ROBERT J.R. GRAHAM: Pressure

Showing posts with label Pressure. Show all posts

Tuesday, 23 September 2014

The Pressures of Time

Making Life Less Stressful: Five Tips for Easing Time Pressure

by: Cynthia Lindner

Developing time management skills is one way to prevent Time Pressure from adding to unhealthy stress we may already have. The best way to prevent stress from becoming a health or emotional problem is to manage stress by both modifying our habits and changing the way we respond to situations we think are stressful.

With keeping this in mind, what is your experience in regard to time? Do you have the time to do the things you enjoy, or do you postpone your leisure activities for meeting work deadlines, and keeping appointments? Do you often feel so tired that you spend most of your spare time sleeping?

The many people who share this type of experience usually recognize feeling an increase in their stress levels, but ironically, they don’t have the time to do the deep relaxation exercises that will help to reduce the unhealthy effects of stress. Feeling time pressure adds to the feelings of stress.

The pressure, it seems, is becoming the norm especially for adults who work and raise a family. Fortunately, by using these tips even the busiest people can create extra time in the day to relax, have fun, and enhance their health.

Tip #1: Know What’s Important

Every couple of weeks, or once a month, look at “the big picture”, and consider what is really most important to you. How does that fit into your life now? Will it be important in the future?

Tip #2: Set Priorities

Keep a note book with a list of things to do, errands, chores, etc. Then rate the importance of the items listed in terms of your overall goals, and also the goals shared by your family, work group, also consider your education obligations. For each entry ask your self, “What would happen if I didn’t do this? Is this task worth the investment of my time?”

Tip #3: Make Some Space

Get rid of unnecessary paper and clutter, and arrange things you save in a more orderly fashion so that you can find them more easily and quickly.

Tip #4: Break Big Jobs Into Small Steps

If you’re putting a project off because it seems overwhelming, break it up into smaller manageable steps and take each step one at a time.

Tip #5 Change The Way You Think

Notice your thought pattern as you approach (or avoid) a task. Listen for negative thoughts such as: “I don’t feel like doing this. I’m not capable of doing such a hard assignment. I always miss the deadline anyway.” Substitute more positive ideas and self-talk. “I will feel much better when this is done. Once I begin this project I’ll feel more like doing it. If I do a little each day, I’ll be able to finish the project.”

After about one month of using these techniques evaluate your progress. Ask yourself these questions: Am I accomplishing more? Do I feel more in control of the time I have? Am I feeling happier? If you are able to answer yes to any of these questions then you are experiencing some success– keep up the good work. Many people, however, find making these changes on their own to be difficult or impossible. People who seek out the help of a professional have much greater success in making the changes and having the changes last for a good long while.

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Sunday, 31 August 2014

Think Big, I Dare You

I Dare You

by: Oscar Bruce

The world at large steals your youthful enthusiasm and unbridled confidence, piece by piece, bit by bit. Friends and relatives throw sand in your dream machine. They’ve conformed to the pressures to become ordinary, and insist that you do the same. They compromised by downsizing their dreams and restricting their field of vision.

I DARE YOU to free your mind from these cultural constraints. To RESIST the pressure to become ordinary. To IGNORE those who give you their version of why you can not rise above mediocrity.

I WANT TO CHALLENGE YOU to free yourself from the shackles of your past conditioning, to break the chains that bind you to false beliefs about what you can do with your life.

I DARE YOU to aim at something worthy of the best that is in you. I maintain that you are a better, more capable person than you have experienced so far, or that others have led you to believe you are.

TODAYS PREVAILING IDEOLOGY IS NOT SELF IMPROVEMENT. It is self preservation. People no longer dream of surmounting difficulties to gain all they desire. Most people live in complete servitude to the “survival mentality”. They hope merely for “coping”.

I AM PROMISING YOU that living aggressively changes the whole complexion of life. Not until you dare to attack will you master your fears completely. Suddenly you step into a new world of adventure. Horizons are pushed back on all sides. Opportunities open up that were previously unseen. The sleeping giant within you is stirred and awakened. On that priceless day you will discover that you have a new power, the power to rise above the lives of those around you.

CHALLENGES ARE THE STUFF OF LIFE. Going after what you want, pursuing what is important to you, these are keys to happiness. Everybody loves to be a winner, a star, a hero. Nobody wants to be a loser, a failure. Americans love to be number one.

IT IS THE BASIC NATURE OF MAN TO ACHIEVE, to explore the full potential of the human spirit. Deep down in every heart is the desire to be somebody, to get somewhere, to be respected. Every individual yearns to make something of his or her life.

NO PERSON CAN BE HAPPY unless they are expressing their inherent potential, fully and completely. A life that satisfies is impossible without a sense of achievement and fulfillment.

