How Workplace Stress Destroyed Me and Made Me Stronger

It’s about bouncing back, praying for clarity, and finding new work that gives us meaning fueled by?purpose

Like most workers, entrepreneurs, and industry titans, I let workplace stress destroy me more than once. If you’re dealing with workplace stress and feeling overwhelmed by your job, let me help you address the root causes and offer suggestions that helped me bounce back.

First, stress can be healthy, such as physical workouts, learning new skills, and dealing with difficult people, including business partners and bosses from hell. It’s when we let excessive stress do damage that it takes a heavy toll on our minds and bodies.

But, as you’ll soon see, stress can be the silent killer that crushes us. At that point, we have a choice based on free will. We can let it keep us in the dark or use it to spring forward into the light.

Workplace Stress Got the Best of?Me

Before I started my first business in 1991, I let workplace stress get the best of me. When working in the hotel industry as a sales and marketing executive, I had yet to learn how to manage the stress of leading a team, managing up, down, and all around.?

After eight years in my first career, I ran out of steam because my work no longer held meaning, and the money was less than I wanted to make as the father of a young family.?

The good news was that my workplace stress became my springboard to courage and clarity. Against the advice of my family and most of my friends, I walked away from a steady paycheck and health benefits. I lept at an attractive opportunity to build a financial planning and investment advisory business.?

I worked hard to learn the business, win clients, and maintain their trust. Trust became the currency that paid me handsomely for many years until stress ate my lunch.

I Got All the Stuff, and It Wasn’t?Enough

I had made lots of money, purchased a big house with a pool, joined a beautiful club, and drove a fancy car. I lived the dream until I walked into work on a Monday to face my worst nightmare. My business partner called me into his office and promptly dumped me like a hot rock.?

The business divorce crushed me. I’m still unsure why my partner dumped me. It was likely because I was slacking off too much, drinking every night, and doing other things that prevented me from being the best business partner I could be. I own my part.

In retrospect, the stress of making a billion cold calls, dealing with rejection, and managing the fear and uncertainty of how the financial markets impacted my income contributed to my nuclear meltdown and subsequent fall.?

Like many of us, that’s when I started numbing the pain. Life got dark fast. It wasn’t long before I lost my faith, health, all of our money, and hope. I used a walker to get around, leading up to a lower back surgery that took many years to heal.

Workplace Stress Gets the Best of?Us

Most people would agree that anxiety and trauma, like fear, guilt, and shame, are emotions we can’t endure for long without using something to alter our consciousness. It’s not unusual for workers under too much stress, boredom, and bosses from hell to numb the pain with many different substances, including food.

One of the first triggers leading up to my demise included the infamous Dot-com bubble, which erased nearly all of its earlier gains. When the index bottomed out in October 2002, most publicly traded dot-com companies had failed. Making a living as a financial planner and investment advisor was brutally difficult. My fear kicked into a much higher gear.

The next nuclear meltdown was one I shared with the world on September 11, 2001. I’ll never forget the day I watched the news in my office. I froze in place. Shock and awe consumed me. All I wanted to do was enlist in the military, but I was already too old to make the cut. It wasn’t long before I had to walk away from the industry.

Why August 17, 2002, Was Hotter Than?Hell

When my stress and anxiety became too much to bear, I decided to tell my manager I had had enough. It was August 17, 2002. After I told him I was quitting, he stood up from behind his oversized mahogany desk and yelled at the top of his lungs, “What the fuck are you talking about? I own you. If you think you’re leaving, go ahead and try. I’ll fucking ruin you.”

I melted down as if made of wax. That was before I left my manager’s office and walked out the front door into the 117-degree heat of Scottsdale, Arizona.?

It was like walking into a blast furnace with no hope of returning. I was human toast.

Be Willing to Reinvent?Yourself

We can’t fear the future or regret the past if we intend to find a higher purpose and reinvent ourselves. Seeing every setback and failure in a positive light motivates us to find a better way to work and live.

