Anyone who’s ever needed to meet a deadline has felt this pressure. You know the feeling you get when crunch time is approaching, but you just can’t get yourself out of the slump? Or perhaps, if you’re like me, I feel pressed every morning getting ready for work while trying to get my children to school on time. Of course that pressure was pretty intense BC (Before Coronavirus)! I’ve also felt pressure in the simple things, like what to feed my family daily, since I’ve have been shut in for several weeks. What are we going to eat for breakfast, lunch & dinner?! I feel the pressure from my job, husband, kids and even my friends. I’ve created stories in my mind about my lack of performance. The mental judgment created often results in feeling inadequate. The physical reaction can be unnerving. My gut clenches, brows twitch, and my hands feel moist all because of the desire to get it right. A few days ago, the pressure to perform raised it’s ugly head again. I had a deadline to meet and I didn’t know I’d be able to deliver on time. As intense as the emotions were I made a decision to shift my focus.
In my work as a self-awareness coach, I challenge my clients to let go of the things they can’t control because this is often where growth occurs. So rather than stressing about what I couldn’t figure out, I simply went to bed. Yes, I went to bed in the midst of feeling this way. I chose to control the controllable. The next day when I woke up, I meditated. It was in this intimate setting of stillness, the answer came to me.
I realized in that moment I’d been fixating on the wrong things. I’d was all caught up in the performance rather than the message. I was focusing on myself, rather than my audience. My ego was trying to drive me and not my passion. I forgot to let that very thing that guides me, my intuition, speak to me. When we’re all in our head, the pressure to achieve can be so overwhelming, we end up losing sight of what’s important. When we’re driven by ego, our authenticity and truth cannot speak us.
We all have intuition. Yet the chatter and noise of the world often blocks it from speaking. When you let your gut guide you, or your intuition, the pressure has no other option but to subside. When we listen to it and stop fighting it, authentically we’re able to execute our plan. The reality is sometimes things aren’t going to go smoothly as anticipated. Sometimes we’re not going to be completely prepared. We might lose the deal, the girl, the guy or the opportunity. My question remains how did you choose to show up? Were you more focused on the performance? Were you being authentic? How does what you do bring true value to your audience? If you’re feeling pressure to perform, stop and connect to your message. Refocus on the inner belief that propelled you in the first place. Take time to be still and quiet. In that moment, the pressure to perform will fade and naturally your talent will shine.
In the end, the desire we have to achieve is inherent in all of us. But the journey we take doesn’t have to be arduous. Relieve yourself of the pressure and let your creativity flow instinctively. When my deadline finally came, I didn’t perform. I did what was innate and everything turned out perfectly.