Pressure Can Help
I wondered if anyone could tell that I did not know what to say. That as I stood there my mind was blank. That the occasional cougher who hacked mercilessly in the crowd did a lot more than I could do at the moment. I wondered what they thought. As I wondered fear swelled up in me, holding me in its tight grip. Then, as it held me longer, I became mortally petrified before my audience.
I, like millions or even billions of people, experience fear in my life: the gut-wrenching hurt in the stomach that will not go away no matter what is tried. This is a daily occurrence for me as I face my peers. But, one of the best things about facing my peers is the pressure that comes with them. An intense pressure to be active, learn, and live every day. That is why I believe that pressure will push you through your fears.
The first time I can remember when pressure helped me was on my first day of kindergarten. I was late and my parents had told me lovingly that I was to go in by myself. I could not do it because I was afraid of what those kids would think of me. After about twenty minutes of waiting the pressure, from my parents, sank in and I took that first step into the room.
For me pressure is the one driving force that not only helps, but is essential for me to go through life. Because I have almost no confidence in myself there is virtually nothing I can do without something akin to pressure; a push of something that will force me to do more than I can otherwise do.
As I look back I can see that pressure has been my constant companion through my different extreme situations. Whether it was talking in front of a class or knocking on a friends door it was there waiting to push me to do what I though was impossible.
There is one time where I actually remember when I tried to do something, I think it was a presentation on South East Asia, without pressure: it did not work.
As I stood there, literally scared out of my mind and ready to give up I felt it finally come. The pressure shaking me out of my stupor of thought and thrusting me back to reality. Pressure reasoned, The longer you are there the longer they will think of you. If you do it now you absolutely will not have to do it later. Thinking over its reasoning I found that I fully agreed with it. So I did my speech. Granted it might not have been the best speech, but I did it. This is why I believe that pressure will help you through and beyond your fears.