Today, I am going to present you with something that I have found that works for me that I believe others could find value in.
One thing I want to make clear is that what works for me isn't going to work for everyone because everyone operates differently.
Some people operate more efficiently under stress, while some people operate better from a place of calm.
For me personally, I find optimization from pressure.
When the pressure is on and I have to think on my toes, I find ways to make it work.
Not everyone works well under pressure because pressure creates stress and stress can cause a lack of motivation of moments of panic.
But like anything, I believe the ability to operate under pressure is a muscle that can be grown if you are willing to deliberately put yourself in stressful situations.
The more pressure you willfully create for yourself, the more you learn how to deal with it.
Another reason why some people do not work well under pressure is because they feel like the pressure is always on and they cannot get a release of it.
Even with horses - horses learn from the release of pressure.
Pressure for horses makes them uncomfortable and they search for a way out of that pressure.
Once a horse has completed the task in which you assigned, the immediate release of pressure is essential for getting the horse to learn that what he did is what you asked for.
Humans are slightly more complex because of our constant thoughts and emotions often coming in conflict with one another, but the overall concept is the same.
If we succeed under pressure, the more we feel rewarded for our efforts.
Now, if we succeed under an immense amount of pressure, could you imagine the rewarding feeling afterwards?
This is why we must learn to do things that are hard that deliberately put us under pressure.
We will fail along the way, of course, but the more we continue to show up and do what we expect of ourselves, the stronger we get.
So today, I am going to give you my personal to-do list of things that I have found that work well for me working under pressure.
1.) Set Principles
You see, I like principles for many different reasons because principles supply you with structure.
When you live by principle, it makes understanding what you have to do on a day-to-day basis much more acceptable.
Your values in life will be a reflection of your principles.
Setting the alarm clock, even on your day off because it gives you an extra hour or two to work on yourself while everyone is still asleep is principle.
This shows that you mean business because this is a routine habit for you that gives you some form of structure to start your day before everyone else.
Even something as simple as treating others the way you wish to be treated - the Golden Rule is a form of principle for treating others with respect.
2.) Get Physically Active
This one speaks for itself and I have spoken many times in the earlier blog posts on this channel about the importance of getting in good physical shape.
Getting in good shape builds confidence, as well as promotes growth both mentally, and physically.
Your body and mind operate better when having to use both of them together.
Not to mention that pushing yourself physically to the point of pain will help you increase your pain threshold.
This is one of the best ways to learn how to increase pressure for yourself and push through for more optimal performance.
3.) Learn Something New Everyday
Knowledge is power and with more knowledge, comes more experience.
With that said, knowledge doesn't always come easy...
Learning new things like a greater level of social skills will allow you to understand people better, and also help you relate to them.
There are tiers to social skills, so the more you learn and progress through social hierarchy, the more useful you will become.
This does not go without mentioning that in order to acquire top tier social skills, you will often have to find yourself in situations that make you uncomfortable.
Having to learn new things is demanding and uncomfortable for most, but the reward is better critical thinking skills and better decision making.
4.) Talk To Yourself Often
I know this makes me sound like a sociopath, because why would anyone in their right mind just sit alone and talk to themselves?
Well, for me, I have found having these conversations out loud is a good way to sort out my thoughts.
When a flow of thoughts is streaming and you hear yourself say something, it can cause you to stop and think about where that thought come from.
Some may ask: what does this have to do with being under pressure?
My answer is that it forces you to have difficult conversations with yourself.
When you're alone and it's quiet with no-one else to talk to, the only thing you are left with is your thoughts and this can be extremely uncomfortable for some, but it creates the kind of pressure to develop awareness of your own thoughts.
5.) Affirm Your Belief In Higher Power
It is no secret that human consciousness comes from somewhere, but the ultimate question is: where does human consciousness come from?
Sure, we could sit here and go through the evolutionary biology of the human species and the growth of the prefrontal cortex of the brain (the region of the brain that allows us to have rational thought), but it still doesn't answer the question as to how anything started or how life even began.
Science doesn't support enough evidence as to how life on earth actually began because it is all calculated probabilities done through math equations.
The truth is, it doesn't matter whether you believe in God or believe in creator or believe in some other form of higher power.
Then point that I am making here is that belief in something larger than yourself will always give you a natural sense of guidance.
When you believe in something higher than yourself, you will program your natural intuition to lead you down a path that suits your human spirit.
After all, fulfillment in life is what we are all after.
Having genuine belief in God or higher power will give you a sense of guidance and safety when navigating pressure and difficult life situations.
You don't have to follow this list, but this is something that has worked for me and continues to work for me.
If you decide to use some of the things on this list and apply them to your life in your own way, then I salute you and your efforts.
In fact, I would encourage you to create a to-do list of your own, but we all have to start somewhere.