Goodbye, pressure to succeed

The beginning of the year is traditionally the time when we set ourselves new goals and make good resolutions. However, setting goals often comes with a challenge: the danger of putting ourselves under pressure. The desire to achieve certain results – be it at work, in projects or in personal undertakings – can quickly turn into pressure to succeed, which tends to block us rather than help us move forward.

In this article, you will learn how to manage expectations and goals so that you stay calm and don’t put yourself under pressure. You will learn to recognise the signs of pressure to succeed, understand its causes and effects, and finally, you will receive three valuable tips to avoid it.

Pressure to succeed among project managers

The pressure to succeed plays a significant role for project managers – and not without reason. In 2014, I participated in a burnout study conducted by the GPM (German Association for Project Management), and the results were revealing. [1] Among the greatest internal risk factors for burnout were

• perfectionism,
• excessive performance expectations and
• high pressure to perform.

Almost 1,000 project managers took part in the study. Over 80% of the participants stated that they have high expectations of themselves and are under a lot of pressure to perform. An astounding 79% even described themselves as perfectionists. These are clear signs of how widespread the issue is.

How to recognise the pressure to succeed

The pressure to succeed and its negative effects are still a daily challenge for many in the industry today – especially when warning signs are overlooked and no conscious countermeasures are taken. [2] It is therefore important to recognise typical signs at an early stage:

• You put yourself under pressure by placing excessive demands on yourself, your results and your environment. This pressure often leads to stress and frustration.
• You constantly think about how you can improve your current situation. These negative thought spirals rob you of valuable time and energy – possibly even your sleep – without bringing any real solution.
• You invest more and more time and effort to achieve your goals, but still feel like you’re treading water.
• Instead of taking action, you procrastinate because you feel exhausted or believe that your efforts will be in vain anyway.
• There is no time or energy left for hobbies, family, friends or other activities you enjoy because you feel burnt out.

The pressure to succeed is exhausting and can severely affect your mental and physical health. It dominates your thoughts and causes lasting stress. It is therefore important to understand how the pressure to succeed arises and what effects it has. With this knowledge, you can take targeted countermeasures and protect yourself from the negative consequences.

How pressure to succeed arises and takes effect

Pressure to succeed usually arises from an internal process that runs unconsciously in us. Imagine you are faced with a challenging task – whether it’s preparing a lecture, creating a concept or planning an important meeting. It is precisely in these moments that the pressure to succeed strikes.

Suddenly you feel as if your performance is not good enough. Thoughts like ’

• I’m not good enough.
• I still lack a certain skill to make the result really convincing.
• What I have achieved so far is simply not enough.
• If I go public with this imperfect result, it won’t be enough.
• Others will reject or criticise it.
• I could embarrass myself and lose my reputation.
• I haven’t tried hard enough to achieve a really good result.

These or similar beliefs have often been with us for a long time – deeply ingrained thought patterns that often go back to our childhood and are unconsciously stored in our emotional memory.

Thoughts like these trigger strong feelings, including fear, insecurity, anger, powerlessness, despair or frustration. As soon as a current event triggers these old patterns, they activate an automatic behavioural programme. Typical reactions to this are:

• You invest even more time and energy to improve the supposedly imperfect result and avoid possible embarrassment.
• You put off tasks because you feel drained or fear that your efforts won’t be enough anyway.
• You give up because the effort seems too great or you no longer see the point in continuing.
• You don’t even start in order to avoid unpleasant experiences and possible disappointments.

By becoming aware of these mechanisms, you can actively counteract them and learn to deal with the pressure to succeed in a more constructive way.

Trapped in the vicious circle of pressure to succeed

The inner programmes that run in us when we are under pressure to succeed are mostly subconscious reactions – not conscious decisions. They arise from deeply rooted beliefs that we are not good enough. Instead of actively seeking a solution, we automatically react to these inner beliefs.

We feel that something is wrong because the situation is increasingly weighing on us. Unpleasant feelings such as frustration, anger or despair are valuable indicators that it is time to recognise and resolve internal disharmony. However, instead of questioning the actual cause – our deep-seated thought patterns – we fall back into our usual ways of thinking and behaving, which keep us trapped in the pressure to succeed.

This creates an internal dilemma: on the one hand, we consciously want to achieve our goal, but on the other hand, our unconscious reaction patterns block us and increase the pressure. This internal contradiction robs us of enormous energy, causing our enjoyment of work, motivation and drive to gradually wane.

To escape this cycle, it is crucial to question the underlying beliefs and develop new, constructive ways of dealing with the pressure to succeed. Only in this way can we free ourselves from the stressful spiral and use our resources in a targeted way again.

