Shifting Focus: Two Essential Keys for Handling Pressure

Handling pressure is easy when you know how and the importance of this came home to me a number of years ago. Through a friend I met a man who had his own successful training business. He conducted corporate training events with an emphasis on teamwork. Not only was he doing well financially he also seemed to be really enjoying his work.

I asked if I could meet up with him to learn how he had achieved his success. I was very pleased when he agreed to my unusual request. After talking for over two hours he said something that really struck me as important. What he said is mentioned in many books on success and achievement but rarely is it explained in simple words that you can understand right away and act upon.

Here is what he said when I asked him how he handles the Pressure and stress of his work. He told me that stress is what you feel when you are focusing on the wrong things! Whenever he catches himself doing this he simply switches his focus away from what was making him feel stressed and back to his goal.

The Two Secrets to Shifting Focus:

1 Stress is a Signal

Use stress to get you where you want to go rather than seeing it as a major hurdle. It can seem like an irritation that never goes away and always turns up when you least want it. However stress can help you if you decide to treat it as a signal to change your approach.

When you are speaking in a group situation and you feel stress remember that it is alright to feel tense and remind yourself that this tension is a signal to switch your focus. Often it means you are focused on problems, obstacles and worries.
2 Switch Focus by shifting your attentio

First of all notice what you are currently focused on.

For example with public speaking, very often you will be paying attention to those nerves you are feeling and your dry mouth even as you hope that nobody else notices how tense you are! i.e.you are focusing on what you do not want. Maybe you are looking at someone in the audience who seems disinterested in what you are saying.

Next decide what to focus on instead.

What is your goal? If it is to speak with clarity and impact,pay more attention to that by perhaps speaking more slowly and with more emphasis. If your goal is to involve the audience ask some questions to get them involved.

If you focus on what you want to achieve when you are Expressing yourself it is also easier to pick up on feedback from your audience because you will be paying more attention to their reactions. This in turn allows you to adjust your approach to ensure that you are making the best possible impression.

You can define your focus by asking yourself - what exactly do I want? Then act on this goal immediately. If you answered I want to feel more relaxed, you could deliberately take some deep breaths. If you want your mouth to be more comfortable, you could ask for a glass of water.

When you focus on your goal your mind will search for solutions, whereas when you focus on obstacles you will see only problems. Taking charge of your focus throughout the day especially when you have deadlines to meet can make a major difference to your ability to handle pressure.

From now on, shift focus and laugh at pressure! nnn