Before we begin, I just want to say that in this article I speak the truth of how I felt in corporate. However, this is really not to offend or judge anyone. It is my story and I equally respect yours. I do believe that you CAN be happy in corporate and for a good period of time, I was. However to send my point across, I am drawing the picture as it really is.
Here it goes:
If I look back at my life…it looked something like this:
Fun, crazy, free —> lost, disconnected and unhappy —> Re-learning, expanding —> lost and scared —> starting to get it and fueling myself UP —> Rising to be ME
Here is what I see in that journey:
An explorer who got knocked down by a system that didn't serve my version of success, got pushed too far down that there was no option but to rise.
Fueled myself with hate, resentment and overwhelm towards a system that limited me. I’ll tell you something, I was a freakin' creative kid.
I mean who wasn’t…Can you remember the amazing things you did as a kid?
I then got molded to fit a picture of success. A business suit, a big title and a dozen of limiting beliefs.
Who did I become? A perfect picture of success and a sad version of who I could really be. I wasn’t just stressed, I was in a constant negative mental state. Always wondering why no one told me that life was too freaking challenging and frustrating.
I often cried, snapped in anger and relied on unhealthy habits to keep me going.
I kept getting triggered till I pushed everyone and everything away (I tend to do that when I am reassessing life, sorry if you were part of the grand cleanse, it is not you, really, it’s me).
I found my comfort in yoga and meditation. I found my calmness in being alone. I found joy in thinking of a new future. A new future that appealed to me, it felt good, it felt right and I was craving for more.
Anyway, here are 3 reasons why I think stress can fuel you towards your potential:
1. Stress is your alarm system, pointing you in the right direction
Do you believe in God? OK that’s a whole different conversation, but God / Divine / Energy / Consciousness is in an a way, perfect. So why would they (i.e. God / Divine / Energy / Consciousness) create a system to screw us up?
Why would be gifted with a system that knocks us down? Think about it. What is the point?
Here is the point: Stress is your alarm system. It goes off whenever you are not seeing the signs clearly.
It is there to tell you HEY YOU WATCH THE HELL OUT…you are going the wrong direction.
You need to do something about your situation, you need to stand up and fight, you need to get up and DO SOMETHING now.
Imagine if we did not have this system within us? You would be OK with everything as is.
You would not stand up for yourself, speak up or worse, seek your dreams.
2. Change does not happen in an ideal calm situation.
Do you think that if everything around you was perfect, you would be compelled to do something about it? Challenges are your fuel. Challenges move you up the ladder.
The question then becomes, will you choose the path that supports your own values, dreams and ambitions? Or will you again fall in a trap of "I have no choice but this?".
That my friend, is a topic for another post.
Think back towards challenging times in your life, how did they help you become a better person?
Personally, I cherish every challenge I faced, because I know it is there to teach me something bigger and take me forward. Rise up to your challenges! Stop seeing challenges as the end of a road, rather see them as your personal fuel station.
For now, become aware of all the great ways stress is triggering you. Can you use that?
3. Stress will always be there for you
I mean what a blessing. You will always have an internal mentor to guide your way. Stress is not something you WANT to free yourself from. What you WANT to free yourself from is the kind of stress that is sick of telling you to wake the hell up.
Instead, you want to invite the kind of stress that is your internal inspirational speaker, telling you "YES, Let's keep going, we can do more", or "You are on the right track, you can push more, stand up and keep up".
Stress will always be there for you, sometimes as a tough teacher and at other times as a best friend motivating you to keep going. What a blessing right?
I leave you with this, if you are facing severe stress & anxiety, know that you will be OK as long as you take a moment to pause and listen to what is happening within you. Awareness if your starting point towards positive change and growth.
I created a three steps series to support you in living stress-free (but really it is empowering you to be best friends with stress).
Get access to 3 videos, 3 workbooks for your own personal development and personal support from me, all for FREE!
