Once upon a time, there was a king who wanted to pick the wisest person among his subjects to be his prime minister. He decided to put three finalists to an unusual test.

He placed the three candidates together in a room at the palace and told them the door had been fitted with the most complicated lock ever designed by the royal locksmith.

“Whoever is able to open the door first will be the prime minister,” the king declared.

The pressure in the room was palpable. The three set to work immediately. The first began to work out complicated mathematical formulas in search of the secret combination. The second scoured thick volumes on lock construction. The third sat quietly by a window, lost in thought.

Watching the clock and feeling the need to come up with a solution as soon as possible, the first two worked feverishly to open the door, growing ever more panicked. But then something unexpected happened.

The third candidate walked over to the door and simply turned the handle. With no effort, the door swung open! It had been unlocked all the time.

For this common-sense and active approach, the king named the third person to the coveted post. Such a shining example of grace under pressure convinced the king that he had indeed chosen well.

Pressure, stress, angst -- call it whatever you want. If you let it take control of your mind, you will struggle to open every door that you need to walk through. You must learn to master that pressure or stress in order to make it work for you.

An article in Bits and Pieces magazine describes how certain types of stress can actually be good for you. Citing the Mother Nature Network, the article explains how moderate and intermittent amounts of stress, such as a project deadline that gets moved up, can actually help us become more aware of our situations and motivate us to find creative solutions to problems. In addition, stress teaches us how to operate outside our usual comfort zone.

Life will hand us occasional curveballs. Understanding how to approach them is the first step to navigating the next one that will inevitably present itself. True, it may throw us off-balance at first. But reacting appropriately and swiftly becomes more manageable each time.

A recent survey published by the American Psychological Association found that as many as 70 percent of Americans reported suffering from workplace stress. Separating work-related tasks, such as resisting the urge to catch up with emails in the evening, from leisure and family time can help prevent workplace stress from spilling into other areas of your life.

The Society for Human Resource Management found that more than half of workers who put in more than 40 hours a week do so not because of pressure from management, but because those demands are self-imposed. For them, working hard isn’t necessarily so much a stressor as a source of fulfillment.

I personally thrive on pressure. The more balls I’m juggling, the more I feel like I’m spending my time well. I turn pressure into purpose. True, there are necessary tasks and projects that I don’t relish and work to finish simply so I can cross them off my list. The payoff comes when I see that list with a number of accomplishments at the end of the day. That’s my motivation.

Learning how to deal with pressure and stress is critical to your health and success. Whether that means an attitude adjustment, a job change or a heart attack is up to you. Don’t make your situation more difficult by doing things the hard way.

In other words, walk right up to the door and try the handle first.

Mackay’s Moral: Pressure turns a diamond in the rough into a precious stone.

Albert Einstein believed that “only a life lived for others is worth living.” I believe that is one of his most significant observations. And I couldn’t agree more.

While most of us can’t pretend to compete with Einstein’s contributions to society, we all have the capacity to do some real good for others. My father counseled me that a full 25 percent of my time should be devoted to volunteering. I have worked hard to follow his advice.

So, here’s my occasional plug for the importance and benefits of volunteering your time and talents for whatever cause, organization, community or individual you choose. I am certain you can find a worthy opportunity.

First and foremost, you can make a difference. Your individual skills, your dedication, your determination -- all are gifts that keep on giving if you share them. A nonprofit needs accounting help, a city garden would welcome an experienced weed-puller, a struggling student could use help with reading. There are plenty of ways to put your abilities to good use.

Sharing your strengths has a built-in benefit for you too: It’s a great way to enhance your current talents and master new skills. My friend volunteers to coach basketball for a team of 10-year-olds. She played the game throughout high school and college, and enjoys working with kids. They think it’s cool that she can shoot three-pointers. “Guarding these little hotshots is a better workout than I get at the gym,” she jokes. And she claims she has improved her defensive skills by teaching the kids the proper way to guard someone without committing a foul.

Another offshoot of volunteering is the positive energy you spread and receive. Back to my basketball coach friend, the kids and parents are so grateful that she makes the time to work with them. She maintains that what she learns from the kids are valuable life lessons. Win-win all around.

Not everyone has the time or the desire to make a long-term volunteer commitment, but that doesn’t stop them from helping when they can. A number of local churches and companies in my city organize individuals and groups to pack nutritious meals for starving children around the world. It takes just a few hours, and can be a one-time event or a regularly scheduled time slot. Training is provided, so forget that excuse!

One of my favorite volunteer days occurs every December in Minnesota when I ring bells for the Salvation Army. Three hours of frigid fun -- usually on one of the coldest days of the year -- but when I hear about where the money goes, I get all warm and cozy. Try it sometime!

