Do you ever find yourself being discouraged by the negativity and hatred that is in the world? Do you ever find yourself overwhelmed with your own problems, hoping against hope that something would change? Have you ever played the lottery or taken foolish risks hoping that something would miraculously occur to relieve some of the stress in your life?
I have watched people die and have stood over the caskets of many deceased. Things that stressed them out most of their lives lose their importance as they are dying. Sometimes even the peace that you see on the face of the dying or deceased suggests relief from stress and struggle. There was a time in my life that the stresses of living overwhelmed me to the point that death would have been a welcomed friend. I discovered that it wasn’t death that I was afraid of, but it was the fear of failure and not being in control that was the problem.
The desire to regain control of my life helped me to see that the real freedom came in giving up the need to control. I had to learn the discipline of downsizing. Under stress one day, I asked myself, “if I die today, how much will all these things matter?” Sometimes we spend so much time trying to control situations, circumstances, and people that we fail to realize that the greatest control we can have is over ourselves.
When I decided to accept death and befriend life, I had to fire my former bosses of stress, worry, and fear. As I become more disciplined for success, I choose to live with a new management team.