Pressure is a Privilege

Pressure can be a good thing. One way to profit from it is to take some time and space and to really stretch and experiment with parts of the situation that is causing the pressure.

As an example Nike has developed a culture where they move, they try things, they fail, they learn, they try more things, and then they eventually get some things right.

They call this editing and are trying to do more of this because there are so many ideas, so many opportunities to pursue, so many different paths, and they’ve got to be able to edit fairly quickly. They will tell you they have a very open environment where people can read and play off of each other, but then they have to lock in, and go and really commit. They’re not successful all the time, but that’s part of the process. They like to say, “it’s okay to fail as long as you learn and keep moving.”

Serena Williams will tell you also that it’s okay to fail. Recently she said. “I don’t think you can succeed unless you fail. You have to fall down a lot. I think not only does that help you, but it also creates character and builds strength and it builds a determination – so when you do get on top, it works.”

She goes on, “My first match I lost by in 50 minutes. You have to have that opportunity to fall down to be able to rise up stronger. I always say pressure is a privilege. It’s a privilege to be in a situation where you actually have pressure on your shoulders as opposed to not having that pressure. Someone asked me the other day Do you stare at your trophies when you walk in your house? Are they all there?”

I’m like, “actually, no. Because the second I win the tournament, yeah, for a few hours I’m in the moment. But if you’re always looking behind you, you’re never going to see the competition ahead of you. There’s always next week and there’s always another face. I want to continue to get better and I do want to be known as the greatest ever.”

The next time you feel pressure, ask yourself, “how can I use this to move me forward, how can I or this process get better?

It is amazing how when you quit complaining and start thinking how to make lemonade out of lemons, growth, inside of you, starts happening, and at a lot faster rate.