After several job interviews, I pitched my wife, the saint, on a new business venture. I said, “Janice, give me 90 days to launch a sales coaching and training business, and if I don’t make a profit and start making money, I promise I’ll get a ‘real job.’”?

As the good Lord would have it, I found my way, made a great living, and did not have to take a day job. Once I surrendered, got humble, and learned to pray for guidance, I gave Him all the credit.

While working for myself has its ups and downs, it has always been far better than selling my soul in bi-weekly paychecks. Were it not for my amazing wife and best friend, there would have been more than once when my income was so low that I’d have been living in a van somewhere in the national forest of Arizona.

Therein lies the power of having a loving and devoted partner because going alone as an entrepreneur takes a toll. Short of marrying a saint, I suggest those of us who are single find a Higher Power than themselves. That’s because when my ego was my best friend, the business of life turned to hell.

Since that fateful day when my new business began, I’ve been coaching and consulting small business owners in sales, marketing, and revenue generation. I’ve also been honing my writing skills. After over 20 years and many great clients, I recently decided to leave that type of coaching to focus on something more meaningful: assessing and tackling workplace stress.

The Research Is Clear About Workplace Stress

Beyond my direct experience, workplace stress is a big problem. The American Institute of Stress reports that 83% of U.S. workers experience work-related stress, with nearly a quarter citing their job as the number one source of stress.?

High workloads, tight deadlines, and poor work-life balance are often the leading culprits, creating an environment where burnout becomes a real risk. Additionally, workplace stress doesn’t just stay at the office; it spills over into personal lives, contributing to issues like sleep disturbances, anxiety, and even long-term health problems such as heart disease.?

What’s even more concerning is that companies often underestimate the financial impact of stress, which can lead to reduced productivity, increased absenteeism, and higher turnover rates. This is a reminder that addressing workplace stress isn’t just about improving morale—it’s about fostering healthier, more sustainable environments for employees to thrive.

Trust God Has a Plan Leading to?Clarity

It’s as if God always had a plan for me. All I needed to do was surrender, check my inflated ego at the door, and follow His way. The last year has been more challenging than usual, but I used the lows to pray and ask for guidance.

Even though patience has never been my best virtue, I’ve learned to pray and wait for divine guidance. That’s an odd thing to say for a guy using strategic planning as the cornerstone of his coaching. But along the way, a dear friend, Terry Hamlin, taught me how to be patient.?

He said, “Cliff, pray unceasingly and earnestly. Thank God for your many blessings. Ask him to guide you, and when He’s ready, He will clarify what’s next.”

Now you know why my company name begins with “Clarity.” It’s only in recent weeks, after many deliberations, that I got clear on what’s next. I now have a new body of work, including a workshop, assessment, coaching program, and toolkit to help leaders, executives, and workers manage workplace stress. Oddly enough, this plan has been in the works for over five years, and now it’s time to unleash it and see if I can make a difference.

Man On a Mission, Powered by?Purpose

Through my direct experience and countless studies, it’s abundantly clear that stress is the silent killer that can easily crush us if it goes untreated. I’m 63 years old, healthy, and ready to take on the third major pivot of my career. Even if I’m viewed as an older man now, I’m fueled by my purpose and a Higher Power I call God.

My primary professional purpose is the rocket fuel I’ll use to help younger leaders, executives, managers, and workers suffering from workplace stress. In other words, I’m a new man on a mission. I don’t regret the past. Instead, I’m grateful for the many mistakes, the suffering, and the lessons I’ve learned. It’s time to blast off and be of service to others.

In closing, I pray that my story will help others who struggle with workplace and career stress. My direct experience can serve as a testimony, giving others hope. If we see suffering in the right light, we can use it as our springboard to courage, clarity of purpose, meaning, and the gateway to salvation.

Finding meaning and purpose is the antidote to workplace and entrepreneurial stress. If you need help finding your way, ask for help. One of the best ways to get help is to pray for guidance and clarity. May you find it now.

I write about the art of human transformation, transcending suffering, mental health, workplace stress, and dealing with addiction. Learn more about The Clarity S.H.I.F.T. Method? for tackling workplace stress at www.CliffordJones.com .