You've been there too haven't you?
It's 2 am. You keep tossing and turning. You feel that burning sensation in your chest, keeping you awake.
You dread what you must do tomorrow. You're afraid of waking up
If you do, it means facing stress, again.
You wish you could control it, but it's beyond your ability.
You can't handle this anymore.
You tried everything experts told you. Meditation, exercise, a healthy diet. You tried finding comfort in others. You tried piling up your schedule to distract you from the stress.
It just doesn't work. In fact, because it doesn't work, it stresses you more.
Giving up is the only way you'll be free, right? Success isn't worth such a heavy burden.
Yes, it is.
Don't throw away your dreams like Trash.
Are you really giving up because of a little tingle in your chest?
Stop!
Everyone has setbacks. It's how the world works. You're not the only one constantly being punched in the mouth by life.
Stress is associated with everything we do. From Working from 9 to 5, to planning a trip to the Bahamas, there's always something to stress about.
You can't ease stress just by making a circle with your thumb and pointer finger, closing your eyes and listening to music. Everyone advises you to do it, so they obviously know, right?
Newsflash, they're wrong.
Meditation has a short-term effect.
Why?
Because it's a distraction from what you're doing. Once the distraction is over, guess what?
You're Stressed. Again.
Don't get me wrong, zoning out is essential for your inner-peace, but let's be honest. Interrupting yourself every time you feel a lick of stress kills your workflow.
Escapism is good only when it has an everlasting effect on you, not when it's a distraction.
How to efficiently deal with stress?
You need to find the root and crush it once and for all.
The Frightening Origin of Toxic Stress
You are the the root of your stress.
Not the problems you face. Not the responsibilities you have.
You.
No, I'm not telling you to crush yourself, but realize, stress isn't some entity here to torment you. Your mind is what's tormenting you, because we can create stress from anything.
"˜Oh I forgot to water my new plant. What if it dies? I have to go buy another flower? I have a date later on this afternoon!'
Just one in a billion scenarios that can cause us stress.
But, it doesn't end there.
Throughout our life, we continually jump from dream to dream.
This is known as the Exploration stage.
The Real Reason you aren't prepared to Explore your Dreams
We want to be so many things. We explore our minds trying to find purpose.
It's a beautiful time, but when circumstances get overbearingly tough, we usually bail.
I bailed more times than I can count.
Actually, it's more brutal than that.
I gave up.
However, through complete failure, I finally found my purpose.
My dream.
I'm holding on to it for dear life, grinding until I bleed to achieve it.
What's different this time? I built the foundation of my brazen dream.
I'm not talking about a mental foundation.
I'm talking about an emotional foundation.
1 fact Stressful people can't deny
We've all been lost, it's a fact.
Like a puppy on the streets, we mindlessly run around, eventually getting squashed by oncoming traffic.
We get squashed by stress and forced to throw in the towel.
Everyone exploring a new dream without an emotional foundation faces this fate.
This, was my fate.
Years ago, I was working day and night on my short-film. I had no social life, apart from the occasional outing to refrain from losing my mind. I was fiercely dedicated to completing my project, no pit-stops.
Submission day comes. Shakingly, I sent my work to the Film Festival, and stared at my inbox, waiting for the reply.
You know what happened.
I got rejected.
I'll never forget how hard I cried that day.
All the hours I spent locked up in my room editing. The Ass kicking stress I endured.
It all just caved in on me.
I couldn't push forward, I cowered in the face of failure.
So, I quit.
Everything changed, when I built myself emotionally.
You need to be the Architect of your dreams.
Let's say you're an architect.
Your job is to create a house that withstands all harsh conditions.
You won't just slap a few bricks, pipes and raise it to stand. It would collapse immediately.
You must build a solid foundation which allows it to stand. Then you add everything else.
If you start working on the roof without creating the foundational floor, your house will collapse.
The same goes for your dreams.
I failed as an architect.
