and Christian minister. I'm also a #keynote #speaker and an author. I write about business, life and faith, focusing on how to know God's vision for your life so that you may fulfill your purpose. You may connect further with me here or by clicking below!