We all want to be high performers not only in our careers but our lives as well. The High Performance Habits by Brendon Burchard is one of the best books I have read on this subject. There are some feelings he mentions which is associated with high performance. Here they are with my take on each.
Full engagement — When you are fully engaged you generally produce your best performance. Find ways to love your work and connect to a higher purpose.
Joy — This is as simple as it gets. Deliberate gratitude has shown to instantly boost happiness. It can also lead to joy. We cannot feel drudgery while doing our work.
Confidence — Without confidence we are literally dead in the water. I have written in detail about confidence. If you work in your strength areas, appreciate your uniqueness and develop skills you will feel more confidence. Here is my article on self-confidence. 15 Keys to Self-Confidence
Purposefulness — Connect to a strong personal mission. Peter Drucker said, “Whenever anything is being accomplished, it is being done, I have learned, by a monomaniac with a mission.” Taking some time to define your personal mission statement is worth the effort.
Flow– One of the methods to get your brain into flow is to have a strong work out. Whenever I work out in the morning for 60 min I feel totally on top of the world and in flow. Another method is to engage in an activity that you are totally sold out to. For me it is reading and writing. When you are in flow time stands still and you feel great about yourself. This also leads to high performance.
Determination — Willpower depletes once it is stretched too much. So, a strong determination is the only way to maintain high performance for a long time. Develop your grit muscles by stretching it. Persist when you just feel like giving up. This takes practice to develop but eminently achievable.
Focus — Focus on the vital few vs trivial many. There is no way we can sustain high performance without the focus on the high leverage activities that can move our life forward. Have fewer apps on the phone and remove all notifications.
Conscientiousness — This is all about paying extra attention to everything you do. Being totally world class requires putting the effort that other people won’t, so you can reach your Mount Olympus.
All these are simple ideas but if we do apply some of these ideas we will be high performers over the long run. Thanks for reading this post.
The views expressed here are my own and do not represent my organization.