Pressure

You can tell a lot about a person based on how they act under pressure. Arguably, you can find out everything you need to know from just these kinds of situations. Pressure shakes you to your core and strips down the facades. Are you really patient? Are you really kind and respectful? Do you really care about honesty and integrity? Maybe in everyday life it’s difficult to really know these things for sure about a person, but when they’re under pressure the answer is clear as day.

This same principle also applies to your own identity. If you’re ever unsure about who you really are, either wait for a time when you’re under pressure or create such a situation yourself. It’s hard to put a pulse on one’s own values or motivations when there are no stakes. Intuitively, you could claim to care about anything and everything when you know you won’t have to back it up with your actions. But pressure forces you to choose. You may realize you’re not exactly who you claim to be when the going gets rough. That’s fine. At least now you know, and you can do something about it.