Today I literally had one of the most stressful days at my regular job that I’ve ever had. Sometimes when you’re frustrated, things that normally wouldn’t get on your nerves start to bother you. This is something that I’ve been struggling with on a ongoing basis at my day job. Since I’ve decided to pursue my dreams part-time, my tolerance for the daily stresses of day job has started to dwindle. This is normal, as the closer we get to our dreams, the less we want to do other things.
The key to any success is being able to handle the ups and downs. Regardless of what you do, you’ll have bad days that will wear on you. How you handle those situations, and your attitude during them, will mold your ability to succeed. Lately I haven’t had a great attitude, and I haven’t been handling it that well. I’ve let the little frustrations boil over into a full blown attitude problem that is affecting my ability to perform. That’s childish and something that I need to have better control of. Being able to analyze and see your actions for what they are without bias is a big part of being able to improve yourself.
Throughout my life I’ve had great success internalizing negativity (whether brought upon by others or myself) and using it to drive me to work harder. Now, I’m not saying this technique works for everybody, and I don’t recommend that people start thinking negatively just to follow my example. This is just what has worked for me, and what has fit my personality up to this point in my life. The important part is not the technique, it’s the knowledge of what motivates me. You need to understand what it is that motivates you, and direct your stress toward that trigger.
The ultimate goal is to get where you want to go. Even though we’ll all hit many stressful days, wonder if we should quit, and wonder why we’re doing what we’re doing, the key is use that stress as a stepping stone to your goal. If you keep your thoughts and focus centered on what you’re trying to achieve, then you can handle the day to day distractions a lot better. For me personally, I need to re-adjust my thinking to realize that my current job is currently what is providing the bulk of income and that it’s an important piece to me being able to build my business part-time. Analyze your situation and find the silver lining in your stress as well.
