Saturday, January 05, 2008

It’s More Than a David Bowie Song

pres·sure [presh-er] - a constraining or compelling force or influence

I have never really been someone who felt or was afraid of pressure. I have always been able to step up in key situations and deliver – hitting that first tee shot with everyone watching, batting with two outs and the bases loaded, making the hard decision at work, delivering a presentation in front of a large crowd – none of these things have ever bothered me. I never experience the fear of failure. I guess partly because I am usually very confident in my abilities. I have also been pretty successful in these life situations and I think that success breeds confidence. Confidence is what gives people the ability to perform when under pressure.

Lately pressure has been paralyzing my life. Pressure that is bred from doubt. Doubt that is causing anxiety. Anxiety that is creating fear. Fear that is creating more pressure. These are all completely foreign feelings for me. How do I fight doubt? How do I handle anxiety? How do I eliminate fear? How do I conquer pressure?

Whoever said life was supposed to be easier as you got older was probably very young. With age comes a whole different set of problems. It is a good thing that humans are living longer than ever so I will have time to figure out how to deal with all my new life issues. At least my life is never boring.

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