I dived right into my short-lived "˜dream' with no foundational support. I had no reason to prepare myself for failure. My film would crush the competition.
Or so I thought.
In the face of rejection I was a defenseless seal being clubbed to death.
I couldn't take it, so I abandoned everything.
That's how important our emotional foundation is.
We will get thrashed on our journey of success, and without a foundation to keep us strong our motivation gets crushed.
We can't push through.
So ask yourself:
Am I willing to sacrifice my precious leisure time to achieve this?
If conditions get really tough, will I drop everything and quit?
Is this what I was put here to do?
Create that foundation, and you'll be fearless. You'll look Stress in the eye and say:
"˜Screw you! You don't scare me'
Your motivation will be never-ending.
You will feel like a Legend.
This is the most crucial step in destroying stress,
But,
You're not done, yet.
The Do or Die Aspect of Overcoming Stress
Let's be brutally honest. If you don't enjoy the journey you should quit while you're ahead.
I can hear you snorting. You heard this a million times.
Believe it or not, this is the biggest bearer of stress.
The idea of doing something you hate for the rest of your life sends shivers down your spine.
No benefits calm that gut-wrenching feeling.
If you hate it, you will never enjoy it. And what happens then?
You wake up dreading everything related to it. You shiver at the slightest mention of it.
It plagues your entire being.
What's worse? You ease your shortcomings by lying to yourself.
"˜I don't have time to make another film' I'd tell myself.
The truth is, I couldn't bare the thought.
Sitting around, mindlessly clicking in Premiere pro, piecing my next monstrosity of a film.
It terrorised my mind.
But, a coin always has 2 sides.
Any journey you embark upon, has struggles.
Want to Conquer your dreams? You must accept the baggage coming with them.
The Alarming Truth behind every Difficult Journey
Imagine you are in the Alps.
The snowy mountain tops glisten in the distance. The Grass plains go as far as your eyes can see.
In clear sight is the Travel Lodge you booked, located just underneath the mountain top.
You got the best deal and the best view. All your planning is about to pay off.
There's only 1 problem.
You were dropped off by your driver roughly 1 Km from the Travel lodge. You also have to carry all your belongings in the freezing snow.
So what do you do? Your goal, the travelodge is in plain sight.
You've bought a ticket and travelled thousands of Kilometers to get there. Are you really letting some baggage prevent you from enjoying the vacation you planned all year?
Yup.
Sorry, but it's the harsh truth.
You don't care about the unique experience. You're consumed with Frustration.
You dread the walk to the lodge. You wish it to be over.
You focus on the 20% of the journey, the struggle.
You ignore the 80%, The beauty.
How different is your position now? You're on your Journey to Success, and you don't Acknowledge how far you've come.
Why?
Because you haven't reached the end.
You built your foundation. You are ready to achieve your goals.
You're just missing that last crucial detail, that will make or break your success.
Learn to enjoy the Frightening and Wondrous Journey
Backtrack to the Alps example.
If you focus on reaching the Lodge, you neglect the Phenomenal View. On arrival, you aren't amused, because you remember that abominable walk in the freezing snow.
Focusing on the finish, not only will make you feel miserable during the journey, reaching the end won't bring you any fulfillment.
That goes for your dreams as well.
"˜How can I enjoy a journey that brings me so much emotional pain' you might say.
That's normal. We all think of what we've endured to reach this point.
But, remember this.
You're still advancing, despite the stress weighing you down. You know what this means, right?
You finally found your true purpose in life.
Why else would you suffer such emotional tension? You want nothing else.
You are moving in the right direction, but there's one problem.
Your defeatist mentality is holding you back.
Triumph over Stress by adopting this life-changing habit.
You need to realize your failures have built up to this.
The Euphoric moment where you're finally in control of your life.
You might think it's a pointless habit, but believe me it's what solidifies your emotional foundation.
Any time you feel a beat down of emotions, remember, you chose this path.
