Good Stress Motivates

…Bad Stress Kills

Stress is powerful.  You’ve probably heard of the insane, super-strength that humans are able to exhibit during times of heightened stress.  For example, there is the age-old story of the frightened Mother who lifts a car off her trapped baby.  A simple Google search will yield dozens of these types of stories.  The fact is that stress releases certain pro-hormones into our body, which makes it possible to achieve that which we cannot normally achieve under normal day-to-day life.

Now, lifting a car off a trapped child may be a bit of a stretch, but the reality is that entrepreneurs tend to live under a constant load of stress.  And this stress is often what causes successful entrepreneurs to accomplish so much with so little.  Of course, that is the backdrop of most successful business stories—a group of guys and gals get together and accomplish significant progress with little resources.

But Doesn’t Stress Kill?

Now we get to the point of the article.  Our belief is that not all stress kills, and not all stress is bad for your health.  This is where it is essential to understand the differences between good stress and bad stress.  Good stress empowers, boosts efficiency and productivity, and tends to fuel us, whereas bad stress kills us.  Your goal as an entrepreneur should be to learn how to manage good stress, while eliminating bad stress.

So What’s the Difference?

This is a tough question to answer directly.  It is difficult to bring objective language to the table because bad stress is very much a personal experience.  We like to think in terms of effect.  If you are feeling stress from some aspect of the business, such as trying to find a merchant cash advance to meet payroll, and it is resulting in heavy amounts of fearful thinking, depression, despair, loneliness, etc., then that is, most definitely, bad stress.  However, if you feel pressure, but that pressure is driving you to prepare, work harder, concentrate, and set goals, that is, most likely, good, healthy stress.

For example, if you have a looming deadline for a big project and you feel slight anxiety, but a ferocious competitive drive to meet the deadline and work efficiently, that is great.  That is similar to what an athlete would feel before a major competition.

Staying Healthy

As an entrepreneur, you must learn to differentiate between good and bad stress.  Good stress is healthy as long as you manage it appropriately and do not let it turn the corner into bad stress.  Bad stress is what doctors are referring to when they inform us that stress raises the risk of heart disease and other related illnesses.

Therefore, as soon as you ever feel yourself experiencing bad stress when seeking a merchant cash advance in order to meet payroll, or any other related experience, take a break.  Reach out to a business partner or mentor, and analyze the root cause and seek to correct the issue so that you do not let bad stress become an acceptable way of life.

Successful entrepreneurs understand the difference between good and bad stress and the best ones have mastered an ability to manage good stress and eliminate bad stress.