This might sound a little crazy, but what if it's the very fact that we assume stress is bad that's actually making it so bad for us? And what if there were another way to think about stress -- a way that might actually make it a force for good in our lives?

For several days this month, one of the most emailed articles in the New York Times was "Why Can Some Kids Handle Pressure While Others Fall Apart?" The article purports to explain why some children fold under the pressure of taking tests.

It's time to strengthen ourselves and move from being fragile to being robust to being antifragile. As Nassim Taleb tells us: "Wind extinguishes a candle and energizes the fire."

For the next few weeks, see if you can shift your perspective and take the focus off of the results and achievements in your life and put all your energy into learning and growing.

We bring alive the spirit of Radical Acceptance when, instead of resisting emotional pain, we are able to say "yes" to our experience. The instant we agree to feel fear or vulnerability, greed or agitation, we are holding our life with an unconditionally friendly heart.

As hard as it is to hear, each and every one of us is exactly where we are supposed to be in our lives at any moment. As we grow, evolve, and live, we go through so much -- and the tapestry of our lives is never just about happy or sad.

My 10-year-old autistic daughter, Emma, woke up in the middle of the night crying. Her screams of pain, the result of intense pressure in her ears, were like the sounds of an animal under attack.

The reason your game isn't consistent and you don't play up to your potential most of the time is strictly mental--specifically, your beliefs, attitudes, and feelings--all of which are within your power to change.