In the words of Billie-Jean King..

"Pressure is a privilege"

How do you react to pressure ? Do you use it to propel you forward, or do you rapidly shoot into overwhelm?

Johanna Konta is Britain’s number 1 tennis star at the moment.  (Ok so she's Australian primarily but we'll happily adopt her!).  Although she is now out of the Australian Open, she will go from 147th in the World to 27th and is the highest ranking female British tennis player for over 30 years.  She lost her LTA funding last year but bounced back, re-set and refocused.  

She has shown incredible resilience.

Her former mind coach, Roberto Forzoni was interviewed on the BBC and gave an insight into her apparently sudden achievement:

“We taught Johanna to think in a different way.  Can’t has been erased from her vocabulary and she now plays in the present and not the past.  Instead of focusing on the pressure, she focuses on WHY she has such a love for the game.  It’s a much better place for her mind to be.”  

Do you live in the past, present or the future?  I challenge many of my clients to check in on this one.  The happiest place to be is now.

Pressure might be telling you you’re where you want to be, even though it may be uncomfortable.  However, things can spiral out of control. 

Mindset really is so very important for our health, happiness and performance.  I see it in my coaching clients and my physiotherapy patients.  The ones that overcome massive set-backs but bounce back quickly.  

The philosophies of the support the athletes receive is totally relevant to high achieving, busy professionals and business owners.  If we’ve any chance of sustained success, without burnout or major sacrifice, we HAVE to incorporate these philosophies into our lives.  

To get ill, lose important relationships or our passion for life is totally preventable, but it is easier to consider BEFORE a crisis.  It's my passionate belief that prevention is easier than the cure, and the signs are there WAY before the crisis occurs if we choose to notice. 

Many of my clients do indeed wait for the crisis and I’m totally able to support them through that.  However,  imagine if we all just took it as a non-negotiable that we have the people we need on our ‘life team’ to be one step ahead as opposed to 2 steps behind; equipping ourselves with the tools and support we need?  Just like the athletes and the apparently successful ‘have it all together’ business leaders out there.