Overcoming Stress (3)

(3) Know what you want to accomplish. Jesus said, “I know where I came from and where I am going.” Can you say that too? Unless you plan your life and establish priorities, you’ll be pressured by other people to do what they think is important. Every day you either live by priorities or you live by pressures. There’s no other option. Either you decide what’s important in your life or you let other people decide for you. It’s easy to operate under the tyranny of the urgent, to come to the end of your day and wonder, “Have I accomplished anything at all? I used up a lot of energy and did a lot of things, but did I achieve anything important?” Busyness is not necessarily productivity. You may be spinning in circles but not accomplishing anything of real value. Preparation causes you to be at ease. Or to put it another way, preparation prevents pressure, whereas procrastination produces pressure. Good organization and good preparation reduce stress because you know who you are, who you’re trying to please, and what you want to accomplish. Having clearly defined goals simplifies life. So spend a few minutes at the beginning of every day talking with God in prayer. Then look at your schedule for the day and decide, “Is this really the way I want to spend a day of my life? Am I willing to exchange the next twenty-four valuable hours for these activities?” The right answer to those two questions will lower your stress level by helping you prioritize.