Stress is one of the biggest problems in the workplace today. Sick days, early burnout, irrational panic, and rash decisions poorly made are the primary symptoms of stress in your business, your career, your life.

Believe it or not, it doesn't have to be this way, and the only reason that it is, is because we allow it. Think of stress as the school bully. If you always allow him/it to push you around, to get his/its way, to dictate terms - then that's how your life is going to be.

But the thing about life is that until you get it, its going to keep teaching you that very same lesson. And this is it, if you want to achieve and enjoy success, happiness, wealth - you have to be prepared

to stand your ground, to stand up for yourself. To say, this is not acceptable to me and I'm going to do something about it.

With that in mind, here are some tips on how you can eliminate stress.

1. Decide who's in charge of your life - and that has to be you. This means all of it, the good, the bad, the ugly. Accept responsibility, and resolve that no one else is ever going to be in charge of whether or not you're having a good day or anything else for that matter. Live life on your terms, and unleash your inner strength, and this will spill over and improve every single area of your life,

2. Open your post in the morning - this is a outward physical demonstration that you are in charge. Sometimes, when you open post in the late evening, the contents of that days post can circle around in your head for the whole night until you get the opportunity to deal with it the following day.

By opening your post in the morning, you're in control. If there's anything urgent for you to take care of, then you can do it during work opening hours. When you open post at night, frequently you will need to wait until the next day to deal with it anyway,

3. Meet challenges head on. Don't hesitate, don't prevaricate, don't delay. Decide what needs to be done, and do it. Take action, and move forward with strength and purpose. A good question to ask yourself is - what do I want to happen, and what is the obvious thing that I need to do next, to get what I want?

4. Talk to others about your quandries, dilemmas and tough decisions - if/ when you're not sure about something speak to someone you respect and trust who has the ability to view the situation objectively. When you do this, frequently it becomes much clearer exactly how things are. This often provides clarity and allows you to make better decisions, significantly unload any stress,

5. Pursue balance in your life - always remember life is not all about your work, your business or your career. If you wish to find happiness, you must acknowledge and embrace this. You must spend time on other things, importantly your family, your health and fitness, yourself, and social interaction outside of your business.

You are not your business, you are so much more.