How to Ensure “The Pressure to Succeed Young” Doesn't Get to You

We often pressure ourselves to succeed within constrained periods of time in anything, be it in our careers or relationships. 

The pursuit of success may lead you to increased happiness but it might also harm your overall well-being. 

How does the pressure to succeed affect your mental health?

It might lead to:

Stress

Stress affects us all. Stress can affect your body, thoughts, feelings, and behaviour. Not dealing with stress can lead to many health problems that may include high blood pressure, stroke, obesity, heart disease, and diabetes.  It's important to know common stress symptoms so you can manage them.

Burn out

You might be burnt out if you: 

• Have been feeling physically and mentally exhausted for a while.
• Have little to no interest in work.
• Dread or avoid going to work.
• Have been feeling emotionally drained or overwhelmed.
• Find it difficult to complete simple daily tasks.

Burnout may:

• Make it hard to concentrate or be creative.
• Result in a lack of drive or enthusiasm to do your work well.
• Result in physical sicknesses like stomachaches, headaches and even sleep disturbances.

Is the pressure to succeed young self-inflicted? 

Below are possible reasons you might feel the need to succeed young.

1. Social Media Influence

No doubt social media has revolutionised how we do things in various industries. It has also, undoubtedly intensified the pressures you might feel to succeed young.

Take for instance this scenario, 

Emily opened an Instagram and TikTok account. She thought it was a great way to stay connected to her friends. What she didn’t count on was seeing her friends' posts and feeling like she was lagging behind. She watches her friends share curated highlights of them launching businesses, making millions, and attaining great fame or success before 25. Seeing these stories makes her feel like she is a thousand miles away from success. 

It's good to keep in mind that social media does not tell the whole story. It rarely tells the -messy behind-the-scenes journey, the failures, the sleepless nights that ultimately led to those accomplishments.

2. Role Models and Influential Figures

It’s easy to see or hear about influential figures who achieved success in such a short amount of time or while still really young. Hearing about teenage entrepreneurs, 20-something celebrities or 30 under 30 achievers can be disheartening. It can result in one setting unrealistic standards.

3. Early Achievers

Molly has been working for two years. She feels she has nothing to show for all her hard work. She is still struggling to find a stable job and make ends meet. Her childhood friend, Frank who is three years younger than her has been lucky with every endeavour he tries his hand at. 

He got a well-paying job before he graduated and recently launched a side hustle that’s doing better than expected. Though very fond of her friend, Molly sometimes questions her life choices because the amount of success she has gotten for the work she puts in is minimal. When she compares her life to Frank's, she feels she is behind on her success for her age. 

4. Parental and Family Expectations

In many Kenyan households, there is a great emphasis on achieving specific milestones by a certain age. Often when these milestones are achieved the elders or parents will proudly share these accomplishments as markers of status and parental success. Yes, these values come from a place of love but they can also give you pressure and fuel anxiety about beating timelines. 

An example is what is expected of you after graduation. 

Once Mary graduated she knew in her family’s eyes that was just the beginning. She was expected to immediately land a prestigious job and quickly climb the corporate ladder, get married, and have kids all before hitting 30.

5. Academic and Career Pressure

Your academics may have been another driving force to your wanting to succeed young. This is because most societies emphasize the importance of academic achievement as a measure of success. This emphasis could create a sense of pressure to want to succeed early in life.

On the other hand, once you enter the job market, there is this economic competition and the desire for financial stability that could contribute to the pressure to succeed young.

How Do You Ensure the Pressure to Succeed Young Doesn’t Get to You?

1. Celebrate Small Wins

Small wins are our daily wins or progress towards much bigger accomplishments/goals. Taking the time to acknowledge and celebrate these wins can have an impact on your confidence, self-perception, and motivation. Small wins could be anything like leading a team successfully or beating a deadline. Big wins are major milestones or progress.

2. Practice Gratitude 

According to psychology today, gratitude is an appreciation for what one has. It is the recognition of value independent of monetary worth. Individuals who practice gratitude are noted to be less stressed, less pained, suffer insomnia less, and have stronger immune systems. They also experience healthier relationships and do better academically and professionally.

Tips to Foster Gratitude

•  Keep a journal or find ways to record or note the big and small joys of everyday life.

•  Write thank you notes to others.

• Note down three good things - list three instances in your life that have gone well, along with the reason why.

• Think of the people who have inspired you the most and what aspects of them inspired you the most.

• Try doing some "mental subtraction". Consider how your life would have been if a positive incident had not happened.

3. Aim for a Work-Life Balance

You might be working overtime as a means of reaching success faster after all time waits for no man. Working overtime is very common especially if you are young.

For one to understand how important work-life balance is, one has to realise that there is more to life than just work and the pursuit of success. It's about realising that your relationships, health, and personal well-being are just as important. When your personal life is put in the backseat, it could lead to burnout, stress, and decreased happiness.

If you prioritise work-life balance it could result in you being more productive, focused, and fulfilled both in your professional life and personal life.

4. Work Towards Progress, Not Perfection

One thing you should aim for is progress and getting better each day. You might not be where you want to be but you are a lot closer to your goals than if you waited for perfection. 

WRAPPING UP

The pressure to succeed young can be overwhelming whether it’s achieving the best in exams or your career. Being young can sometimes feel like an impossibly hard position to be in, this ‘race of life’ can feel harsh and inescapable.

We all desire to achieve success.  One thing to note is there are so many versions of success, some of which we don't need to achieve by 25. The journey to success is not a straight line, it is long and non-linear for most. The reality is good things take time to build. For as long as you are making intentional progress, you are not behind, despite what social media or society might make you believe.