So often one hears “I have to…” as in “I have to deal with this situation before it blows up…” or “I have to handle this problem before it gets worse…”
The mindset shift that frees up your potential and reduces the perception of stress is to reframe it as “I get to…”
The tennis great Billie Jean King once said, “Pressure is a privilege.” By that she meant that pressure occurs only when something significant is on the line AND you are able to meaningfully impact the outcome. In other words, you have earned the opportunity to matter, to make a difference. No pressure, no diamonds.
So, re-frame every challenge, every difficult moment as “I get to…”, an occasion to step up to the plate and demonstrate your mastery of your craft, the depth and breadth of your preparation. If you are still getting to that point, write your scripts out in advance, over and over visualize yourself responding skillfully, successfully. In times of crisis, we revert to our deepest training, so train well, train smart, train often… and the moment will be yours!
Closing Quotes:
“Everything negative – pressure, challenges – is all an opportunity for me to rise.” – Kobe Bryant, 1978-2020
“Pressure is not an event, it is a reaction to an event.” – Jim Afremow, sports psychologist, ‘Champion’s Mind: How Great Athletes Think, Train & Thrive’
“I never looked at the pressure situation as pressure. I looked at it as an opportunity. I want the ball. I want to take the last shot.” – Michael Jordan, b. 1963
“Pressure is a word that is misused in our vocabulary. When you start thinking of pressure, it’s because you’ve started to think of failure.” – Tommy Lasorda, 1927-2021
As always, I share what I most want and need to learn. – Nathan S. Collier
Note: Every effort has been made to properly source any 3rd person material. I am, however, a voracious reader. If anyone finds any unattributed material, pls let me know asap and I will be delighted to give credit where credit is due.
“All intelligent thoughts have already been thought; what is necessary is only to try to think them again.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 1749-1832
