Back in my media working days, I was more productive and enjoyed a day’s labor more when there was a tight deadline. In those days I had to keep two radio stations running music while taking care of news and weather reports. The news had to be recorded for the FM station, and I read it live on the AM station. This was done each hour. If there was stormy or hazardous weather, such conditions increased the amount of focus needed.
Now that retirement has been a reality for over a decade, it’s hard to imagine working a daily grind like that. Perhaps the pressure of the workday engrained memories of the job so deep within that I have regular dreams about it. The main takeaway for me was that I appreciated and loved the work more when I knew that time was of the essence. It was the type of pressure under which I thrived.
Part of the beauty, was the unwinding time after work. That’s where formal meditation and exercise came into play. There was nothing so enjoyable than the mile-long walk home. Weather conditions didn’t dent that pleasure. Even strolling home during a strong snow storm was somewhat of a pleasure because the weather bumped up the pressure factor. I suppose it wasn’t just a matter of accepting pressure, it was the embracing of it that enhanced my life.
With the luxury of a few years between then and now, it appears that the pressures of the job caused my ego to take a back seat to action. Deadlines required sharp focus on the tasks at hand. It’s when I learned that multi-tasking is not a real thing. What we call multi-tasking is doing a series of tasks with attention being paid momentarily to each set of actions. This is one reason why chatting on the phone while driving a motor vehicle is so dangerous.
“An artist never works under ideal conditions. If they existed, his work wouldn’t exist, for the artist doesn’t live in a vacuum. Some sort of pressure must exist. The artist exists because the world is not perfect. Art would be useless if the world were perfect, as man wouldn’t look for harmony but would simply live in it.”–20th century Soviet film director and screenwriter, Andrei Tarkovsky
There seems to be plenty of creative energy within Sturm und Drang. Inner and social turmoil is at the heart of literature and music. Many great paintings are manifestations of high emotionalism. Many great sculptures were inspired by dramatic historical events. Some artists work under the demands of a demanding benefactor. I interpret serene artistic masterpieces as reactions to our crazy world because people crave calm beauty in our lives.
Although certain amounts and types of pressure may enhance one’s work, we should not permit such pressure to exceed the appreciation of the moment. Too much pressure quickly morphs into panic. Panic is the antithesis of mindful action and thinking. It’s good to harness pressure when it appears. This helps to effectively release it. It’s a matter of balance. We need some amount of pressure to focus and we also need calm and peace to widen our vision. So when the pressure is on, use it like a tool. When the pressure is off, take some deep breaths and expansively relax.
Ciao
The Blue Jay of Happiness quotes American sports analyst and former soccer player, Clint Dempsey. “Pressure brings the best out of people, or it can bring the worst out. It’s just how you use it.”