You can leave everything behind.
But, you don't.
You believe in what you're doing, and sometimes, that's all it takes. No matter the struggle you face, this belief is your last line of unbreachable defence.
Let this feeling immerse within you and nothing will break you.
Imagining your journey will be fulfilling, not painful.
Why?
You acknowledge you're in control, so the baggage doesn't make you tremble.
You appreciate the beauty of the process, not the struggle.
Slowly, the image of your struggle is being replaced with staggering success. Your self-doubt is transforming into confidence.
You can't wait to tackle all your problems and crush them.
Sorry, but I need to stop you again.
There's one last thing you need to remember before you embark on your Expedition.
Don't rush and fall flat on your face.
The feeling of doing what you want is exhilarating, right?
You can't wait to make your dreams a reality.
Great, but remember this:
The Tortoise won the race, not the hare.
You have one final battle to fight.
The Battle of Patience
You embarked on your Journey to success. You can't wait to shake the world and take names.
However, understand this journey is long and gruelling, not short and sweet.
You won't reach the end in 1, 2, maybe even 10 years.
My point?
Don't sprint to the finish.You need to respect the longevity of the journey.
I know, your excitement is so overwhelming you need to do it now, but you don't have the mental strength to deal with so many obstacles from the start.
No matter how smart or hard-working you are, if you take on too much,
You will quit.
You don't want that do you? This is what you want to do for the rest of your life, right?
Well, act like it is.
If you want to rid yourself of Overbearing Stress, you need to savor every moment and take it slow.
No Shortcuts.
Why Shortcuts are your Pitfall to Stress.
Picture this.
You enter a building.
You have a Life-Changing meeting on the 10th floor. You can go whenever you want.
You can either use The Stairs or the Elevator.
You'd probably take the elevator. Who has the time to walk up 10 flights of painful steps nowadays, right?
You're itching to attend your life-changing meeting.
You enter, push the button and up you go.
As you get closer to your destination, you begin to hear loud bangs.
Fear is creeping up your spine. You can't stop the elevator, despite your greatest attempts.
Ding.
You reached your destination. Too late to turn back now.
After stepping out of the elevator, you are immediately hit in the face by a flying chair.
You're out cold.
You wake up, and happily resign from your dreams.
Your Excitement got the better of you
Snap back to reality.
How different is your situation now?
You try so hard to reach the end and you haven't even started yet. You are swatted by so many things you can't handle.
Not because you're incapable.
It's because you haven't dealt with the other floors, yet.
Your lack of preparation suffocates your chances of fighting back and achieving your goals.
You end up getting knocked out and your dreams kick the bucket.
Stop trying to take everything on.
I did, and it Crippled me.
Why Excitement is a curse in disguise.
A few months ago, I was lost. I had no purpose.
After aimlessly searching the plains for an opportunity to expand my knowledge, I found it.
I would control a company's social media outlets.
I felt so happy.
I was finally moving in the direction of my dreams. I was prepared to crush any hardship, to grow as a person, and gain incredible first-hand experience in business.
With all this power rushing through my veins, I failed to respect another behemoth of an obstacle.
Excitement.
I quickly hopped on board with the Company's vision, believing we would achieve great things. I devoted myself solely to this, knowing deep in my heart this was the opportunity I yearned for to propel my professional career.
Soon, I became the Director of Marketing and Strategist for the company.
I had to up my game. It's up to me to take us to the next level.
So, I woke up every day at 5:00 am, and worked my face off until 10:PM
You'd think I'm some sort of master with this amount of dedication.
Nope.
The best part?
I gave myself no time to breathe.
I was focusing on ten things, instead of one. I was hovering in the same spot, slowly descending into insanity.
I was afraid of being fired from the company after making consecutive mistakes, harming our reputation.
The owner, my mentor, told me:
"˜Do this again, and our relationship is over.'
My confidence was crushed.
