Stress is a killer. Stress is a motivator. Stress can keep you up at night. Stress can give you a reason to get up in the morning. Stress gets imposed on us. Stress comes from within us.
People sometimes accuse me unfairly of being in easy-going person. I tend not to walk around with a frantic or worried expression, and I am unlikely to dump a bucket of anxiety on anyone who casually asks how I am. But make no mistake about it - I am responsible for raising more money than ever for a nonprofit that needs resources to achieve its laudable mission. If I fail, I let down good people doing important things. Worse, the path to success goes through other people making favorable decisions they don't need to make.
I recently watched this video in which psychologist Dr. Kelly McGonigal explains that stress is only bad for you if you allow it to be. You are 43% more likely to die of stress if you think it is bad for you, but if you use the symptoms of stress to your own advantage, you can be smarter and more social - generally good things in the nonprofit sphere. Take 14:29 out of your life to watch this video.
Obligatory Tangentially Related Joke: A guy went to Dr. McGonigal. "Doctor, I saw your TED Talk, and I need your help. Whenever I get under a lot of stress, I lose my temper with people, and I insult them. It's costing me friendships and problems with my marriage. I need your help, please . . ."
Dr. McGonigal feels compassion for the poor guy and replies, "All right. I'm here to help you. Why don't you start by telling me about your stress and how it is impacting your life?"
The guy replies, "I just did, you incompetent knucklehead!"
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