High Performance Mindset | Learn from World-Class Leaders, Consultants, Athletes & Coaches about Mindset - 469: 3 Ways to Reduce Pressure

Episode Date: December 2, 2021

High performers in sport, business, and life use pressure to be at their best. They use natural tools inside of them to see pressure as a privilege. In this episode, Cindra talks about how the best POP the Pressure they feel.   Power Phrase of the Week: “ I see pressure as a privilege. Pressure leads me to greatness.”  Quote of the Week: “Don’t be afraid of pressure. Pressure is what transforms a lump of cool into a diamond.” Nicky Gumbel, Author 

Hi, friends. My name is Dr. Sindra Kampoff, a national leader in the field of sport and performance psychology. Every week, I'm on the local radio sharing my top tips on exactly how to develop the mindset of the world's best so you can accomplish all your dreams. Get ready for a jammed packed episode focused on practical tips to help you get after your goals and step out of your comfort zone. Let's go. And once again, we check in with Sindra Kampoff, who is on the line with a little bit of positivity for us today. Today is three ways to reduce pressure. And Sindra, you usually start us off with a quote. Well, I like this quote by Nicky Gumbel, who's an author. And he said, don't be afraid of pressure. Pressure is what transforms a lump of coal into a

diamond. So you've got an example to start us off with. You know, so think about the last time that you felt pressure, you know, likely you were doing something that you really wanted to do well at. Maybe the outcome was unlikely and you felt kind of responsible for the outcome. And at work, sometimes we can feel pressure, let's say when we're giving a presentation or in a big meeting in sport, it can be like during a big play. And so the key is we have to learn to change our perception about pressure so that we can rise in those moments and not fall behind for those, you know, against those people who can. Right. And so how do we usually respond to pressure? Well, we often see pressure as something we want to avoid, like that we don't want to experience. And we can get stuck in a lot of future-based thinking, Lisa, when we feel pressure, like thinking about the future and thinking about the worst thing that could happen.

But the best really view pressure differently. They view it as a privilege and a challenge. And so how should we view pressure then? Yeah, so instead of wanting to avoid pressure, you know, the best thing is to see the situation as a good thing. And you know what the best do is they know, you know, that they wouldn't have accomplished something wonderful in the past, they wouldn't be in the current situation they're in today, you know, capable of kind of rising to the occasion. So we want to see it as a privilege, we want to see it differently. And we want to see

it as a challenge, like, that great things can be accomplished under pressure. That's the way we want to view it. So can you talk a little bit about why it is that we experience pressure? Yeah, we experience it actually when three things happen, when the outcome is really important to us, when the outcome is unknown in some way, and we feel judged by the outcome. So that's why we feel a lot of pressure, let's say, when we're speaking and speaking in front of other way, and we feel judged by the outcomes. That's why we feel a lot of pressure, let's say, when we're speaking and speaking in front of other people, because we can feel really judged by that. All right. So the next question is generally like, what are we supposed to do when we are experiencing it? We realize that we're experiencing it. Yeah. So I like this

concept from the book called Performing Under Pressure by Henry Weisinger and his colleague. And he talked about how under moments of pressure that we can actually use natural tools inside of us to perform at our best and kind of high pressure moments. So these natural tools are like breathing, focusing on the process versus the outcome and reframing the situation. So in my book, I have an acronym called POP the pressure. And this is an easy way for you to remember next time you're feeling pressure what to do. So the first P stands for just take a few power breaths. Maybe count in through your nose four counts and hold for four counts and count out for

four counts and bring your attention just back to the present. And the O stands for looking for the opportunity. So reframing the pressure as a great opportunity. And then the last P stands for looking for the opportunity. So reframing the pressure as a great opportunity. And then the last piece stands for focusing on the process. Again, we just want to focus on the kind of the how and the small things that you need to do instead of the outcome. So how would you summarize for us today? Well, so, you know, high performers in sport, business, and in life, they view, you know, they use pressure to really be at their best. And they view it as a challenge. And they use these natural tools inside of them to be able to handle the pressure. So in

other words, they pop the pressure. Remember that acronym. What is today's power phrase, Cindra? I see pressure as a privilege. Pressure leads me to greatness. I like it. Pop the pressure. And if we want to get involved with you and your speaking or your teachings or read the book or look for the new book when it comes out, where do we best follow you? You can head over to Dr. Sindra, so D-R-C-I-N-D-R-A.com. And I talk about pressure in my book, Beyond Grit, so you can find more information over there. Three ways to reduce pressure. Sindra, thanks so much today. Thank you, Lisa. Way to go for finishing another episode of the High Performance Mindset.

I'm giving you a virtual fist pump. Holy cow, did that go by way too fast for anyone else? If you want more, remember to subscribe and you can head over to Dr. Cinder for show notes and to join my exclusive community for high performers where you get access to videos about mindset each week. So again, you can head over to dr. Sindhra. That's dr. Sindhra.com. See you next week.