A phrase that has really stuck with me is, “pressure is a privilege.” At first, pressure usually feels like stress, nerves, and the fear of messing up. Most people do not enjoy pressure in the moment. But the more I have gone through football, school, leadership, and life, the more I have started to understand what that phrase really means. Pressure usually shows up when something matters. If nobody expects anything from you, if nobody trusts you, and if nothing important is on the line, then there is no pressure. So in a way, pressure is a sign that you have earned the chance to be in a meaningful position. 

I have felt that a lot through football. Some of the biggest moments in my life have also been the moments with the most pressure. Whether it is trying to earn a role, bouncing back from adversity, or being counted on in key situations, pressure has always been there. But I have learned that those are also the moments you work for. You cannot ask for opportunity, growth, and responsibility without pressure coming with it. In a weird way, pressure is proof that you are in a position that matters. 

I have also failed in high-pressure moments in past games, and those moments hurt for a while. When you know you could have done something better and you replay it in your head, that is not easy to deal with. But at the same time, those moments have made me mentally stronger. They forced me to learn how to respond, how to move on, and how to trust myself again. I think failure in pressure situations can either make you afraid of the next moment or prepare you for it, and I have tried to make sure it prepares me. 

For many of us pressure has also shown up outside of our sports. There have definitely been times where I have felt overwhelmed by it. There have been times where I doubted myself or wondered if I was ready. But when I look back, a lot of my growth has come from those exact moments. Pressure has forced me to prepare better, trust myself more, and grow up in ways I probably would not have if life always felt easy. 

I think that is why the phrase sticks with me so much. Pressure is not fun all the time, but it usually comes with something meaningful. It comes with the chance to prove something to yourself, the chance to lead, the chance to rise to the moment, and the chance to become better than you were before. To me, pressure is a privilege because not everybody gets put in positions where something real is on the line. So instead of only seeing pressure as something to fear, I want to keep reminding myself to see it as something to be thankful for.

Kellen Reed #7

GVSU Football

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