Handling pressure

Do you think you handle pressure well, or do you usually fall apart?

I like to think I am better at handling pressure now than I was in the past.  I mentioned in an earlier post that I am a natural born procrastinator.  I can thrive on pressure when it comes to working against a deadline.  The key word there is 'can.'  It really depends on the assignment/project I am working on.  For example, I thrive under pressure for writing assignments but for an oral presentation I would need significantly more time to prepare.  I am not a natural public speaker by any means.  If I waited until the night before to write a speech I would likely melt on stage.  Likewise, in my cold calling job I had to prepare ahead of time to reach my goal. Preparation and hard work were key to fighting against the intense pressure I felt from my boss to meet my number each month.  If I had waited until the last week to meet my target, I would have most certainly fallen apart not to mention receive a good ole' pink slip!

For assignments I really enjoy though such as these blog entries, I can wait until right before midnight to post for the day and be fine cranking out an entry for you fine folks!  Then again, maybe my entries would be better if I started earlier.  I'm going to try posting earlier this next week so (knock on wood) my entries might be even better!  Also, I just started a fiction writing course and I have an assignment due for my class next Thursday.  My first inclination is to wait until Wednesday night but I am going to fight that urge this time and see if I can come up with an even better story.  Wish me luck! 

And Happy Friday everyone!

Pressure from within

Who puts the most pressure on you -- yourself or others?

This one is easy for me!  I am my biggest critic by far.  I am sure others of you can identify with this.  I am the oldest among my three sisters and by nature, the oldest child can tend to be an achiever.  I actually just read a great article in the Huffington Post about how birth order affects personality. (Huff post article by Dr. Gail Gross)  As the eldest child I fit the mold for the most part.  I am a perfectionist, an approval seeker and a mini-parent.  My parents never had to put much pressure on me to study and do well in school.  I put the pressure on myself.  It also helped that I went to a highly competitive high school and was surrounded by the type of people who did homework at lunch instead of just socialize.  

Even now, I put pressure on myself to succeed as an adult.  I want to earn a living and simultaneously live a life of meaning.  After being out of work for three months, I can proudly say I just got a job offer this week.  So I feel like I am on the right road now, but I want more out of life this year.  I want to cultivate interests outside of work like my blog and writing in general.  I want to continue to make time to exercise through Zumba and maybe even include a cycling class in my regimen.  I also want to nurture my friendships outside of work and find a church home.  And I hope I can even find a special someone this year.  ;)  These are all goals I want to achieve for myself.  Perhaps I could call my self-motivation internal pressure?  Regardless, I am motivated to live a life that I can be proud of for me, not others.  

Grace under pressure

"Courage is grace under pressure" is a famous quotation by Ernest Hemingway.  Tell us about a personal moment of your grace under pressure.

 In my last job grace under pressure or courage was essential for success.  I cold called up to 50 different companies a day.  My job was to hook the person on the line through my introduction to our company and services.  If I reached a receptionist or 'gatekeeper' my job was to 'break through' them and get to the decision maker. My goal for each call was to set an appointment for the salesperson to provide further information/pricing to them.  This appointment was classified as a sales lead.  Needless to say, I encountered a lot of people who were annoyed with my calling during the day and let me know it.  I can't blame them as I would probably react the same way to a telemarketer!

My goal was to get 30 appointments/leads per month for the team which was not an easy task.  I set a weekly goal for myself each Monday and worked towards it the whole week. Pressure?  Yes.  I found the old saying that you catch more flies with honey than vinegar to be very true in this role.  I learned creative ways to counter the refusals and objections on the other end of the phone.  I remained cool under pressure which put my prospect at ease along with my team and myself. 

It took time to learn this kind of grace as it didn't come natural to me at first.  I am naturally a very nervous person.  Through the job, I learned how to channel my nerves and calm myself down in order to reach my goal.  When I first started calling, I was easily rattled by someone who was even slightly annoyed with me.  A year into the job, I could have cared less if the person on the other end raised their voice at me.  "On to the next one!" became my motto.  I hope to use this skill of maintaining grace under pressure in future work endeavors and hopefully relationship endeavors as well!  ;)

By Jahoe (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Queen Bey

Marge Piercy said: "A strong woman is a woman determined to do something others are determined not be done." Tell us about a time when you did what couldn't be done.

I don't have an answer to this right now although it is a great prompt and something I hope to answer personally at the end of 2014.  I want to do something unique and "something that others are determined not be done."  If God gives me the grace, I hope to complete a historical fiction novel of my own.

I do however have many female role models, both celebrity and non-celebrity, who have done something that others determined not be done.  One of these role models for me is none other than superstar Ms. Beyonce Knowles.  As many of you know, Queen Bey dropped her album on Dec 14 just after midnight on the east coast.  She debuted her 14-track self-titled album on itunes.  There was no pre-promotion or singles to promote the album.  She did what had never been done before.  And her album has been at the top of the album charts for weeks now.  My mind is still boggled by how she kept recording such a huge album secret.  Not to mention all of her video shoots for the visual component of the album.

