Pressure Moments: Where Growth Shows Up

Tonight I’ll be running a workshop with Peter Bol for St Kilda’s Multicultural

and Indigenous Scholarship kids. One of the things we’ll dig into is something we all

know too well - pressure moments.

Pressure moments come in many shapes. For an athlete, it might be the shot after

the siren. For a student, it might be walking into an exam. For me, it’s been

everything from standing on the start line of an 800m final, to speaking in front of a

boardroom, to calming down my twins when they’re both screaming at 3am.

The common thread? Your mindset decides how you show up.

Fixed mindset says:

• “This moment defines me.”

• “If I fail, I’m not good enough.”
  

Growth mindset says:

• “This is feedback.”

• “This is my chance to learn, adapt, and go again.”
  

I’ve lost races I thought I’d win. I’ve stumbled through presentations I wanted to

crush. But here’s what I’ve learned: pressure isn’t there to expose you, it’s there to

shape you.

Pressure moments are where growth actually shows up. They’re uncomfortable, yes.

But they’re also where you find out just how resilient, resourceful, and ready you are

to lead yourself and others.

So here’s my challenge to you this week: When your next pressure moment arrives - big or small - pause and ask

yourself: What would the growth version of me say back right now?