Stress is a privilege. Most people will read that and roll their eyes. Stress feels like the weight of the world pressing down on you. It feels like the late-night tossing and turning, the double espresso in the morning just to function, the moments when you want to scream into a pillow because everything feels like too much. But what if you reframed it? What if stress was actually proof you are moving, growing, stretching into the next version of yourself?
The absence of stress is not peace; it is stagnation. When you are sitting in comfort, there is nothing forcing you to adapt, improve, or rise. That might sound nice for a week on a beach vacation, but in life and career, staying too long in comfort means slowly dying inside. The stress you feel when you are in a new role, chasing a bigger goal, or navigating personal challenges is a direct indicator that you are not standing still.
Think about the times you have grown the most. Was it when everything was smooth, predictable, and easy? Or was it when you were under pressure, figuring it out, and learning on the fly? Stress is the signal that you are in the game. You are on the field, not sitting in the bleachers. It is the friction that creates resilience. Without it, you never get stronger.
The same way your muscles grow when you push them beyond their limits, your career and your character expand when you carry heavier weights in life. That project that keeps you up at night, the team that relies on you, the family responsibilities that stretch you thin—those are the squats and deadlifts for your future self. They hurt in the moment, but they build capacity.
We spend so much of our lives trying to escape stress when, in reality, we should be learning to respect it. Stress is information. It is telling you that you are doing something that matters. It is reminding you that you are alive and in motion. The goal is not to avoid it altogether, but to get strong enough to carry it without breaking.
Of course, not all stress is created equal. There is toxic stress that erodes you in environments that are wrong for you. That kind of stress is corrosive, and it drains you instead of building you. The privilege I am talking about is the stress that comes from growth. The stress of chasing the promotion, starting the business, having tough conversations, or holding yourself to a higher standard. That stress is fuel.
I used to think stress meant I was failing. I thought if I was overwhelmed, it was proof I was in over my head. But looking back, every single level of my career that felt the most stressful was also the level that elevated me the most. The new job, the bigger team, the harder goals. Every time, the stress was just the sound of growth happening in real time.
The people who thrive are not the ones who avoid stress; they are the ones who learn how to carry it, manage it, and use it. They lean into the pressure because they know it means they are playing at a higher level. They see stress not as punishment but as privilege. It is proof that someone trusted them with responsibility, that they had the courage to say yes to something difficult, and that they are building a life that stretches them.
So the next time stress shows up, stop asking how fast you can get rid of it. Start asking what it is teaching you. What capacity is it building in you? What future doors is it opening? Stress is not the enemy. Stress is the privilege of growth.
If you are lucky enough to feel the pressure of stress, it means you are still climbing. It means you are on the hook for something that matters. It means you have not settled. That is a privilege. Hold onto it.