Push through the Pressure

We often let the external noise, even the kind that is insincere or has no good intention for us, control our behavior. Boiled down to one word, we experience pressure. There is pressure to perform, to do our best, or even to be perceived in a certain way. But we do not attain a successful life, nor a righteous life, by continually adding pressure onto our lives. Perhaps some pressure may light the spark inside of us to be more self-motivated in a goal, but living for the pressure is like living for someone else’s hopes and achievements for you – it’s an uncomfortable place to be. As basketball star Lebron James once said, “I hear that word pressure all the time. There is a lot of pressure put on me, but I don’t put a lot of pressure on myself. I feel if I play on my game, it will take care of itself.”

If the response is not to give in to pressure, the response is to do what is right – what is best – no matter the pressure we feel caving in around us. As I once heard Andy Stanley explain integrity, “it is doing what you ought to do even when it costs you.” Doing what is best may actually end up costing you, because it does not agree with the pressure. It might not line up with the perceptions and dreams of the external noise. But by living this way, you set yourself up to enjoy life, not by what others desire of you, but by what is best for yourself. You relieve the pressure from the outside, and as a result, you relieve it from yourself, too.

The irony of all of this is that it often leads to better performance in the end. Even though you are not doing it for that reason, relieving the pressure leads you to do what is best at your best. You end up silencing the critics – whether they are in your head or out of it – and perform at your optimal level. You aren’t playing a game, you are succeeding for your own sake, and for the sake of integrity. And in the end, everything will take care of itself. Push through the pressure, play your game, and the best will be yet to come.