You’ve probably heard the phrase “Pressure turns coal into diamonds before” unfortunately this has been hijacked by self-help nerds and the like who use it to push product but the actual phrase has a lot of power to it before it was commercialized and lost it’s power (sort of like when you see the fat kid wearing the “declare war on weakness” shirt, how bout you drop the fucking doughnut first). And many other truths and phrases that have been destroyed and compromised by commercialization and the inferior being allowed to declare them.
I can’t even begin to think on how many valuable concepts I’ve ignored or passed over because the mouth of those speaking them was inferior. Their actions did not match their words and therefore their message was compromised. But that is not what this essay is about this is about the importance of pressure and the critical and fundamental role that it is to play in your life. Pressure does indeed turn coal into diamonds over time. And it is through pressure that we rise to the highest rank and strength that we can possibly be as men. So let’s talk about this beautiful thing called pressure.
The Purpose Of Pressure
There are many purposes of pressure so I’m just going to outline some of the more pertinent ones here. First and foremost pressure is to be used to apply to yourself to root out, find, and destroy your weakness. Weakness of any kind and of all types. The application of pressure forces one to be better, be stronger, and become more than they are. Shame is another way of doing this and when applied to yourself from your own pride or applied to yourself from strong vetted brothers shame can be an incredibly powerful and transformative force.
So the main purpose of pressure is to force yourself to become better and stronger. To root out and destroy weakness. To be the strongest that you can be. This is why comfort and convenience are so dangerous because they remove pressure from your life and therefore lead to weakness which leads to destruction and shame (and not to good intra-tribal shaming you into greatness kind of shame but the disgrace to yourself kind of shame). And this is another great reason to have brothers who will call you out on your shit and not allow you grow soft or weak.
Pressure On Yourself
First and foremost you should be holding yourself to a high standard and be putting lots of pressure on yourself to succeed. This is a given and a requirement to be a man. Your pride and sense of honor should inspire you to be the “baddest motherfucker” that you can be and to shore up and destroy any and all weakness that you exhibit. Your pride should demand excellence of you. It should call out to you and shine light on anywhere where you are not living up to what you could and should be. Your pride should drive you to great heights and great strength.
An insult to your pride (even if it comes from yourself) should drive you with such fury to put such pressure on yourself that you become more than you ever thought possible. There shouldn’t be anyone out there who holds you to a higher standard than yourself on who is harder on you than yourself. Use pressure to strengthen yourself and eliminate your weaknesses and don’t let comfort or convenience dull you to you pride and strength, always keep your edge razor sharp.
Pressure On Tribe, Brothers, & Them On You
Next pressure and shame should be applied within a tribe to force brothers to the highest standard possible. Any weakness in a tribal member will reflect poorly on you and your tribal pride and honor (especially combined with personal pride and honor) and should not be allowed to stand. A group of “dudes” hanging out isn’t a tribe a group of brothers forcing each other to conform to a code and be the strongest, toughest, and baddest men that they can be is a tribe. Remember you must root and destroy all weakness.
So having strong brothers around that can look at you from another angle and pressure you (out of love) to become even better is a great asset to have. It’s sort of like having a coach help to perfect your technique in boxing or anything else. Even if you’re hard as possible on yourself it’s still good to have other eyes/souls look at you (who are vetted of course not just random fucks) and help you to progress in ways you wouldn’t have thought of on your own or came to as quickly. Strong brothers will have an exponential effect on your strength and development. Have them call you out on your shit and you on theirs and everyone gets better. As iron sharpens iron.
Pressure
Pressure like pride is one of those great things that most men need a whole hell of a lot more of in their lives. To many men are destroyed by comfort, convenience, and not being held to the fire either by themselves, or from their brothers, or best of all from both. Use pressure to destroy your weaknesses and become the strongest that you can be from each and every angle possible.
If you have any questions you would like to see answered in a future post send them to me at charlessledge001 (at) gmail (dot) com. If you found value in this post then I would encourage you to share this site with someone who may need it as well as check out my books here. I appreciate it.
-Charles Sledge
