The tennis legend Bill Jean King often said “Pressure is a privilege”. It is for those who seek it, those who earn it and those who endeavour to do what others may not think of it as a possibility.
Come to think of it, what is the alternative of no pressure, it is no expectations. Nothing to aim for, nothing to gravitate towards and most importantly not being able to find out what you might have been capable of.
A few years ago, I was keen on leadership role but wasn’t sure if the pressure was worth it. I leaned to a trusted friend who is a seasoned Human Resources Executive. She told me, that she could recruit for specific roles and skills, and the hardest one was to recruit leaders. The world needs leaders, and you could be one of them but instead you shy away and look for the easy road. That struck a chord, I took the job and rest is history.
Pressure is an opportunity. Pressure might crack an egg, but it can also form a diamond and the every opportunity is to test yourself through it on what are you made of?
Tweet
Over the years I have learned that the feeling of pressure is also a feeling of assurance, deserving of expectations and gratitude for the attention. The job is yours because you are more than capable of doing the job.
Indra Nooyi, Former Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo, is often heard saying Run to the fire, not away from it.
Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook, said in her 2013 book, Lean IN: Women, Work and the Will to Lead – take the job for the Opportunity it brings, not money, title or office
"We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect." - Anaïs Nin 
Leave a Reply