Say Yes to Stress! Guest post by Sporty King

 

As alluded to previously, at Pen & Prosper, April is designated Stress Awareness Month. In today's post, we will continue this theme with an engaging and informative post by award-winning motivational speaker, Sporty King. If this article resonates and "speaks" to you, please feel free to leave a comment. As always, thanks for reading.

SAY YES TO STRESS...

Much of life is about reframing… and more importantly, honesty. Thus my title of this article. One definition/outlook on stress is that it is the response we have when life challenges seem greater than our ability to handle them. Those challenges are in the form of what we call stressors… the ‘things’ that cause a state of strain or tension. Stressors can have a negative impact on our bodies, minds, and emotions.

My favorite concise definition is one I learned from my friend, Dr. Heidi Hannah, “Stress is when demand exceeds capacity.” You have a limit as to how much you can handle. And how you handle your stressors can throw off your sense of reality, because stress is often a chosen mindset. However, real or perceived, it can put you in a tailspin where you just feel overwhelmed. While it's difficult to pinpoint an exact percentage, studies indicate that a significant portion of people experience stress, and many perceive it as affecting their health, with some studies suggesting over 70% of people experience stress that affects their physical health. 

Thus for this brief article I’ll address perceived stress, by first breaking stress down into what I consider its purest form… It’s just STUFF (Situations That Unleash our Focus & Faith). 

When challenges come your way, you’ll find out who you really are, because your character will be tested. Character is built from the positive building blocks of life. But it’s also built from conquering the stresses and problems of life. What you do with stress not only reveals your character but also helps develop your character… your focus and faith.

First your focus: FOCUS (Finding Ourselves Creates Unlimited Success). Remind yourself to establish some Me time for big issues. Focus on you and let other people come into focus. Once you decide who you are and take a chance on what you’re here to do, people will pop up. Some to discourage you. Some to encourage you. 

Therefore you have to tighten up your faith: FAITH (Feeling As If There’s Hope).  Recognizing that the only thing you cannot do is give up. Coupling that with those people who pop up, you’ll have to be aware of the words that surround you and dig into your psyche, because we all know words are powerful. Many people can finish this cliché for me (“When one door closes…”) by using, “… another door will open.” Yet here’s the Sporty King remix: When one door closes, go for the windows. 

Go for the windows because there’re usually more windows than there are doors. And won’t we make better decisions when we see all we have to choose from?

Yet one could also finish that sentence with, “When one door closes, it locks.” Isn’t that the truth? Life is not dress rehearsal. There are many instances (not all, but many) where you only get one chance. And the chance is centered around how well you’ve focused on your window of opportunity so you can have the faith to make the move you’ve been gifted.

One rule of thumb I learned long ago is, when dealing with stress, “If you don’t like the way things are, change the way you look at them.”

A VIEW FROM THE PENTHOUSE...

In 2014 on my business card, website and marketing material I started listing my address as Penthouse 208, and I had friends say, “Wow, you’re living in a Penthouse?” I told them, “Yepp. My apartment complex has all 2-story buildings and I live on the 2nd floor of mine. The top floor is the Penthouse… the way I look at it.” Remember my mentioning reframing?

When I met my mail carrier and told him the story, he cracked up laughing and told me how much he had enjoyed seeing it. But here’s the kicker… In 2017 I moved into another building in the same complex and that changed my Penthouse to 207. Comically, anyone who hadn’t gotten the announcement of my moving didn’t have to worry about getting the mail returned. Mr. Blakely just corrected it on the envelope and delivered it. I was now getting personalized service from USPO.

When you change the way you look at things, people change the way they look at you.

Yet over a year later someone sent mail to my complete old address. Mr. Blakely totally corrected it on the envelope and delivered it. When you change the way you look at things, people change the way they look at you. And you can do the same with stress.

Sometimes what you also get to do is change the music. Who’s in your ear? Why are you listening to them? What’s in your spirit? How much do you trust them? When can you change it if you have to? Where will you go when you do?

I think the answer to each of those questions can touch on the 3R’s, though not Reading, wRiting, and aRithmatic… yet the Research, Real Stuff, and Resource.

Is the research valid? Does it apply to the stuff that’s really going on with you? Who is your messenger? Today, it’s me. Depending on what goes on in your life, that can change in either direction. Yet still, through your music…

1. Continue to research who, why, what, how, when and where without putting yourself in a box

2. Evaluate why, how, when and where the research applies to what you’re really going through

3. Constantly reevaluate who, why, how, when and where you’re getting your information from

This is not fool proof, nor the end-all to your stress. But it’s a good place to start because it’s manageable and an easy source of practice… as hopefully you’ll get plenty of opportunities to give it another try.

You see the truth is something I once saw on a Charlie Brown poster: “Worrying won’t stop bad stuff from happening. It just stops you from enjoying the good.” And another reframe: If today is the worst day of your life, then you know tomorrow will be better. And that's truly something to live for.

Thoughts, readers?

BIO:

Sporty King is a native New Yorker, where he started his 18-year career at The Wall Street Journal as a Messenger in 1975. After 7 promotions, 8 job titles, and 2 relocations he retired as a Classified Advertising Sales Manager (in Chicago) to eventually start his new ‘Messenger’ career... as an Inspirational Speaker in 1994. 

Now living in Charlotte, his passion empowers Military Service/Family Members to become better Listeners so they can become better Citizens, Employees, Parents, and Siblings. 

Sporty believes that success is about confidence and listening… how people feel about themselves affects their ability to listen; that life is about going from one puzzle to another… and you are a small, medium or large piece of each puzzle. Thus he uses humor, original poetry & the power of words to get tangible positive results, helping people contribute to the bottom line by envisioning themselves as an important piece of every puzzle based on feeling good about themselves. He calls it The Top Line… 

and with it, there are boundless bottom-line results. 

Sporty is the author of STUFF Happens (an inspirational book of speeches); 4 books of inspirational poetry; 2 books of positive messages and affirmations. He has a love for guiding and inspiring people to ENJOY their personal/professional success.

Image credits: Pixabay.com