Pulling my hair out

I can't believe how some people can handle some of this stress of running a business.

I've observed two different types of business people:

a) First you got the composed and organized people. They know their shit...they stay on top of their business plans, they keep on top of their bills and cash flow. Everything is planned and worked out.

b) And then you got those business owners that just completely wing it. I get the feeling they have no business plans at all....all they are concerned with is making the sales, and then being able to cover the bills when they come. These people just go completely by gut feeling.

I'm kind of stuck more towards the first category. But I sometimes get the feeling that a lot of what is making me stressed about business from day to day, are stuff that category B people could care less about. And yet they've stayed in business and operated fine. So am I doing some of this wrong?

Should I really be balancing my accounts every week or would it be less stressful to do it once a month? Should I worry about my taxes that I'd have to pay 4 months away? Being able to pay my social security contributions this year? Covering a vendor who's doing work for me 3 months from now?

I talked to one business owner, who happens to be my hairdresser. He told me once, "Look, you can worry yourself to death over things like cash flow and your income each month, but at some point you have to trust that it will come."

So is that the secret to managing business stress? Planning your business up to a certain degree, and then just letting the rest rely on just blind faith? Perhaps it is.

Stress is a big thing. I once was so stressed at work a few years back I ended up with Shingles. For those that don't know, Shingles is basically the Chicken Pox virus part deux. Apparently once you've had Chicken Pox, the virus stays in your central nervous system for the rest of your life but lies dormant. For the rest of your life, there is a chance that virus could wake up and say hello to you if you've either let your immune system rot, or it could be triggered by things like extreme stress. So then the virus comes back to life in the form of Shingles.

I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. Shingles felt worse then getting a full-body tattoo. It was like getting a whole side of your body punctured by a million burning needles at once...and it stays like that for days. I had a tattoo done before and I can tell you.... the tattoo needle feels like a pillow of feathers compared to Shingles.

I DEFINITELY don't want to get that again. So I better learn to follow my own advice to "play hard". I think certain things work....the gym, my girl, joining up with friends, getting a dose of CuteOverload, and certainly bitching about life in this humble little blog of mine! Seems like I have quite a few invisible therapists out there reading these things. HI!!! *wave*