Quotes from Hendrie Weisinger

individuals who perceive a task or situation not as a threat but instead as a challenge, an opportunity, or fun are far more likely to perform up to the level of their ability, increasing their chances for success.

The goal: for Ax to become familiar with feeling pressure so that he could learn to ignore it and do his job, no matter how stressful it got.

The logic of this pressure solution is the opposite. Since high-pressure situations are inevitable, you might as well get used to the feelings of pressure, so that you are able to perform at a high level in spite of pressure.

The fact is we each get multiple chances over and over again in life. Keep this in mind, and you will find your life less pressured.

If you're preparing for a presentation, challenge yourself to make your points coherently in a shorter-than-expected time frame. Add more pressure to your practice by handicapping yourself—no notes and a blaring television.

SHRINK THE IMPORTANCE OF THE PRESSURE MOMENT

you've heard that some people at work do more creative work, are more productive, work better as a team, or add more value to a client under pressure. But it's not true. Moreover

teams facing significant performance pressure tend to default to high-status members at the expense of the most knowledgeable of the team members.

To counter and prevent primal pressure thinking, you need to underexaggerate or generate thoughts that minimize the significance of the pressure moment.

It is not the event that causes our reactions but rather how we interpret the event, which makes us either confident or anxious.

In essence, Ian is flooding his brain (and his body) with chemicals; as Cuddy's research at Harvard found, he is increasing his level of testosterone and decreasing his level of cortisol.

One is that they allow the individual to create a mental model of perfect performance that shows what ideal execution looks like. The individual can then use this covert model to guide performance. Another is that visualization reduces performance anxiety, allowing the individual to successfully deal with unexpected or troublesome situations.

loss aversion creates the behavior commonly known as "playing not to lose," instead of playing to win. How

Your natural tools are your thoughts, physiological responses, body movements, voice, and senses. They determine how you handle pressure, regardless of your level of expertise, abilities, or good intentions. People

But it is our perception of success that has the biggest hit on this part of our brain. When dopamine levels are high, they engage our frontal cortex, where are our "executive function" exists.

The important takeaway is to know that you don't have to wait until you win something to access the winner effect: You can do it in any moment by engaging and getting proficient at mental rehearsal or visualization.

you can lose a competition and not choke, just like you can give a great presentation and not get the job. Choking has more to do with the effects of pressure on performance than on the outcome.

By achieving these small goals you can use the winner effect to gain momentum on achieving bigger goals. Essentially you feel more confident.

when teams face significant performance pressure, they tend to defer to high-status members, at the expense of using expert team members.

Practice the basics. Run through your presentation again and again. Make sure you know it cold, so you can perform it on autopilot; that way you can turn some of your focus to reading the room instead of having to think about every word you are saying.

Rework the basics. Your initial presentation will result in a sequence or series of steps: To really know your stuff, change the order. Start with step 5 and work backward. Skip a couple of steps. Rehearsing the material in a different order helps to reinforce your knowledge of the material.