A musician friend plays his guitar at a memory care facility a couple times a month. In return, he has made many new friends, from residents to caregivers to family members. “I will never be good enough to be on a national tour,” he says, “but this audience makes me feel like Eric Clapton!”

Community events are often begging for help. What better way to network with your neighbors and local businesses than to lend a hand? I’ve made lifelong friends through my civic involvement -- including several who became good customers! And for the record, I’ve done business with many people I would never have met otherwise.

While prospecting for business was not my goal when I signed up to volunteer, it was a pleasant result. As I worked with other volunteers, we developed friendships and trusting relationships that transferred over to our professional lives. And whom do you think I call for help when another volunteer opportunity arises?

If you are still unsure about getting involved in a volunteer effort, consider this. Studies show that there are benefits to your physical and mental health, as well as your self-esteem. It’s good for your brain to explore new activities and challenges. Doing for others can change your perspective and open up new ways of approaching problems.

Bottom line: Volunteering presents opportunities to showcase your talents, meet new people, master new skills, spread joy and have fun, all while making a difference in other people’s lives.

If there’s one lesson I’ve learned through my volunteer life, it is that I should expect nothing in return. When I do something for another person or organization, I do it because I can. And that makes me the luckiest person in the world.

Mackay’s Moral: When you help someone else, you also help yourself.

A monk was strolling through the garden at a Zen monastery, listening to music. He stopped near another monk, who motioned for him to remove his earbuds.

“What are you doing?” the second monk said.

“I’m listening to music and meditating,” answered the first.

“Do you have permission from the master to do this?” the second monk asked.

“But of course,” replied the first monk.

“I find it hard to believe the master would allow you to do such a thing,” the second monk said. “I was denied this very privilege just yesterday.”

“How did you raise the question with the master?” the first monk asked.

“I approached him and asked, ‘When I am meditating on my walks through the garden, is it OK to listen to music?’ The Zen master told me, ‘Absolutely not.’”

“That’s odd,” the first monk replied. “I approached the master and said, ‘I’m listening to music while I’m walking in the garden. Is it OK for me to meditate?’ and he replied, ‘Certainly.’”

Sometimes the answers you receive are determined by the questions you ask.

Scientists and detectives know how to ask questions that produce results. They also know that sometimes the answers they get lead to additional questions. It’s the only way to discern the answers that they need, not just the answers they expected to find.

Managers can learn much about asking the right kinds of questions to reach a solid conclusion. The subtle difference here is that the questions need to be framed so that they don’t come across as threatening or demeaning.

Employees also need to have the freedom to ask questions of their managers that clarify the purpose of a project or establish the best way to proceed.

Honest communication is the first step in asking and answering questions. There are three types of questions that will facilitate clear and open lines of communication.

Repetitive questions -- Sometimes you have to keep asking the same question to find the answer you need. Here's an example:

“When can I expect your report/response?”

"Next week."

“When next week?”

"Probably Thursday."

Each question will get you closer to a definite answer.

“What else?” questions -- These questions elicit additional information by exploring surrounding issues and specific concerns. “What conclusions does your report reach? What else did you find out? What else concerned you? What more could we do to handle that problem?”

“Why?” questions -- Asking “Why?” forces you and the other person to look at the underlying issues. “What caused the report to be late? Why couldn’t you get the information you needed? Why did you have trouble confirming your conclusions? What could we have done to help you?”

On the flip side, learning how to answer questions completes the circle.

Give every inquiry your best reply once you are sure you understand the question. Again, clear communication is critical. Make sure you understand precisely what you are being asked so that you can best answer the question.

Don’t be intimidated when a higher-up who has less knowledge of the topic at hand asks you to explain further. Take it as a compliment and share what you know. Answer succinctly and provide relevant information.

Leave out details that do not relate to the question at hand, unless you are asked for additional thoughts. Be careful not to be arrogant. Complicated language and technical terms are fine if your audience understands them. Before you get too fancy, consider how your answer will help the questioner.

Finally, don’t be afraid to admit that you don’t know the answer. But offer to do further research to find the information requested.

A manager overheard a salesperson tell a customer, “Gee, we haven’t had any for a long time. I don’t think we’re supposed to get any more until the end of the month.” The customer said thanks and headed toward the door.

The manager was horrified and caught up with the customer, telling him, “Come back next week. If we don’t have it by then we can make a special order for you.” The customer looked puzzled and walked out the door. The salesperson was embarrassed.

The manager railed at the salesperson, “How many times have I told you not to let a customer go without an invitation to come back? Now, what exactly was he asking about?”

“Rain,” the salesperson replied.

Mackay’s Moral: Be careful what you ask for -- if you want the right answer.