Deadlines needn't be a scary proposition

Tackling Pressure

I always try to escape from the pressure of work’ says a student who after a hard day at school returns home loaded with homework, tuition work during the weekdays. Things do not get any better when the teacher issues a deadline for the submission of the assignment. Working against deadlines is no fun, and many of us would agree to that.

But interestingly enough, there are some people who actually enjoy the pressure of a deadline, in fact they get their ‘high’ working in ‘pressure conditions’! For them ‘work is fun’ and playing with work is one way of taking head-on the pressures and the deadlines.

Of course, it helps a lot if one is doing something that one loves to do, something which is ‘not just another job’ but a vocation one has aspired to excel and make a mark in. “I just joined Punjab National Bank Met Life Insurance and have been given the target to bring in insurance worth Rs two lakhs within a month. The icing on the cake was a trip to Dubai if I achieved the target,” says Sumit Ahuja.

He says that there is no way he is going to miss out on this golden opportunity and is working towards meeting his company’s deadline as soon as possible. “The work is fun and interesting and the only thing going around in my mind is Dubai”, says Sumit.
Winning in pressure situations gives a sense of achievement and happiness to some, but there are some others who are happy to omit the word deadline from their life too.

“I was working in an electronics company where I had been assigned work in the sales section. I need to achieve the targets otherwise it would affect my salary. Hence the pressure of doing well is always there,” says Lahit Kapoor. He disagrees with the statement that ‘pressure is fun’. “What’s the fun in working in a pressure situation? In fact, I didn’t get time to even interact with myself.”

Everyone has their own definition of ‘pressure’ and their own unique way of handling pressures in their personal and professional life. At the end of the day, good, bad or ugly we must all be equipped and mentally prepared to handle all kind of situations that come our way. So, what’s your choice? Taking pressure without batting an eye or opting for the straight and set path always? The funny truth is that even our heartbeats do not follow a straight line and perhaps it is in their rhythm lies life’s eternal truth: There are ups and downs in life and we must do what we have to do but make our effort count.