There is probably no easier pressure solution to use before and during a pressure moment than this: FOCUS ON YOUR MISSION
This solution suggests that you stay clear on what you are trying to accomplish — your mission. It could be to shoot a clean round of golf (regardless of score), have a strong interview (independent of how other interviewees do), or just be an excellent employee. Increasing your awareness of your mission before and during a high-pressure mo¬ment helps to depressurize the situation quickly.
- First, it prevents distracting thoughts generated by self-consciousness or external distractions. Such thoughts can derail your efforts.
- Second, focusing on the mission keeps you on track because it cues you to do the things you need to do to achieve the performance you are looking for. To write an excellent paper, focusing on the mission will cue you to do your research.
Focusing on your mission creates a mind-set that helps you recognize the best way to accomplish your mission is to simply do your best on each task. In the way, you stay anchored in the moment.
This is an excerpt from Performing Under Pressure.
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About the Book
Co-authored by our own J.P. Pawliw-Fry, Performing Under Pressure will introduce you to the concept of pressure management, offering the latest science on how your brain responds under pressure, and many empirically tested strategies to help you overcome the sabotaging effects of pressure. For this book, we undertook a multiyear study of over twelve thousand people to answer the question: what is it about the top 10 percent of these individuals that helps them handle pressure more effectively and be successful? The book has been featured in featured in Forbes, INC., The Financial Times, Training Magazine and many more, and is a NYT and Amazon bestseller. Order your copy on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Audible or Apple ibooks.
About the Author
Dr. JP Pawliw-Fry is one of the founders of IHHP. He co-wrote the NY Times bestseller, Performing Under Pressure, and is sought out by Fortune 500 companies as a keynote speaker. If you want to hear more about how to manage stress and pressure, subscribe to his podcast Last 8% Morning on Apple, Spotify, and Stitcher.