We live in a complicated world. There is pressure from all sides, beginning in childhood, to succeed. What "succeed" means varies from person to person and culture to culture. For many it's professional, others to marry and start a family. The pressure can come from external sources, like your parents, or your peers, friends, what you see on social media (much of which can be fabricated, in case you didn't know that) or the advertising we're bombarded with daily, and which is virtually impossible to ignore. Or, the pressure can be self-generated. Some people come into this world hard-wired that way. Of course environment plays a part, but some people just happen to be more predisposed to it than others.
Not achieving it can be devastating. FEAR of not achieving it can wreak havoc with peace of mind and ability to enjoy life. It can turn into an undercurrent of ceaseless (and needless) anxiety. What we work on is what this is all about, what you hope to get out of your time on this planet, and how you can go about your day less anxious than the day before.