816 words of content, focused on ONE THING you need to do to reduce your stress. Approximate reading time: 3.26 minutes. And isn't your Happiness worth it?

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1. Are You Listening to The Universe?
2. The Executive Happiness Coach®

I've been busy the past year, and when I get busy my Head takes over and tries to be all Smart and Analytical. It's what brains do. And then when the Head goes into overtime with story making and rationalization, the Emotions feel left out, so Fear and Stress start to show up, and I get tied up in knots thinking that I have to Control My World because that's the only way I can Prevent Disaster!

Ever been there?

In my 17 years of entrepreneurship, July has always been the slowest month. Nobody does retreats or big meetings, since so many staff go on holiday. So I usually take my two weeks at the beach in early July, thus missing …nothing.

This year is different. Several years ago I agreed to take holiday for 2.5 weeks in Japan in July 2015. Later, my wife declared she did not want to skip the extended family vacation at the beach, so we said yes to that, too.

As the time grew closer, I began to panic. "Ohmigosh," my Head rationalized. "I can't miss a month of work? What will happen? How will my clients react?" Then Mr. Fear chimed in. "You’ll lose momentum. Your clients will be upset. It will be… a disaster!"

Making matters worse, I lost a block of clients when a hostile takeover resulted in their termination. So here I am, about to be gone for a month, with a big hole in my practice. Fear and Panic are having a play date in my Head. I am not happy.

But then…People around me start reminding me of my own teaching.

• "Remember to Breathe," said one of my clients, mirroring my own coaching back at me.
• "You'll be fine," says my wife (who is also my accountant, so she knows my financials!).
• "What if you just Let Go and allow things to unfold?" asks my coach.

Whoa! I can't let go. I can't just leave this to The Universe. I need to be in control, right?

Heartburn. Indigestion. Restless sleep. Inability to focus. Negative self-talk. These are the "gifts" of Stress, and I was getting tired of them. In the middle of my meltdown, The Universe gave me a nasty case of poison ivy – just in case I needed another reminder that I really control NOTHING.

So I kept working with that question my coach gave me, "What if you just let go?" I pasted it onto my computer monitor. I played Elsa’s theme song from Frozen (Let It Go!) over and over. I spent more time each morning doing yoga and breathing to actively reduce my stress.

A new request for coaching materialized from a past client, with no effort on my part. Two clients asked me to speak at their July retreats; I had to say, "No," but I referred them to a colleague and everyone’s happy – and I’m OK. I got invited to speak at a large conference in the fall. Finally, one of the top coaching companies asked me (at the last minute) to participate in a huge proposal meeting with a local company, and the meeting time was, literally, in the only two-hour opening I had left before I closed down for vacation.

OK, Universe. I get it. I’m listening now! Thank you for your persistence in reminding me to let GO of my old story and embrace the new one – that I’m going to be OK!

As much as I coach and teach others to notice when their "story" is creating their stress, I could not see it in myself. The Universe was practically screaming at me, but until I stopped to pay attention and truly ponder the question ("What if you just Let Go?") I could not hear the message.

I need to practice Listening more with my Heart as well as my ears.

What messages do you resist hearing? What are you holding onto because you feel the need to be in control, or keep the status quo, or because you believe you are the "only one" who can do it?

Try sitting with the question, "What if I just Let Go?" And notice how, once you exhaust all the doomsday scenarios in your head, your heart – and The Universe – will remind you that you’re going to be OK. Really.

NOTE: I wrote this article before I left for Tokyo, where I am now halfway through my Japanese adventure. If you're reading it, apparently the world has not ended merely because I took a really long holiday. Hmm. Maybe I should do this more often?

Remember, Leadership is not about a title: Anyone can be a Leader who nurtures the capacity to Let Go of control and trust others to know what to do.

Sayonara, and shiawasena hi (happy day!)

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The Executive Happiness Coach® is a global provider of Executive Coaching and mentoring services. With clients on six continents, my passion is to help build a Happier world and workplace, one Leader at a time.

Contact me to create more Happiness, Leadership, and balance in your life.

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Copyright © 2015, All Rights Reserved. Reproduction for publication is encouraged, with the following attribution:
"From HAPPINESS@TheSPEEDofLIFE, by Jim Smith, PCC, The Executive Happiness Coach®. For more tips on Leading with Happiness, visit www.TheExecutiveHappinessCoach.com."

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