No more pressure to succeed: tackle the problem at the root

How can the problem of pressure to succeed be solved sustainably? How can you resolve the inner dilemma?

Most approaches to solving this problem are based on a strategic or methodological level. You may be familiar with the Pareto principle, which states that 80% of the result is achieved with 20% of the total effort. Becoming aware of this rule can help in certain cases, but it does not change the underlying inner convictions.

On the energy level, old thought patterns and the emotions associated with them continue to have an effect. Without a change in these inner structures, the same behavioural patterns will be reactivated in similar situations. If you are looking for a sustainable solution, you need to start on a mental and emotional level and address your unconscious beliefs and emotional patterns in a targeted way.

There are numerous energy work methods that can help you with this. Below you will find three specific tips to effectively counteract the pressure to succeed.

1 – Recognise your triggers

Self-awareness is the key. As long as you go through your daily life unconsciously, the pressure to succeed will continue to affect you. Therefore, it is crucial to consciously perceive yourself and the triggering situations.

Observe yourself in your daily life: Which situations trigger pressure to succeed in you? What thoughts and feelings accompany these moments? What impact does this have on your motivation, your energy and your collaboration with others?

In my training and coaching sessions, we start with an energy balance sheet:<

• On the left side of the balance sheet, you record situations and events that rob you of energy – things that frustrate you, put you under pressure or annoy you.
• On the right side, you note everything that gives you strength – moments that give you joy, inspire you and motivate you.

By defusing your energy guzzlers and strengthening your energy sources, you gain more control over your inner balance. Without this awareness, you run the risk of remaining at the mercy of your unconscious habits and beliefs. Create an energy balance – whether it’s for the past week or with a focus on the topic of pressure to succeed.

2 – Calm your troubled nerves

The pressure to succeed throws our nervous system off balance. The two main components of the autonomic nervous system – the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems – lose their rhythm. This manifests itself in inner restlessness, an irregular heartbeat and ongoing stress.

When we are in stress mode, we are unable to find good solutions because our thinking brain is blocked. Instead, we get caught up in negative thought spirals of worry and self-doubt.

A simple and effective way to counteract this is to consciously and calmly breathe. Heart breathing, developed by the HeartMath Institute, is particularly helpful: [3]

• Focus your attention on your heart.
• Imagine breathing in and out slowly and evenly through your heart.
• Breathe a little slower until your breathing rate slows down.
• Do this exercise for 2-3 minutes until you feel a relaxing effect.

With this simple technique, you can bring your nervous system back into balance. Studies by the HeartMath Institute show the positive effects on stress reduction and mental clarity. [4] I use heart breathing daily and recommend it to my clients because it is easy to apply in many everyday situations.

3 – Celebrate and enjoy your successes

Another effective strategy for combating pressure to succeed is to consciously celebrate successes. Often, we tend to focus on failures, doubts, and worries instead of being aware of our progress.

For this, I have developed the Appreciation Booster. This technique helps you to perceive and reinforce successes on a mental and emotional level:

• Take 10 to 15 minutes.
• Write down three things you appreciated about your job in the past week.
• Consciously evoke the feeling of appreciation – both for yourself and for others who have supported you.
• Let this feeling permeate your entire body and savour it for a few minutes.

This technique stores the positive feeling of appreciation in your emotional memory and helps you to sustainably strengthen your self-confidence and satisfaction. Scientific studies show that consciously cultivating appreciation increases self-esteem and improves overall well-being. [5]

With these three strategies, you can effectively counteract the pressure to succeed and bring more ease and joy into your everyday life. Use these techniques to channel your energy and reach your full potential.

Conclusion and recommendation

Take care of your energy and actively counteract the harmful pressure to succeed. After all, pressure to succeed not only robs you of time and energy – it also reduces your joy, satisfaction and self-confidence. It can also prevent you from achieving your goals and getting the results you want, while blocking your mental abilities and undermining your emotional stability.

Be sure to try out the three tips – with my support if you like.

Notes (most of them in German):

[1] GPM-Studie: Burnout bei Projektmanagerinnen und Projektmanagern
[2] There is no evidence that a study today would produce different results.
[3] HeartMath Institute
[4] HeartMath Institute: Studien im Überblick
[5] siehe bspw. DGUV Forum: Wertschätzung als Gesundheitsfaktor

Would you like to arrange a free Energy Call with Martina Baehr and talk about your personal situation and your pressure to succeed?

On 3 February 2025, Martina Baehr will start a 6-week online programme: Level up your energy. Here you will learn how to manage your energy for more power, efficiency and well-being at work.

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Martina Baehr has published more posts in the t2informatik Blog, including: