Don't Stress Your Life is Calling! by Margie Remmers - HTML preview

5 Things You Can Do Right Now to Permanently Eliminate Stress (So You Can Get On With Your Life)

by Margie Remmers www.StressFreeLikeMe.com

Includes easy-to-follow checklists!

Contents

The Wake Up Call, or

 

“How to Spray Perfume on the Garbage”.............................Page 2

 

Why I Wrote This Book, or

 

“How to Gain a Following by Losing a Contest”.................Page 7

 

The Case of the Aching Tooth, or

 

“Stop Complaining and Go to the Dentist!”.........................Page 9

 

Step One: Get Your Financial House in Order ..................Page 11

 

Step Two: Get Your Physical House in Order ....................Page 19

 

Step Three: Put Your Life on AutoPilot ................................Page 23

 

Step Four: Surround Yourself with Support.......................Page 27

Without Step Five, It Will All Be for Naught, or
“How to Make Your Life 7 Times Worse,” or
“The Simplest Part is the Hardest”......................................Page 30

Appendix A: Resources All in One Place............................Page 37 Appendix B: My Contest Entry.............................................Page 42

The Wake Up Call, or “How to Spray Perfume on the Garbage”

It was Sunday, October 2, 2005.

For several days previous, I had been experiencing a strange sensation in my chest. It wasn’t exactly pain, more like pressure--like someone was stepping on me or squeezing my heart. And it was random-nothing in particular seemed to bring it on.

It began happening frequently enough, though, that on Saturday I told my husband that the next time I felt it, I was going to call the nurse.

The next morning I said good-bye to my husband (he was going to a race and would not be back until the evening) and proceeded to get myself ready for the day. I showered, got dressed, and made breakfast for the kids--you know, the normal stuff.

And then, without warning, I felt it again.

 

“Well,” I sighed,“I did say I was going to call if it happened again.”

So I called the nurse and began to describe my symptoms. She asked me a few questions and then said scariest words I had ever heard in my life:

“Margie, I want you to hang up the phone and call 911.”

 

It was like a bullet tearing through me.

 

I started to cry.

 

I knew what she was saying. She thought I was having a heart attack. “Margie--” I heard her say,“Will you do it?”

 

I had to compose myself.

 

“Yes--” I said. “As soon as I find someone to watch my kids...”

 

My mind was racing. How could this be happening? I was young-only 37! I was a vegetarian--aren’t we supposed to be immune?

 

I called my friend, Susan, and choked out,“Susan, I need you to come over right now.”

 

She came immediately, without even asking what was going on. She’s like that.

 

Then I called 911.

When you call 911, they stay on the phone with you until help arrives, so I was still talking to them when Susan got there. I hardly had time to explain before the ambulance pulled into my driveway.

Thinking quickly, Susan offered to call her husband to come watch the kids so she could ride with me to the hospital.

 

So that’s what we did.

 

The EMTs hooked me up to several machines and whisked me out to the ambulance.

 

It’s funny how your mind works during an emergency-

The only thing I could think about was how mortified I was at what the neighbors might think (and how grateful that none of them emerged to find out!).
The technicians were friendly and asked me lots of questions. I overheard one of them call the hospital and relay the answers I provided, and I remember joking with him,“You must be a good husband--you’re a really good listener.”

My own husband was not reachable. We tried calling him several times throughout the day, but he was not in cell phone range. He would not hear the story until it was all over.

At the hospital, I was hooked up to more machines, had blood drawn, and was interviewed and examined by the nurse and the ER doctor.

And after all that-

 

They could find nothing wrong with me.

Again, it’s funny how the mind works. I mean, I didn’t want to be sick, obviously, but at the same time, I hated to go through all that trouble for nothing!

The ER doctor suggested that I make an appointment to see my regular doctor.

At the time, my life was blessed by a wonderful, amazing, holistic family practitioner, whom I visited the next day. As we talked, he noticed that I was sighing frequently. He asked me about it, and I said,“Yea, that’s just how I breathe. People are always commenting on it.”

(And that was true--people were always asking me what was wrong, and I was forever saying,“Nothing! I’m just breathing!!!”)

Dr. Mathis said,“Well, sighing like that is a sign of stress. What’s going on in your life?”
That’s when it all poured out, and the answers flooded in: Stress had landed me in the hospital.

Looking back now, it was hardly surprising.

By all accounts, I was a supermom--overworked and over committed, raising my two kids, active in my church, my kids’ school and my community, and struggling to make ends meet by running three (yes, three!) failing businesses from my home.

I honestly felt that if I did not personally hold the world up, it would come crashing down.

And here’s the best part: I thought that the world needed more people like me! “I have to do everything,” I thought. “If everyone else would just step up and do their part, then I wouldn’t be so stressed out.”

At the time, like most people, I thought the solution was to manage my stress.

Dr. Mathis gave me an herbal supplement that was supposed to make me feel calm and relaxed. I started lighting candles in the evening and listening to classical music. I did yoga, took hot baths and got massages.

Unfortunately, while these things felt great (and I’ll bet you feel good just reading the above paragraph--go ahead, read it again), they were only treating the symptoms, and not the cause.

It was like spraying perfume on the garbage: It may smell better for awhile, but until you take out the trash, the stink just won’t go away!

It wasn’t until I learned how to actually eliminate the stress that my life finally started turning around.

 

As I started putting the pieces together, life felt good.

I couldn’t believe how I could sail through life’s challenges without getting worked up like I used to. I was happy--happier than I can ever remember being. People started saying things to me like,“Margie, you are not the same person I met 10 years ago.”

I was like a piece of old furniture. Stripped, sanded, and refurbished, I was still me, but I became a shinier, happier, and more beautiful version.

I decided to start writing about what I was experiencing and the things I found that were helping me along the path. I even started a blog, www.StressFreeLikeMe.com, so I could document my journey.

And then an amazing thing happened.

Why I Wrote this Book, or “How to Gain a Following by Losing a Contest”

In January of 2008, I sat down and thought about my life. I thought about what I enjoyed--what I wanted to do more of. I thought about what I wanted to accomplish--where I wanted to be within the next year.

I decided that I wanted to become a known author.

For some time, I had been writing short stories--stories about my life and how they relate to success principles. I put them in my blog and reread them for my own pleasure.

Now, I wanted the world to read them.

No sooner had I put this thought out into the Universe than I received an email from 4-time best-selling author Mark Joyner, announcing a contest called “Be the Next Best-Selling Author.” He was putting together a course not just on becoming an author, but a best-selling one. You could win one of three spots in his class (a $1000 value) by recording a short YouTube video of you or someone else reading one of your stories.

I could not believe the timing.

 

Immediately, I wrote and filmed my heart attack story and figured out how to post it on YouTube.

Since one of the prizes was going to be given to the person who had the most views, I began telling everyone I remotely knew about the video and asking them to watch it and send it to their friends.

Alas, I did not win the contest, but as the video made its way around the globe, I learned something shocking.
Over and over people said to me,“Wow, that happened to me, too,” or to their sister or to someone else they knew.

I was stunned by just how many people were, like me, being sent to the hospital because of a manmade condition-stress.

 

I realized I was in a position to help.

 

I had already escaped the tar pit--I had an obligation to share what I’ve learned.

 

Are you ready?

The Case of the Aching Tooth, or “Stop Complaining and Go the Dentist!”

Not long ago, I had a toothache.

My tooth bothered me every hour of every day. I thought about it, complained about it, and worried about it. I had a huge cavity that I looked at, talked about, cleaned and put medicine on.

This went on for months, and yet, I did not go to the dentist.

 

Why?

Because going to the dentist meant finding the phone number, picking up the phone, calling the office, figuring out a time to go, arranging for child care, getting in the car, driving all the way to the office, waiting in the office, undergoing the exam plus whatever treatment was necessary, paying more money than I thought I should, driving all the way home, and dealing with the effects of the treatment.

Nah...I’ll just complain, thanks.

 

I complained and fretted and worried and, yes, stressed, until the pain got so bad I just couldn’t take it anymore.

 

And then I reached a critical point: The actual pain from the tooth overpowered the imaginary pain of getting it fixed.

So I finally took the necessary steps (in my case, it was so bad it had to be pulled), and voila-no more pain in my tooth. Sheesh. What took me so long?

I have found that stress in our lives has become so commonplace, expected and, unfortunately, even admired (but we’ll talk about that later), that it is like a dull ache in our lives. It’s there--it’s there all the time--but it hasn’t gotten so bad yet that we are motivated to do anything about it.

And that’s unfortunate, because now that I am on the other side, I can see how amazingly wonderful and miraculous it is to live stressfree.

Most, though, because their lives have not yet gotten painful (or stressfull) enough to take the necessary steps to change it, will choose to complain instead.

My hope for you is that you will decide today-right now--that you will not put up with stress for one more second. You deserve to live a life that is joyous and fulfilling and beautiful and abundant. You are not required to sacrifice these things for anyone or anything. You are not required to delay your happiness for any reason.

What you’ll find in the remainder of this book are 5 simple things you can do immediately to create a stress-free life and start experiencing the amazing, rewarding joy that is your birthright. It’s not about managing your stress, it’s not about reducing your stress, it’s about eliminating stress from your life.

To make it even easier, I’ve included checklists for each chapter and an entire section of resources that can help you on your journey.

Please note that I am not a doctor, social worker, psychotherapist, or licensed life coach. If you are having serious issues with depression or are feeling like you simply cannot handle your life, please visit one of those professionals.

What I can offer you, however, is a view from the other side and a hand to hold onto as you, too, make the transition from stressfull to stressfree.

So let’s get going. Your life is calling!

Step One: Get Your Financial House in Order

If you were to walk down the street and ask ten people what stresses them out, you might get a variety of answers--my job (or lack of it), my health (or lack of it), my love life (or...well, you get the idea), my kids, my family, war, gas prices, and the list goes on.

But there is one thing you will hear over and over and over: Money.

Study after study has shown that money (or lack of it!) is the number one cause of stress in modern life (and even the number one cause of divorce).

So what are the five steps for eliminating stress from your life?

