I use the word “high performance” a lot. It is a word that has carried over from athletics and business and now is used to describe people with certain types of energy needs and wants.
To put it into context–
A high performer in business is one who gets results consistently, is creative, and can have expectations put upon them without much incentive outside of intrinsic motivation in excellence. The same holds true for athletes. You see someone who has an extreme need for excellence and energy to perform towards the desired result. They see the big picture. They keep moving towards being the BEST.
When I use high performers, it is a hybrid of these descriptions. A high performer is an individual who needs continual energy, understands herself well enough to remain motivated throughout the day, wants the most out of his or her day, and recognizes that extraordinary results come from extraordinary effort.
If you are reading this email, it is likely you are a high performer OR you are on the cusp. You recognize that your vitality is dependent upon what you get out of your body and mind. You don’t live for fixes. You don’t accept personal excuses. You are a problem solver, a motivated person always looking for new ways to look at things. You want to live your life in excellent condition so when your time is done you’ve experienced the full range of your potential and talent.
What you are not is someone who sees yourself at face value. What you are not is someone who accepts difficulty as an end. What you are not is someone who thinks a continuously drained feeling is normal or appropriate for your daily minimal performance.
If you are a high performer, today I would like you to do an exercise. I would like you to note all of the habits you do that were really hard to implement but you did. Why did it matter? Why does it still matter? How you will make them better?
If you are not a high performer yet, here is an exercise for you. Not all of the behaviors you feel give you value. What makes you an incredible person? What gives you strength, perseverance, and hope?
These exercises will help you see your potential. Once you see your potential, well, then you have the opportunity. And wonderfully, opportunity is never out of reach no matter how motivated you are.
Funnily, when I am coaching people in lifting and my members are trying something new and I forget to count their reps because I am focusing on their form. When asked how many reps they have left, I usually respond with “you’ve got two more reps.”
Whether this is accurate can be debated mostly, but here’s the thing… when this question arises, I know people want to stop. I also know that they have plenty of power left in them.
You see…
Two more reps are usually left in the tank when you are doing something difficult and new, but you are still moving.
If you are a high performer, you daily tap into your desires and you CHOOSE to keep moving through difficulty. If you aren’t a high performer and find yourself feeling like the world is against you, ask yourself…
Are you still moving? Are you doing something difficult? Are you changing?
If so, you always have “two reps more” available in your energy bank. You might tell yourself you don’t, but you do.
To all people needing energy to live–no matter the level–remember that potential is everywhere. You just need to push out two more reps.