Pressure Makes Diamonds, But it Can Also Make Smushed Coal.
Pressure can make or break. How we use it is our choice.
Today, I had the luxury of listening to a speech, titled, “No pressure, no diamonds.”
It was a short, 5 minute speech about how pressure can shape us up into great things, and how pressure ultimately leads to success.
However what this speech did not talk about was how pressure can break a person too. The same pressure which turns coal to diamond can also smush that very coal.
23-time gold medalist swimmer Michael Phelps is nothing short of successful. Being the most decorated Olympian of all time, it is no doubt that he is a talented swimmer.
But this is only thanks to the pressure that his coach, Bob Bowman put on him. Phelps said that Bowman reminded him of a drill sergeant, because of his discipline and strictness.
Phelps understood the value of Bowman, and said that he wouldn’t swim under any other coach.
However, pressure can also be harmful.
We can see this through the pressure we put on our students.
Our students are told that an A is average, anything less than a 4.0 GPA is bad. Our students are told that AP courses are the bare minimum.
This pressure that our students face makes their mental health decline, and overall makes them perform worse, despite their parents pressuring them for the opposite.
In this instance, pressure is harmful to the one taking it on.
Overall, pressure is neither good, nor bad.
Should you pressure someone, you must be mindful of the fact that they can fail to respond properly to it.
In such instances, threatening them further is the wrong way to go about it. Everyone has a breaking point. It’s important to pick up the signs before it reaches there, and try to mend what has been broken.
Pressure can make diamonds, but it can also make smushed coal.
