Whenever you’re faced with a task, on a subconscious level you’re grappling with three big factors.
- Demands: What is required of me to do this job? How hard is it?
- Ability: Do I actually have the skills to pull the job? How does it correspond with the things I’m good (and bad) at?
- Consequences: What is actually at stake here? What would getting (or not getting) the job mean for the rest of my life?
We are most likely to remain calm when the demands are low, our ability is high and the consequences are not too significant.
