The Formula For Success

High levels of pressure and using your strengths.  Alright, that’s it.  Wow, that was a short blog post.  I really nailed it right out the gate.  Good job team. 

Ok maybe I should elaborate a bit.  So I think we’ve all heard about using high pressure to excel.  You gotta grind!  Be like coal turning into a diamond!  And all that jazz. 

While I think that is valid, I think there is an overemphasis on using only high pressure as an avenue to success.  High pressure by itself, will likely just drain your HP.  It’s challenging.  It’s a struggle.  And it’s not sustainable on its own.  You need some level of a blow off valve or even a direction to aim all that struggle to. 

Now I’ve tried attaching a variety of things to high pressure.  Should you focus on strengthening your weaknesses?  Should you hold onto hopes for the future and keep the visual in your head?  Should you do it just for the sake of the stakes involved? 

Ultimately, I have found that when the pressure gets high enough, you need results.  It doesn’t matter how people tell you to get them.  The method that actually gets you results, is what you are going to do. 

And that’s where strengths come in.  With stakes involved, you don’t want to risk it on the chance that you are going to suddenly improve your weaknesses.  You need your strengths.  You can only rely on your strengths.  You’re not willing to take on the risk of trying anything less. 

The funny thing that happens when you only rely on your strengths is that your strengths get stronger very quickly.  And you start to realize that you’ve got this huge pool to draw from. 

See when you focus on weaknesses or future visualizations, it feels like you have a limited bank to draw from when you need something to push you through the difficulties.  But your own personal strengths keep you afloat.  They can even guide you into doing something that you would love to do. 

I’ll give you an example.  People tell me I’m a very talkative person.  Now that might not sound like a strength but follow me.  This is something that comes very naturally to me.  I don’t need to scavenge for something to talk about.  The pool where it comes from is deep. 

So writing is just being talkative on paper.  Sure, you have to learn to edit a bit.  But at its core, that’s all it is.  This means that writing is a skill that I can rely on.  Looking at just this strength, it means I’m geared to making a blog, writing books, and whatever other venture requires writing. 

Contrary to this, I suck at math.  If I chose to become an accountant in the hopes that the practice would develop my weak math skills, I would be a mediocre accountant at best regardless of the pressure. 

Life will put pressure on you.  No matter what road you walk down, it will follow you.  So rely on your strengths and awaken the outstanding person you already are.

All the Best,

Andreas