The 3 Pressures In My Life the Past Few Weeks

With all the positive news and experiences I post to the blog, and all of the success-oriented talk I dole out, it might be easy for some to think I have it made–that I have answers for all of life’s pressures and difficulties. And while I’m sure there are answers to many of our trials, they may not be easy to put into action.

The past few weeks have been very trying for me. Although I no longer feel the immense weight of my MBA program on my back, along with 50 or more hours per week at work, I’m definitely feeling the pressure I’ve put on myself in my career as well as my personal goals and life in general.

For one, I’ve been getting slammed with medical bills. I had an emergency room visit and ongoing stomach issues in late January that so far have set me back over $3,000. The incoming flood of bills, and having to arrange payment plans for each one every day, is simply stressing me out. I wish my bill collectors can just hit me with them all at one time; this day-by-day stuff is for the birds! It also makes it impossible to plan my finances because just as I balance my budget, the next bill comes in and throws everything all off. With all the various companies delivering medical services within a hospital, it’s like there’s no end in sight.

Second, since late November I’ve resumed investing in stock options using real money, and my investment strategy has not been yielding results. It’s only been a few months, and since I’ve taken my options course I’ve learned to limit my losses, so my 6% loss on my account isn’t terrible (at least that’s what I’ve been telling myself!). However, I just thought I’d be doing better by now. I plan on going 6 months to 1 year with my options strategy and see if things turn around because it’s just too early to tell at this point. But so far, the market has been hitting record highs; my brokerage account just… isn’t.

Lastly, my job is providing me with some great opportunities for growth and development in project management, leadership, and technical knowledge. How is this a bad thing? Well, while this is excellent for my long-term career and a great chance to employ my newly-honed MBA skills, it is also forcing me to step outside of my comfort zone big-time. The type of role I’m assuming for these projects is uncharted territory for me; I have to really be creative and focused in order to advance these endeavors from ideas to implementation, without any real structure or hand-holding from management. Trial by fire, really. It sure is exciting, but also very stressful as I’m learning as I go. And combined with everything else going on, it’s further complicating things.

I do realize however that I’ve been blessed with the means to deal with all these stressors in my life. The sky isn’t falling, and I’ve likely just hit a rough patch, some obstacles that I have to get around to move forward. I’m also using the following relaxation tips to alleviate the stress, so that helps. It will take some time, but I’m confident that I’ll get though this and continue to make progress towards total success.

Like I always say: “You can’t have the testimony without the test.”