Stress, like happiness, is a component of our inner world

from NewsOK.com

Monday's newspaper had a great article on dealing with stress. Are you dealing with stress in your life? Well, I have some good news and bad news for you. The good news is that stress doesn't exist; at least it's not part of our outer world. Although the outer world can be full of dangers such as traffic accidents, snakebites, tornadoes, etc., stress isn't part of our outer world. The bad news is that stress can and does reside in our inner world. Although you can't touch it, see it, smell it or hear it, it's a silent, invisible enemy that sneaks up on us if we allow it.

If you were born as recently as 150 years ago, you would live and die in pretty much the same outer world. Oh, you might have seen a "new and improved” whale oil for your lamps, or perhaps your buggy whip would be made of better leather. But all in all, your outer world would have seen little change. Compare that life to the outer world we live in today. The iPod you're so proud of will be a dinosaur in just a few years. Buy a new computer, and it's obsolete before you know it. All the new technologies that are meant to make life easier for us have caused stress to creep into our lives; not from the outside, from the inside.

You can't watch TV without seeing a commercial (or worse, an infomercial) about some amazing new gadget that will make your life complete. All your friends and neighbors have it, and you know your life finally will be perfect once you have it, too. Out comes the credit card; up goes your mounting debt; in comes the product. But your life doesn't get any better.

Sound familiar? It's like the story of the guy who drove to a car dealership, walked up to a salesperson and asked, "Aren't you the one who sold me that car a few months ago?” The salesperson said, "Why, yes, I am. Why do you ask?” The man responded, "Would you mind telling me how wonderful the car is again; I'm getting kind of depressed.”

As an avid golfer, I see firsthand all the "new and improved” balls, clubs, you-name-it things that will help you become the golfer of your dreams. Hogwash! I can promise you two things: First, you cannot "buy” a golf game. Second, there will always be "new and improved” equipment to buy. My friend is a fine player, and his equipment is 25 years old. Get the picture?

Now, I'm not condemning new products and advancing technology. What I'm saying is that you need to build a personal buffer that asks, "Do I really need this?” Trust me! Your life will be "new and improved” as soon as you realize that happiness is an inside job. William Butler Yeats said, "Happiness is neither virtue nor pleasure, not this thing nor that but simply growth. We are happy when we are growing.”

You can do this! Do not give stress permission to come into your life. You already have more "things” than 99 percent of the people who have ever lived. Now, go out there and make it a great day! Carpe diem.