THE BRAIN NEEDS OBJECTIVES. Most of us begin our journey with no end in mind. Then one day we find ourselves somewhere we don’t want to be and don’t have a clue how we got there. Nothing diminishes a life more than having nowhere to go. A mind with idle time and nowhere to go becomes filled with contradiction and doubt. On the other hand, nothing enriches a life like being a part of something big.

Life is good. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

THINK WHAT IT WILL MEAN TO YOU to possess the calm assurance that you are one of the few people in the world who know exactly where they are going and how they are going to get there – and that attainment is only a matter of time. That you have something to believe in, a mission that gives purpose to your life, your days filled with meaningful tasks.

I DARE YOU to think bigger, to act bigger and to become bigger and I promise you a richer life, a more exciting life. The rewards for daring in this world teeming with opportunity were never so rich or so plentiful. Science, business, education are all looking for rare individuals who dare to face life creatively and aggressively, who dare to attack, rather than to defend or compromise.

IS WHAT YOU HAVE NOW WORTH WHAT YOU MIGHT BE MISSING?

I DARE you to stop putting conditions on the words commitment and dedication. I dare you to stop putting limitations on your dreams!

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The post Think Big, I Dare You appeared first on Robert JR Graham.

Excelling Under Pressure – What does it Take?

by: John Ellsworth

I am reminded of my own performances of the past and how being under pressure can cause all sorts of haywire things to happen. The pressure may come from a missed execution, a missed call, an error, or simply not being able to battle through a tough situation in a game or event.

Athletes who perform under pressure usually enjoy the challenge of the situation. I wasn’t all that happy about those nerve wracking sticky game situations For sure, I did not want to fail. As athletes – none of us want to fail. Fear of failure might be a motivator, but it usually leads to avoidance behaviors such as reduced effort, loss of focus, comfort zone performing, high expectations, or perfectionist tendencies.

Excelling under pressure requires several skills:

1. Focus on the task at hand – remain in the present & disconnect from the past & future. The task focused athlete is able to significantly reduce internal and or external distractions. By reducing distractions – the athlete reduces the perception of stress. Less stress – the potential for better performance. Less stress and anxiety – muscles fire and respond with more flexibility.

2. Mental & Physical Relaxation is critical. Your breathing can be your “”silent partner”” and will serve to equally reduce tension, and anxiety, while at the same time sharpen your “”zone””focus skills. Controlled breathing will help with a balanced execution of your pre-game and pre-performance routines. The more you are in control of your breathing the more you will be in control of the fine motor control movements required in execution of a complex skill, like swinging a golf club, or executing a pass in the midfield of a soccer game to set up a shot on goal. Regardless of the skill – being in control of your breathing will help you remain composed in critical situations. For more on the benefits of controlled BREATHING techniques, go to www.protexsports.com sports education.

3. Confidence. Confidence comes from repetitive and successful execution of a task. With confidence you do not think about mechanics or technique. You believe in your ability to execute and your mind knows what to do. When you are confident you also “”trust”” that whatever you do will be the right thing. When you are confident and you trust in the execution you eliminate the the need to overly think or analyze prior to performing the skill.

4. Visualize and Imagine. The more you perform a task – the more comfortable you become with the task. The best place to learn is through physical practice in that sport environment. However, learning has been said to be as equally as helpful when using mental rehearsing techniques like visually rehearsing, or through a process called guided imagery. These techniques are the next best thing to being there. The more “”focused”” practice success – the chances of greater levels of peak performance.

Google’s Master Plan (Photo credit: jurvetson)

5. Practice Planning . An athlete practices to “”per-fect”” skills, and not to be a perfect athlete.

Mentally tough players understand that on the practice field is where preparation begins and ends. During competitive events – thoughts on execution and mechanics typically cause interruptions in peak performance. The confidence and trust develop during the “”per-fecting”” process during practice. Practice routines are designed to: a) Improve confidence, b) Improve focus, c) Focus on the process – not outcomes, d) Simulate game situations, e) Fine tune strengths and work on weaknesses, f) Set process oriented performance objectives, and g) Incorporate High Confidence and Strong Belief Statements about your ability as an athlete. For more on Perfectionism go to www.protexsports.com sports education.

Pressure during competition is not all that much fun if you are not prepared to compete, or prepared to cope with the unforeseen thoughts, and feelings that surface during these challenging times. Proper training, coping tools, and perspective are key to reaching the peak performance you desire.

“”A top athlete has to combine three different factors: physical strength, tactics, and mental toughness. The golden rule is to “”strive”” to never let any of those slip””

Felicia Ballanger – Ten-time cycling Gold Medalist

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