What causes you to stress out? It is being "real" or is it "reality". It seems to me that it is the gap between the two. On the one hand there is the desire for respect, for authenticity and for an ability for us to accept ourselves and others (ie being real) … and then there is "reality".
Have you noticed how often politicians use the term "the reality is …"? What they mean is, "my actions are dictated by a range of compromises". It is hard to be real. It is hard because being real, and making that part of your principle of living means that you butt up against "reality" at every turn.
But guess what? THAT is exactly what we are all hungering for. It is the authentic story that we want to hear or be part of. It is the element of truth that drives the story and makes us engage emotionally.
This rant came after I skipped over to Tom Asacker’s blog following Seth Godin’s simple statement "best thing I’ve read today". Tom has some nice points to focus on … though others do seem hard to live with in the "real" world. At the heart of the post is the need to focus on what is important … to look at stress and anxiety at the root cause, not at the symptom.
Of course, that is easier said, than done.
S.