In the “new” economy, stress levels appear to be at an all time high. This certainly applies to most people under the age of 38. The truth is stress is stress regardless of what generation you were born but lets face it our parents for the most part had it much more difficult than us. In my organization young people make up the norm of my employee population. They have been raised in a new generation much different than generations before them. They cannot remember life before cell phones, laptops, internet, high def and high tech video games. They also have been brought up in a society with abundance. My father use to say that life at its best was still a struggle. I never have agreed with that statement but he did have a hard life. Most of that hard life was brought upon himself. Now his father was murdered, he grew up dirt poor but such is life. He chose to be a victim and as a result lived his entire life feeling sorry for himself and as if the world owed him something.

Lately everywhere you turn there seems to be a report in bad news. For example the stock market, housing, unemployment, layoffs, war, natural disasters and much more. Face it bad news sells! Everybody processes this information differently from person to person. We all handle the stress in our lives differently from person to person. I personally have witnessed a person completely coming unglued because they gained a few pounds or had a small fender bender, yet the very same person stayed calm while being informed of very tragic news such as a layoff or even a death of a loved one. I’m not a therapist and I do comprehend why this would be the case but I have also witnessed the complete opposite.

I took my first CPR training course in 1983 and will never forget lesion number 1 as long as I live. I have even applied this lesson to my personal and professional life. Lesson 1- In an EMERGENCY always remain calm and clear the room of people who are not! Irrational and frantic behavior only makes the situation worse. This is not to say I haven’t popped my own cork occasionally, after all I am a rather large and intense man but when my back is up against the wall I tend to stay calm and relaxed. When I do catch myself starting to feel sorry for myself I generally realize that there are many more people suffering at a much greater degree than me. There is a very old famous quote by an unnamed author ” I felt sorry for myself because I had no shoes until I came upon a man with no feet”

With much practice I have learned to stop stressing over things that are completely out of my control such as all the things reported in the news or other peoples behavior or actions. I also know that doubling my efforts on the very things I can control will help minimize any potential setbacks or damage that surrounds me. By exercising, eating healthy, setting new goals, managing my time better and most importantly working on maintaining a positive attitude and staying happy is the true secret in handling stress. There is no question that we are all wired differently. Some people appear to not be able to be anything but pessimistic and negative. In all honesty I’m glad my CFO is that way but in spite of the way she is wired she chooses to be a happy person. Being HAPPY is a choice. It takes a lot of work to be happy and positive each and every day. I don’t want to sugar coat the fact that true happiness takes vision and hard work. It is a routine and a process that you talk yourself through on a daily basis. The reason it takes hard work and commitment to be happy is because when you take 2 steps forward it is easy to get knocked backwards on any give day I believe it may be difficult for some of you. It may take more work than you ever imagined with a huge payoff for you and your loved ones GREATER than you ever thought possible. Now it is your turn to stretch your emotional muscles farther than ever before and truly no longer sweat the small stuff.

Remember that your smile, laughter, confidence and tone of voice set the stage around you…

Have a wonderful June!

Larry North