Life comes at you fast and you better be prepared or you are going to get run over.

Stress is a fact of life!

If you want a good example of someone who had stress thrown at him all at once, you just have to read the story of Job in the Old Testament. This is an interesting book in the Bible, just before the Psalms, another fascinating book that is worth reading, anyway, Job had it good. His life was just up and coming. Trump or Bill Gates had nothing on this man. Job had a large and very healthy family, owned untold cattle, and had enough servants to take care of any of his wishes. He was also a God-fearing man, which was very difficult to do even then.

Well, when things were at the very peak, Job is brought down low. His children are killed, his cattle stolen, his goods and products are destroyed by storms and he pretty much loses it all. The one thing he never did was curse God. Even his wife told him to do so and die but Job stood fast in his belief of the true life-giving God. Well, that paid off and eventually Job got everything back even better than he had before but it wasn’t without struggle. He suffered unbelievable stress.

Friends Indeed

The friends that stood by Job kept telling him to repent of his sins, as it was pretty obvious to them who was at fault. Job, didn’t agree and let them berate him. Sometimes one wonders if our friends are really out to support us or to make us suffer even more. Fortunately for Job not all of his friends were against him and one stood up and challenged the others and even Job to look at the wonders of God’s creation. This is great, when stressed out beyond endurance it pays to look outside of one’s own life and check the beauty all around us.

Stress can worsen or get better depending on our outlook.

Sometimes we can’t tell why we are stressed and it is difficult to make a change as a result. Job’s example is a great anecdote on this. He wasn’t to blame and he did nothing to bring about the calamities that he suffered. Finding the cause of stress can be more stressful than just dealing with it. However, it does pay to reflect on life as it is happening all around. Just be careful of the friends you surround yourself with at those times.

One step that can help in facing over stress is to be courageous and address the issues that need to be addressed. Whether you have someone standing by you or you are all alone, don’t wait until things get better. Sometimes it will take you taking action before things will get better. And, sometimes things will not get any better. Still, persevere!

Look at the positive around you

For the longest time I tried to read the “laughter is the best medicine” articles on the Reader’s Digest magazine because the stories there did make me feel better when things were down. Also, they helped me forget the pain of sitting on a dentist’s chair, but that’s a stressor for another day. The point is that the best way to get out of the morass you feel yourself in is to stand up tall, chin high, look the world straight in the face and put a big smile on. There’s no way you are going to be defeated when you stand tall and have a great smile. Besides, it will confuse your enemies and amaze your friends.

There’s more to it than this as far as stress goes, and it really should be in your best interest to learn to handle stress as this will be almost a constant when you are a business owner. Learn to enjoy the ride and remember, when it is all said and done, the best memories are the relationships from great friends, wonderful family, and a loving pet.

Stress – in conclusion

Job is a wonderful lesson in taking responsibility and keeping priorities straight. It is worth reading just to understand that life can sometimes be difficult but hiding from it will not be the answer. Face your stresses head on and if too hard, seek counseling from a mentor or good friend.

Here’s wishing you all the very best in your ventures.