YELL’N SHOUT
11/09/2022
Tommy Lasorda, the man who said he bled Dodger blue, was once asked if he felt any stress prior to a big game. His response was, “Stress? Stress is the inner fear of failure. I ALWAYS believe we will be successful.”
There is no question the holiday season poses the potential for stress. Paradoxically, people are both nicer and shorter on patience. Understanding that paradox is really the key to managing holiday stress.
People are nicer because the holiday time makes us think of others and for what we have to be grateful. The holiday spirit is complete with beautiful visions, wonderful smells, and enjoyable sounds. Childhood memories turn to realities during the holiday season.
But there is a ticking clock to get everything done. Lines are longer. Bank accounts get stretched. People run at a furious pace in an attempt to accomplish everything. Two holiday shoppers vying for the same space probably invented parking lot rage. Relatives may be coming in, and the house has to be cleaned. Maybe no one is coming, and that’s depressing. Exhaustion begins to set in, and tempers flare.
So, if stress really is the inner fear of failure, what are we afraid of failing? Maybe the answer is found in one’s attitude and perspective. If one views the holidays in terms of gifts, schedules, obligations, shopping, and other such ways, then as a person maybe one has failed not only in the literal but in the figurative sense. Clearly, the shallower a person is, the more he/she fears failure, as there is no substance.
On the other hand, if one views the holiday season for its true meaning and joys, success is assured. With success comes confidence, and with that kind of confidence there is no stress.
Confused? Don’t be because it’s all really simple. Your attitude and perspective will either create stress or alleviate it altogether. The choice is yours.
Thanks for more than just baseball, Tommy.
Tikkun Olam- heal the world. Leave it a better place when you leave.
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