Skills are great to have, but it’s the personal qualities that make all the difference in any walk of life.
In my time working in training employability, the areas I loved was looking at those working qualities businesses love. It’s great to reflect on them, because although it can often be taken for granted, it only takes one person to display a disregard for those qualities to appreciate how important they are.
Take the capacity to do well under pressure. I was not a fan of pressure. I saw it as an excuse to go hiding because it just appeared as too much. Over time, with good training and encouragement, I begun to realise that pressure is an opportunity to be productive. Oranges don’t provide juice unless they’re put under pressure. Similarly what’s inside will tend to come out under pressure and if that’s good stuff, everyone’s a winner.
Not only is there the good that comes out, there’s the growth that also can be evident. Why, because when I produce the goods under pressure I grow in confidence and that which was pressure only stimulates me to push on. If I can complete the race under pressure in a set time, I am determined to finish faster next race.
The benefits are not just for the individual. If when chaos threatens I can look to someone who won’t be ruffled but thrive, I can certainly feel less anxious. Indeed from shying away, I can almost be defiant at challenges seeing them as the opportunities to get better to eventually produce the best.
What does it take to do well under pressure? A positive, productive and peaceful perspective.
Think about it.
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
C. L. J. Dryden
Life With CD 