Pacing to Celebrate
I walked off the stage after giving my TEDx talk, locked eyes with my coach, and immediately threw my hands up in victory. I had nailed it and it felt so good.
I had been the first in the lineup and so I was also given the chance to watch the other speakers deliver “the talk of a lifetime.”
I had gotten close to a few of these speakers. Each had a big idea worth sharing to the world. They had spent time working and refining these ideas.
That’s why when one of the other speakers walked off the stage and immediately said, “Thank God that’s over.” I was surprised.
She seemed to want nothing more than for the pressure of that moment to disappear. She wanted to shake off the experience and move on to the next thing.
My heart broke a little for her right then. Here I was doing everything I could to soak up every moment of the experience. She, on the other hand, was trying to run from the stress of it all. The stress gobbled up her ability to enjoy the success.
Now, this was a high stakes moment, a “championship level game” if you will. This is one of the few times that I say it’s ok to “give your all.” But your “all” will only show up as your “best” when you have paced your preparations.
And there is science that backs this up. Have you ever heard about those athletes or performers who somehow just “thrive” under pressure? That somehow when the crowds are watching and the big day is here; they perform even better than they practiced? In performance psychology, we call this “challenge state.” It happens when the stress hormones that flood our bodies help us perform even better. Those same hormones, however, can with another person create the opposite effect and when the big day hits, they perform worse than they practiced. In science, we call this “threat state.”
If it’s the same hormones and the same physiological response, how do we click into challenge state instead of threat state?
It all boils down to one thing…
Do you believe you have enough resources to meet your demand?
Notice that it’s not if you have the resources – it’s if you BELIEVE you have enough resources. The work you put in to preparing for the big game is how you build your belief. You need that proof inside your brain so that you can show up and perform when it matters most.
When you’re stretched too thin, it erodes that belief. And you feel it.
In my keynotes I ask audiences to consider this question:
“If I continue at this pace, when I’m done, will I have enough energy left to celebrate?”
If the answer is no, you’re moving too fast. And it will cost you the satisfaction of the moments that matter most.
If you’re wondering what to do if you’re moving too fast, I’ll be tackling this exact topic in my free webinar on July 14
Renegotiate the Load, Keep the Respect
11am MDT
A free, 60-minute session on how to reset your workload without losing trust
Save your seat here: https://luma.com/gyhe5k7x
