Eat Stress for Breakfast

Author: Fire Captain Bob Smith

Flames were shooting above our helmets as we kicked in the front door to fight the fire. Firefighters know that when children are trapped, they often hide under the bed, so we began a systematic clockwise search of the apartment. However, the thick smoke prevented us from seeing our hands in front of our faces. Imagine the feeling when we reached the second bedroom, looked under the bed, and grabbed a child's leg. We found a second child in the same room; they were on the verge of death. We pulled them out of the apartment, revived them, and transported them to the hospital. Fortunately, these two children returned home for the holidays. My fellow firefighters are on my dream team, so who is on yours? Who is on your dream team to help you fight the fires that ignite in your professional and personal life? Who is on your dream team to lead you through smoke-filled rooms of uncertainty when you can't see your hand in front of your face? Given the presence of stress in our lives, it is essential to have dream teams today, as stress causes a clash between our families and our careers. Have you noticed? We will no longer get rid of it or try to balance it in our lives. Instead, through a dream team consisting of clients, employees, friends, relatives, and vendors, we can begin to blend (I didn't say balance) stress into our careers and personal lives. This can create a "mix" that will use some of this stress to our advantage. Not all stress is bad; without stress, nothing would ever get done. But the secret lies in how we respond to stress because that is what can make a difference. What I hear most often while traveling around the country to speak about stress is that people feel confused. They don't know when they will catch up or where they will end up. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the train has already left the station, and it's not coming back. The problem is that no one knows where it's going, and there are no brakes to stop it.