I encounter people every day who tell me they feel as though they’re under a lot of pressure. Pressure – whether real or perceived – restricts us by masking our talents and undermining our abilities. It’s much like trying to compete in a swim meet with one hand tied behind your back.

I’ve come to believe that most pressure is self-imposed and is fueled by our egos, taking on too much responsibility, and particularly as we age, the notion that the window of opportunity for accomplishing our goals is rapidly closing before our very eyes.

Why do we do this to ourselves? I think it has to do with the way we measure success. Your profits are up six months in a row this year but are not outpacing 2011’s numbers; your company’s softball team is on a six game winning streak but last year’s team won nine straight; your newsletter readership for July is not as high as April. So what!

There are too many intangibles that come into play when we make comparisons such as these, so we reach conclusions based on faulty logic. What to do? Just keep going. Prepare diligently, then get up, show up, perform at your best that day and go home. Tomorrow awaits with yet another slew of challenges.