Forget diamonds, pressure builds something more valuable!

Pressure is a gift. It can build character, create diamonds and bring together the finest of things. So why are we so afraid of it?

If you want to be successful in any part of life, you need to deal with pressure. Without hardship, you will never become truly great at anything. We need to learn how to harness this power for our own benefit and use it as fuel for greatness. Some of the most admirable traits come out when someone is faced with difficult challenges.

Pressure creates bonds between people who share challenges.

When we go through similar hardships together, it brings us closer together. Communities are strengthened through pressure.

“Stress and meaning are inextricably linked,” writes Stanford psychologist Kelly McGonigal in her book The Upside of Stress. She explains that while people don’t feel stressed about something they find unimportant, it’s impossible to enjoy a meaningful life without stress. Meaning and purpose is what enables individuals to overcome life’s pressures and accomplish their objectives.

Increasing pressure causes diamonds, but also pushes people to succeed.

For example: If you’re trying to write a book, and you’re not feeling any pressure at all, chances are you’ll never write anything at all. Push yourself to write every day. Let other people know that you are writing a book. Pressure can be the incentive to finish. 

The problem with bad stress is that we often feel helpless against it—we can’t control what’s happening or how we’re feeling about it because those things are out of our hands. But good stress forces us out of our comfort zone and makes us grow stronger as a result! It teaches us new skills and gives us an opportunity to learn from failure by analyzing what went wrong and how we might fix it next time around if this situation comes up again later down the road somewhere else where someone else could benefit from hearing all about what happened here first while they still have time left before their deadline comes due later today…

The “performance paradox” is a reality of our world.

The “performance paradox” is a reality of our world. We strive to be better people by being more organized, exercising more, eating healthier foods and being more productive at work. We care too much about what others think about us. The older I get the more I realize…nobody is thinking about me. I am giving myself way more importance.

Anything that puts pressure on us is what causes us to have problems like anxiety and stress in the first place. Our bodies can’t handle too much stress for long periods of time. We were not designed that way. General Dwight D. Eisenhower said, “I have two kinds of problems. The urgent and the important. The urgent are not important, and the important are never urgent.” Avoid attributing importance to any false urgency.

Keep pressure under control by letting go of the things you cannot control.

In other words, don’t worry about things you can’t control. While this may sound obvious and even elementary, it is surprisingly difficult for many people to keep their thoughts in check and shift their focus onto the things they do have control over.

When we feel pressure to perform in a particular way or achieve certain outcomes, it’s hard not to think about what could go wrong and how others might perceive us.(especially considering most of these perceptions are based on assumptions). This kind of thinking creates unnecessary stress and anxiety that can lead us down a path where we lose sight of our true goals.

Pressure means you care. Pressure is what turns your effort into valuable results. The “performance paradox” is a reality of our world. If you feel like there’s too much pressure on your shoulders, then take action by letting go of the things you cannot control. You can only control yourself and what happens within that control area.

Check your thinking – is it important or urgent. It’s not both!

If you'd like some help in your business, have a call with Brad.