Pressure

 

Pressure.  It seems everyone has pressure in their lives today.  Pressure to fit in, pressure to perform, pressure to have friends, everyone seems to have a level of pressure that is almost a breaking force to their joy in life.  But not all pressure is bad.  For example, under intense pressure we see  beautiful diamonds formed. The powerful result of positive peer pressure  can cause us to reach new heights in our lives we may have not been strong enough to do on our own.  Yet under intense pressure we see an entire world of people struggle to meet life’s expectations.  I am sure a certain amount of pressure is good for us, keeping us moving and changing and growing.  Yet some levels of pressure can paralyze our thinking and make us feel like we are failures and want to give up.

What is the difference between positive pressure and negative pressure?  It is often the motive.  Good motives create good results and the opposite occurs with bad motives creating bad results.  A perfect example of this is a bitter attitude towards life. It will only poison our present gift of life and spoil our outlook on each little miracle of the day.  Miracles, you may ask.  What miracles?  The sun coming up every morning, the birds chirping, the gentle breeze, the masterpiece the sun paints every evening for us to enjoy.  Did you see the sun today?  Did you hear the birds?  Are you going to look for the sun’s suprise artwork this evening?  These gifts are ours to remind us of what we have to be thankful for.  It is these things we draw from to relieve the pressure this world bombards us with.

I often wonder what life would be like without this intense pressure weighing down on me everyday.  I would imagine it to be so liberating as if a veil has been removed from our vision.  My concern is how to find the peace of mind to keep this veil off.  I believe we must pay attention to the little miracles that are happening everyday right in front of our eyes.  Fear is what blinds us of what is right in front of us.  How are the miracles in your life affecting you?  Sometimes a simple flutter of a butterfly or a dash of a hummingbird is all it takes to remind me of how fortunate I am to have been able to witness such a miraculous creature in nature.  Will we crumble under pressure or will we soar like the eagles?  I personally prefer the perspective of an eagle.  Fear is the downfall of so many of us.  Why not see life through the eyes of gratitude instead.  The view is much better up here.

 

For now,

Isaac