Bringing back the past…Post #3
This Blast from the past is one that Really helps me think through what types of things in my life are growing and helpful, and what things actually hurt me and are painful. Take a look and tell me your thoughts. (This post was originally written on October, 9th 2007)
Distress is Bad, Eustress is Good…
Below (which I found to be amazing…) is from the book, The 4-Hour Work Week
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“Unbeknownst to most fun-loving bipeds, not all stress is bad….There are two separate types of stress, each as different as euphoria and its seldom-mentioned opposite, dysphoria.
Distress refers to harmful stimuli that make you weaker less confident, and less able. Destructive criticism, abusive bosses, and smashing your face on a curb are examples of this. These are things we want to avoid.
Eustress, on the other hand, is a word most of you have probably never heard. Eu-, a Greek prefix for “healthy”, is used in the same sense in the word “euphoria.” Role models who push us to exceed our limits, physical training that removes our spare tires, and risks that expand our sphere of comfortable action are all examples of eustress–stress that is healthful and the stimulus for growth.
People who avoid all criticism fail. It’s destructive criticism we need to avoid, not criticism in all forms. Similarly, there is no progress without eustress, and the more eustress we can create or apply to our lives, the sooner we can actualize our dreams.
The trick is telling the two apart.”
I Hope you enjoyed this post & have an Awesome Day!
~Chais Meyer
I got this book for Christmas and up to page 50. It’s a great quote from the book. The question is will it have a life changing effect on those who read it?
Alan,
Thank you very much for your comment!
That is a great question…I think the answer depends on a couple of different things:
1. Who’s reading it
2. What they want to change in their life
For me, if I can get one solid piece of content out of a book (like that Eustress idea), that book has done its job to push me to be better. The advantage of the ‘4 hour work week’ is that there are lots of positive pieces in it about self growth and ways to make your business bigger with less work.
My personal opinion…the first part of the book is the hardest to make it through (it didn’t apply to my situation, and it seemed like bragging). It gets much better!
Hope this helps & Have a Great Day!
~Chais Meyer