Which is more stressful....

....excellence (and subsequent "success"), or mediocrity? I enjoyed lunch with a good friend and trusted mentor today. It was a last minute "hey, can we meet somewhere and do lunch" kinda thing. I'm glad it worked out. One of the neatest things that came out of the lunch was the common feeling that excellence, and its natural product "success", brings with it greater stress than does mediocrity. Strange, isn't it? I mean you would think that when you strive for excellence and things are going well, you could sit back and relax a little. It seems as though at those times that one should be able to breath easier and rest in the moment of prosperity (in the purest sense of the word.) But NO! It seems that these times are those of greatest stress, pressure, and the feeling of a need to "succeed" or "perform" in even greater ways.

Matthew 11:28-30
28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (NIV)

Jesus, take my burden, and give me yours. Then help me to carry it...