The Good Kind of Stress

Growth comes from stress.

I've grown several indoor plants in my day and learned some important lessons for growing strong plants.

There are the obvious things—water, nutrients, and sunlight.

But you might not know that plants need stress to help them grow strong.

That's right, the best conditions for your plants include stress.

A simple way I would add stress to my plants was to put fans on them. This can help regulate the temperature, but the circulating air also stresses the plant. The fan acts as the wind does with outdoor plants. Constantly putting stress and pressure on stems and branches.

Over time the plant has to adapt, and it will grow thicker and more vital to withstand the constant blowing of the wind machine. Try it out yourself sometime. Buy two indoor plants. Put a fan on one and let the other sit without resisting the blowing. Give them time to grow and see how much different the plants look. They will look like Danny DeVito and Arnold Schwarzenegger in the movie Twins.

Growth through stress happens to people in the same way. If you want to make your body stronger, then you have to put stress on it. That is why we lift weights and do cardio. We will never build muscle if we stick to light weight on the bar. We stagnate and wither if we don't push for faster times or more output.

Training in martial arts and self-defense is another way to put ourselves through stress that will help us grow and become stronger. You are constantly put into uncomfortable situations when you train how to fight. You will be forced to remain calm, think clearly, and act. Otherwise, you won't be able to improve your position.

Being forced to fight out of bad positions repeatedly will build your confidence. And it will teach you to control your thoughts and emotions. Controlling your thoughts and emotions will carry over into your everyday life.

If you are stuck and unsure what your next move is, you might need to add some stress. Pick up a new hobby, start learning a new skill, and take a risk on a new job. Avoidance and the easy, more comfortable route isn't the best for growth. Get out and start doing something difficult. Life can seem dreary and pointless when you have no challenges in front of you.

Something else you may want to consider is that hard things will often choose you when you don't choose the hard things you do. Constantly pushing yourself to learn and grow will keep you evolving forward and preemptively smash many of the problems that come your way.

Start challenging yourself today.

I have the programs to help you.