implicit responsibility

what's been really interesting in the social conversations that i have had recently as i am finishing up my phd is that there is so much responsibility and implicit pressure for me to finish and be successful. this feeling can be really weird because you find out that you have so many people that seem to have so much invested in your success and you don't want to let them down. on the other hand, it makes me feel really good in having established 'my brand' so successfully that people EXPECT success from things that i am involved in.

understanding all of this, what responsibility is there because of this situation? is this something that is shared amongst all but possibly in other ways? how does awareness of this situation change things, if it does at all?

just some thoughts...sorry for the short post, but i have to run.