I have appreciated Beyonce's music since her Destiny's Child days.  I remember dragging my poor Mother to Wal-mart for a chance to see Beyonce, Kelly and Michelle at the 'Survivor' album debut.  Why do I love Beyonce so much?  She is not only beautiful and talented but a strong, positive role model for women.  She has succeeded on her on own terms in the music industry.  I think her most recent album is her best so far.  The album, like Beyonce the artist, is intelligent, vulnerable, honest, creative, fierce, sensual and yes, sexual.  She is a feminist and defines the term in her song "Flawless" through an excerpt from author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's writing.  One line that I love from Chinamanda's excerpt: 

     "We raise girls to be competitors not for jobs or accomplishments which I think would be a good thing but for the attention of men.  We teach girls that they cannot be sexual beings in the way that boys are.  Feminist: a person who believes in the social, political and economic equality of the sexes."

Beyonce set a new precedent with this surprise visual album drop on itunes and I wouldn't be surprised if her peers follow suit with this model.  I expect that Beyonce will continue to do things that others say cannot be done in the music world.  Go get 'em, Queen!

Queen Bey in concert!
By Cornel Pex from La Senia, Spain (File:Beyonce 2.jpg) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Escaping a close call

Eleanor Roosevelt said: "A woman is like a tea bag - you can't tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water." Tell us about a time you felt your strength.

I love this quote from Ms. Roosevelt.  I felt my strength seep out in hot water when I first arrived in Barcelona for a semester long study abroad program in January 2008.  Stepping off the plane, I was simultaneously excited and scared out of my mind.  I was in a new foreign country by myself for the first time.  

Upon landing I called my parents assuring them that I had landed safely.  My Dad warned me to keep an eye out at the airport.  After checking in with my program and meeting a few other students in my program at the airport, I headed toward the airport exit to catch a taxi to my home stay.  I was pushing a cart stacked high with luggage with my laptop bag on top.  Upon exiting I was stopped by woman asking me a question.  She spoke in fast Spanish and I felt bad that I couldn't understand her.  "Lo siento, no comprendo," I said with regret.  I continued walking and was then stopped by a man who was told me where to go for the taxi line.  As I was about to reply in my broken Spanish I saw a tall man in a black trench coat and top hat out of the corner of my eye.  I watched as he swiftly snatched by laptop bag by the handle and walked away.  I sense of panic spread across my body.  I acted on my initial reaction and lunged forward grabbing the bag back.  "Excuse me!," I exclaimed as I took back my bag filled with my laptop and all my electronics.  The man who had been talking to me slowly slumped away.  My terror dissipated into shock and relief.  I finally hailed a taxi and loaded my precious cargo into the trunk.  I breathed a sigh of relief.  I gave the taxi driver my home stay's address and we sped off into the city.  

I will always look back on this incident and think about what could have happened.  Had I not grabbed my bag back, I would have lost hundreds of dollars in electronics and been without technology for a good part of my stay.  I felt my strength that day and I thank God that He gave me that strength.

Acupressure

Have you ever tried acupressure to treat a problem? What was your experience with it?
Yes, I have gone for acupressure treatment in the form of Reflexology.  My mother convinced my sisters and I to go for two sessions.  The first time we went I was under the impression that this would simply a massage on the upper part of my body.  I didn't realize that it would be a full body massage!  (I was glad I got to keep my clothes on though!)  It was very relaxing though and I definitely felt a sense of calm after the treatment.  I would recommend it to anyone looking for a way to relieve stress and/or soothe tired muscles.  

For those of you who don't know, that acupressure method focuses on meridians in the body.  The idea is to break up patterns that cause blockages and release them which in turn allows energy and blood flow in the body to improve.  The result is reduced stress and better circulation.  It has even been known to help with hormonal imbalances, migraines and digestive disorders.  I am obviously not an expert though and for more information I would suggest searching on good ole' Google.  If you haven't been for acupressure treatment before though, I would highly recommend Reflexology!  

REFLEXOLOGY
By Stacy Simone [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons

Pressure points

A pressure point translates in Japanese to "tender spot." What are your pressure points?

I like to think of myself as easy to get along with but I do have a couple tender spots that will set me off.  OK, more than a couple, a few!

1. Overhearing guys make derogatory comments about women.
This is by far my worst pressure point.  I especially hate the common usage of words such as "bit*h" and "slut."  I can tolerate them when used by women casually but when men refer to women like this in a demeaning way I can get hostile.

2.  People who complain to no end.
I am human and I like to complain once in a while.  I am a realist and I know that no one can be happy 100% of the time.  This week has been very cold and I have logged in my fair share of complaints.  However, I do not like to be around people who are constantly whining about something.  We all have troubles in life and I respect people who can keep their complaining to a minimum.  

3. People who spread negative gossip about others.
We have all been around those people who are always in everyone's business.  Nosy people are fine by me but it's the gossipy ones that can get my riled up.  Sure, we all spread juicy tidbits about others every now and then.  When the negative gossip from you exceeds a certain level though, I start to question whether you are spilling my bad news too.

Do any of you identify with these pressure points?  Or, are yours entirely different than mine?