I'd constantly think to myself, "˜Is this really my purpose?'
I could see no light at the end of the tunnel, just pitch-black darkness.
I was getting nothing done and slowly killed my drive to succeed.
I decided to take a break.
I put my pen down, and made a foolproof Blueprint.
I organized the direction of my dreams.
Stop Doing Start Thinking.
Stress is manifested from doing too little. That's what everyone says, right?
Well, what if I told you, you can get equally stressed from doing too much?
If you go out to a buffet and stack up your plate with 10 different types of food, chances are you won't be able to finish it.
The same goes for your tasks. If you have 10 of them in a day I guarantee you won't finish at least one.
Yup. Not even one.
But, everybody says success only comes through execution, not through pondering.
Although slightly true, for the most part, if you dive right in your tasks with no plan, you are like a headless chicken with no control over anything.
On the other hand, if you are stuck in permanent Thinker mode, you're not getting anything done either.
This is where balance is key.
Take your schedule and throw it out the window
You need to create a new plan on what your focus is.
Think long and hard on what your goals are and the skills you want to refine to bring them closer to home.
Focus on tasks of immeasurable importance . That way you can laser focus them to completion and feel fantastic afterwards.
Believe me, the feeling of completing just one task is euphoric to say the least. The thought of coming one step closer to your goal not only relinquishes your stress, but Skyrockets your motivation.
It forms the framework of your emotional foundation, the strength to keep going.
Don't be afraid to sit down and strategize what you want to do, how you want to do it, and how you will achieve it. A few days of finding yourself won't bring you further away from your goals.
Trying to get everything done will set you back miles.
Don't spend too much time thinking though, because again, this will lead you to overstack your plate of tasks and get nothing done.
As Tony Robbins says – in his book Unshakeable – "˜Knowledge is potential power'
Get all the knowledge necessary for you to achieve your dreams.
No more, No less.
Balance Execution with Thoughtful Planning, and you will laugh in the face of the oncoming Storm of Stress.
But when the Storm hits, don't evade it completely.
Learn to Embrace that Burning Sensation in your Chest.
We tend to forget, stress is a natural occurring phenomenon. It's necessary for us to evolve.It pushes us to success.
As Robert Graham – a Stress Management Expert – says:
"˜A stress-free life would be rather boring'
You believe a stress-free life is a blessing. You'd give anything to calm that fire in your chest.
But think about it.
You would have no responsibilities.
Your goals and your personal development will come to a stand-still.
Like it or not, stress is what allows you to get better everyday.
Managing it is essential, but eradicating it might have the opposite effect, killing your drive to succeed.
You don't want that do you? You want to achieve greatness!
So, learn to live with, instead of submitting to your weakness.
Stress is a companion you can't live without.
The moment I stopped trying to kill every ounce of stress in my body, I began to feel Unstoppable.
Stress guides me in the right direction.
The more it burns, the more I escaped my comfort zone.
My brain says I'll get hurt if I continue. It's a sign my dreams are within arms reach.
Knowing this, an immeasurable power surges through my veins.
The power to achieve any feat.
You have the ability to obtain this power.
Imagine lying in bed at night.
This time, you don't have that burning sensation in your chest.
On the contrary, you feel all warm and fuzzy.
You don't dread over all the painful tasks you must complete tomorrow.
In fact, you can't wait to crush them.
Imagine waking up in the morning with a smile, not a frown.
Imagine a world where your Excitement is the star of your day, not your Negativity.
You try to pinch yourself, but you're already wide awake.
This isn't a dream.
This is a Spectacular Reality.
This can be your Spectacular Reality
You know what you need to do.
Enroot yourself deep within the core of your dreams. Build your emotional foundation.
This foundation will be the backbone of your staggering success.
Savour every moment of your Journey. Greatness comes in small doses.
Don't let stress consume you. Use it to drive your Audacious Dreams.
Become the Hero of your mind.
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