Stress of Hope

Sometimes when a bad situation gets so out of hand that you just have to walk away, the stress release that comes from giving up can be surprising. The more hope you have in solving the situation, the more you personally invest in the resolution. The more you personally invest, the more you have at stake if you fail. The more at stake, the greater the stress. It is at times like this that it is important to recognize the difference between the stress from effort and the stress generated by helplessness.

There is little wonder why so many don’t even bother trying in the first place. Everyone recognizes the macro stress that comes from trying to solve a bad situation. Few recognize the micro stress that comes from accepting a bad situation. It is easy to forget that stress is cumulative.

Mastery is a difficult pursuit but the stress of the journey is only a fraction of the stress that comes from accepting mediocrity.

“To achieve great things, two things are needed: a plan and not quite enough time.” - Leonard Bernstein (1918 - 1990)