“I’ve got one eye on the weather and one eye on the market,” said a local distributor in the Northeast this morning, capturing the correlation foremost in the minds of ever-wary lumber traders monitoring inventory levels these days. Much is written about managing sales stress. It’s part of a lumber trader’s life. It can be a positive, but we’re cautioned to heed suggestions for managing it effectively. The 27 ways to manage sales stress are very helpful. All the usual ones – exercise, eat properly, drink lots of water, play air guitar between calls – make the list. Networking with people outside your industry is a good suggestion that makes the list. Nowhere is there any mention of being a father of two little girls in conjunction with perceived occasional stress. No matter what latitude is given to description of that relationship, it cannot be characterized as “networking outside the industry”. Sales stress has even been known to contribute to sleepless nights. Ha! To get a flavor of what role the joy of Daddy-hood can play in the big picture, check out comedian Michael McIntyre at YouTube here. Even so, I know of at least one Daddy who would hasten to note the benefits of that role include motivation to be at his trading desk by 6:30 a.m. each morning..