Speaking of cracking under pressure, I just spent about 45 minutes on this post, and accidentally deleted the whole thing at the end. I haven't cracked yet, but if I do these next three things, I will do myself in!
Anthony Robbins, in his classic book, Unlimited Power, states a key success factor for successful leaders: they have learned how to deal with frustration, setbacks, "failure", and disappointment in the most constructive ways. However, I say, "Pshaw!" Pay no attention, since you are looking ways to crack under the stream of stressful news, stressed out co-workers, and stressed out naysayers everywhere.
Before I start, I must tell you to ignore your inner world. Just keep on getting that Goose (You), to keep on laying those golden eggs (your outputs, which lead to your results). Make sure you totally neglect the advice that Stephen Covey provided to so many in his Seven Habits Of Highly Successful People.
Ignore your 1) Physical Mechanism – Exercise, rest, and food. Keep pushing yourself. Pay no attention to your body's need for consistent exercise. Make sure to keep this reading off your list: Noami Trower's blog, Fat Loss by Eating What You Want, and Health Nut Wannabee Mom's myriad suggestions for healthy eating.
In terms of rest, even though it can have very positive restorative effects, according to Dr. Peter Hauri, the founder of America Sleep Disorders Association and author of No More Sleepless Nights. Even though I have written about the importance of good sleep, and even though there are even more unconventional tips on this topic over at Cultivate Greatness, forget about it! Just take your No Doze pills and keep on going! Eventually you'll have a break down.
Most importantly, stay away from Zen Habit's 55 Ways to Get More Energy post!
Second, pay no attention to your spiritual/mind mechanism: your need for meditation, prayer, and connection with your Creator. If I were you, I would pay no attention to any need for significance, and I would definitely stay away from Brad's blog, Sound of A Soft Breath, lest you get a drink of cold water that would restore your reserves. Stay away from Morning Coach's meditation resources, which can give you respite in the midst of a desert of worrying and mental weariness.
Third, make sure that you stay caught up in the moment, focused on everything that is going wrong in your life. By no means should you be grateful. And by no means should you cultivate that secret of the cognitive mechanism: positive, long-term perspective. Even though the Howard Business Review found in one organizational study: visualizing and imagining the sense of long-term accomplishment and overcoming problems helps us better deal with changes and stress, ignore it! I mean, athletes like Tiger Woods will visualize a successful game, but why should we develop a long term mission, set of values, exciting goals, and a dreamboard to boot, all for free, at Morning Coach, so that we can review it morning, noon, and night?! We want to be part of the status quo, and crack under the pressure.
So, to summarize: neglect your inner world: your physical reserves, your spiritual/mental reserves, and keep your cognitive perspective short-term and negative, versus long term and positive, and you will crack like a fragile egg! And by all means, don't read anything by Timothy So, whose article was the inspiration for this post!