1.Get your financial house in order
2.Get your financial house in order
3.Get your financial house in order
4.Get your financial house in order
5.Get your financial house in order!

OK, I’m just kidding. But it is the first step.

When people are stressed about money, there are generally two things that are eating at them. (I’ll bet you can guess what they are-they’re probably eating at you, too!)

The first is debt, the second is finding a way to make more.

 

Now when it comes to debt, the first thing you need to do is put things in perspective.

I have talked to hundreds of people to help them get their financial house in order. When I ask them what they are going to do with the money they make, the very first thing that comes out of their mouth is almost always,“Get out of debt.” It’s amazing how many people feel burdened and bound by debt.

And, of course, I have been there, too.

 

But I had an experience one day that completely changed my way of thinking, and I want to share it with you.

I was on a business training call and one of the speakers was talking about Donald Trump. I do not remember now what exactly she was saying about him, but she mentioned in passing that at one time Donald Trump had $900 million in personal debt. Yes, that’s nine hundred million dollars in personal debt.

I couldn’t believe my ears. She must have misspoken. Surely she meant $9 million--or $900,000. What individual has nearly a billion dollars in personal debt?

So I did some research and found that, sure enough, that was exactly his situation.

 

Suddenly my measly little $126,000 mortgage was nothing. It was pocket change. It was certainly nothing to be stressed out about!

So, before you do anything else, tally up your debt and put it in perspective. Is it really that big? Unless you are a high roller, chances are, it’s not. Breathe a sigh of relief.

Next, put in place a debt elimination plan.

You may have heard the old adage,“What you focus on, expands.” This principle is true with everything, but it’s especially true with debt. The more you focus on it, the bigger it appears. The bigger it appears, the more stressed out you will become.
In the movie The Secret, life achievement guru Bob Proctor says,“Most people have a goal of getting out of debt. That will keep you in debt forever! Whatever you’re thinking about, you will attract.

“You’ll say,‘But it’s get out of debt.’

“I don’t care if it’s get out or get in--if you’re thinking debt, you’re attracting debt. Set up an automatic debt repayment program, and then start to focus on prosperity.”

In other words, when you follow a system for eliminating your debt, you have the freedom to stop stressing about it.

 

There are many options for setting up your plan. I’ve included some recommended resources in Appendix A.

 

Make sure your system includes budgeting so that no new personal debt occurs, and then let the system take care of it.

 

That’s it.

 

Now go do it--I’ll wait. Did you do it? Hey--stop reading!

 

The subtitle of this book is “5 Things You Can Do Right Now...”

So do it right now! All right, now that that’s done, you’re ready to move on to the next part of getting your financial house in order: making more money.

First, please notice something important. I did not say make more money so you can get out of debt! You see, most people think that making more money will automatically solve their problem. It will not. Debt is a habit, and unless you fix the habit, the more money you make, the greater the debt you will have. Ask Donald Trump.

But, back to making money.

 

Many people think that getting a better paying job (or a second or third job) is the solution. If that’s you, please note:

The answer is not a job. The answer is not a job. The answer is not a job!

I said in the beginning of this chapter that the number one thing that causes people stress is money. Do you know what number two is? Jobs.

Bosses, co-workers, commuting, day care...it all adds up to one big stress mess.

 

So what’s the answer?

 

In order to really be stress free about your finances, you must find a way to make money that:

1. Allows you to be in control. If you are looking for true freedom, then where you work, how often you work, and how much money you make should all be determined by you, not a boss.

2. Is simple to understand. Let’s face it--if you have to spend a lot of time trying to figure it out, you’re only going to end up being more stressed out.

3. Provides a level of income that sustains or increases your standard of living, not just brings in a few extra bucks each month.
4. Provides a way to make money without you being there (leveraged income).

There are a lot of options for making money without a traditional job. Among them are investing in real estate or the stock market, starting your own brick and mortar business (you know, one with an actual store where people walk in and buy stuff), providing a service (like mowing the lawn, fixing computers or giving massages), or running a mobile, internet business.

They all have their pros and cons, but I only recommend one-a mobile, internet business. This is the only type of business that matches all four of the above criteria.

Real estate and the stock market are great, but there is a big learning curve.

Brick and mortar businesses also have a big learning curve (though franchises reduce this significantly). In addition, they have a lot of overhead, and, though you are in control, they do not provide you with freedom. Many small business owners are the most stressed out among us!

Providing a service is a popular way for people to step out into entrepreneurism, but the problem with this type of work is that you must be there to do it. How much you make is limited to how many hours you can actually work.

No, if you’re looking for freedom, then an internet business is, in my opinion, the best option.

But how do you get started? Well, I have tried and failed at several different business models (remember the three failing businesses that contributed to my hospital visit?), and only one meets all four of my criteria--is simple to understand, allows you to be in control, and provides a significant and leveraged income.

To find out more, visit my website at: www.YouCanHaveWhatYouWant.com

Or give me a call at 1-888-454-5421. I will personally answer the phone, and we’ll put together an action plan to get your financial house in order and start you on the road to stress free living.

OK, so here’s your first checklist:

 

I am getting my financial house in order...