Step 1. Who’s business it?

There are 3 kinds of business on this earth. Your business, somebody else’s business and god’s business. The trick for any problem is to figure out who’s business it.

Examples of God’s Business

• It’s Raining.
• Your Flight Got Canceled.
• Somebody died or got hurt.

For any of these situations, can you do anything to change them? Can you stop the rain from falling? Can pilot the plane yourself? Can you bring back the dead? It’s not your business and not worth your stress.

Examples of Somebody Else’s Business.

• Somebody calls you mean names.
• Your boyfriend/girlfriend breaks up with you.
• Somebody decides not to hire you.

For any of these situations, while you may think you can change them, do you have the right to? Can you control someone’s mouth? Can you control someone’s heart? Do you really want to work at a place where they don’t value you? It’s not your business and not worth your stress.

Examples of Your Business

• How you feel today.
• What you say or do today.
• Your finances, your tasks at work, your body.

For any of these situations, you have total and complete control. You decide what you feel today, and you are responsible for handling your finances, your workload and keeping your body healthy. That’s nobody’s business but yours.

Once you decide to handle that, and only that, your stress will disappear. You have to be active and yes that does require work, but the work required in fixing the problem is usually less then the work required in stressing about a problem.

Step 2. Can you do something right this second to fix it?

Whatever problem you are having, is there something you can do to change it right this moment?

If you are feeling sad, can you take a walk or find other ways to make you feel better?

If you have work to get done, is there anything preventing you from doing it? Other than your own laziness?

If there is something you can do, your energy and health are much better spent on time fixing or handling the problem. Stress will only give you grey hair.

If there’s absolutely nothing you can do to make the problem go away, then why worry about it? It’s out of your hands right now. Rest up for when the time comes and you need to handle your business.

Step 3. Enjoy Life.

You decided the business wasn’t yours. You determined you can’t do anything right this second to fix it. Go have some ice cream or listen to some jazz. Life is just too damn beautiful kid.