The past four weeks have been stressful because I was under a lot of pressure to get our new website  up and running.  Somehow or other I managed and now I feel rather happy with myself.  I am fortunately or unfortunately one of those people who do well under pressure.   My creative juices run high and I am very persistent when pressured  but often it feels like something I shouldn’t be doing .  I label myself as a procrastinator when this happens but procrastinating also serves me well when I finally feel all the ideas flow within me.  I ask myself if it’s at the expense of my peace of mind and, to some decree, I know it is but then there’s something good in it as well.  I happened to come across this quote from Henry Kissinger (a diamond is a chunk of coal that did well under pressure) and felt that it said something significant to me.

I am by nature a problem solver.  I was a critical care nurse for a number of years and somehow I thrived and was at my best the more critical the situation was.  I think the amazing thing that happens to me when I am pressured is that I FOCUS fully on what is happening and let go of all the extraneous things around me.  It’s actually a good feeling.  I have a clear purpose and I’m fully focused on that purpose.  I want to make something better for someone and it drives me to something good.  So today I feel like a piece of coal under pressure that has somehow ended up being a diamond.  Today I accomplished something good and I really feel blessed that God gve me the strength and persistence and resilience that I needed to make it happen.   Of course, I had lots of help from our consultants (Crossbow Studio) and the Sisters I work with and live with who cleared the way so that I could stay focused.  And the result of all this goodness is our new website, www.fscaston.org. Come visit it and spend some time looking around it. it.