Pressure can propel you to your goals

By Cassandra Tyndall

Many moons ago, I had a powerlifting coach who helped me take my lifting goals to the next level. He used to call out a series of coaching cues that totally revolutionized the way I lifted. “Tighten up tension out,” he’d say in a calm deep voice as I prepared to deadlift.

I learned that if I was to pick up that thing, I’d have to create so much tension in my body that the bar would have no choice but to come up off the ground. It was this extreme level of power producing tension that allowed me to push past what was mainly a mindset barrier. Naturally, my confidence soared as the load on the bar got heavier and heavier. It was an overwhelming feeling of exhilaration that liberated me from so many obstacles outside of the gym.

This week, if you feel the tension build up within you, use the pressure to propel you toward something meaningful. A deep look inside yourself may illuminate areas where you think you’re doing ok, but there is still room for more tension that leads to a breakthrough. Stretching beyond a comfort zone in one area of life will transform your confidence in so many other areas too.