I recently read “High Performance Habits” written by Brendon Burchard, the world’s leading high performance coach and one of the most watched, quoted, and followed personal development trainers in history. I highly recommend this book!
The gist of this book is that, to become a high performer, you must seek clarity, generate energy, raise necessity, increase productivity, develop influence, and demonstrate courage.
Seek clarity on who you want to be, how you want to interact with others, what you want, and what will bring you the greatest meaning. As every project begins, ask yourself: “What kind of person do I want to be while I’m doing this? How should I treat others? What are my intentions and objectives? What can I focus on that will bring me a sense of connection and fulfillment? Consistently seek clarity.”
Generate energy so that you can maintain focus, effort, and well-being.
If you want to feel more energized, creative, and effective at work – and still leave work with enough oomph for the ‘life’ part, the ideal breakpoint is to stop your work and give your mind and body a break every 45-60 minutes.”
Brendon Burchard
Get up, walk around, and fill up your water.
If the demands of your job or life require you to learn fast, deal with stress, be alert, pay attention, remember important things, and keep a positive mood, then you must take exercise more seriously. If you care about your contribution to the world, you’ll care about yourself.”
Brendon Burchard
Raise necessity. For exceptional performance, know your whys – internal and external. Internal whys may include your identity, your standards, and your obsessions. External whys may include real deadlines, your social duty, and your sense of obligation and purpose. To raise necessity:
- High necessity= “I feel a deep emotional drive and commitment to succeeding, and it consistently forces me to work hard, stay disciplined, and push myself.”
- Know who needs your A game. With multiple priorities, consider “Who needs me on my A game the most right now?”
- “Have I associated the important activities of my day with my identity and my sense of obligation?”
Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone.
Pablo Picasso
Increase productivity in your primary field of interest. Slow down, be more strategic, and say no more often. Take ownership of your day.
Develop influence with those around you. Develop a positive support network. People support what they create. Ask people what they want, how they’d like to work together, and what outcomes they care about.
To gain influence with others, teach them how to think about themselves, others, and the world; challenge them to develop their character, connections, and contributions; and role model the values you wish to see them embody. High performers have discovered that it is by connecting with others that they learn more about themselves and the world.
Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life.
Amy Poehler
Demonstrate courage by expressing your ideas and taking action despite uncertainty. You are capable of remarkable things that you could never foretell and will never discover without taking action.” What leaps could you take now?
Passion + Growth + Contribution = Personal Satisfaction
Enthusiasm + Connection + Satisfaction + Coherence = Meaning
If you want to be a high performer, show up and bring the joy. High performers cultivate joy by how they think, what they focus on, and how they engage in and reflect on their days.
When people say “I can’t,” it usually means “I am unwilling to do the long-term training and conditioning necessary to achieve that.” Everything is trainable.
High performers are learners, and their belief that they can learn what is necessary to win in the future gives them as much confidence as their current skillsets.”
Brendon Burchard
Between each task in your day, remember this: *RELEASE TENSION, SET INTENTION*
Don’t bring tension to all future aspects of your day. How many times have we been guilty of having a rough morning and carrying it into all aspects of our day? Have you had a conversation or meeting that didn’t pan out the way you wanted it to and resulted in you carrying frustration or resentment toward those involved? Have you had a rough day at work and carried it into your relationships at home?
High performers have shaped their identity by conscious will and have aligned their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors to support that identity.
Brendon Burchard
Superior-minded people are certain they are better, more capable, and more deserving, and it’s that certainty that closes their minds to learning, connection with others, and growth. Stay humble. If you’re going to maintain high performance, you need to avoid the traps of superiority, dissatisfaction, and neglect.
I look forward to reading, learning, and sharing more with you soon!
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