“Pressure is something you feel when you don’t know what the hell you’re doing.”
– Peyton Manning, who next week will likely set the career record for touchdown passes by an NFL quarterback
He knows what he’s doing, in other words.
And so, more often than not, do we. The perception of pressure can come from the person who second guesses, even though they’ve never been in the role or the situation before, particularly if they “outrank” or “out-role” us. The perception of pressure can come from the “expert” who might be the smartest person in the room, just not in the context necessary to cast judgment.
The point is, pressure is largely a perception.
There is performance anxiety — which can be a very good thing. There are times when control — always an illusion of sorts — seems far, far away just when we want it most.
But all we ever really control is how we prepare and how we respond.
Preparation is how we know what the hell we’re doing. Response is what we do when we know.
Pressure is for the unprepared.
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