Seeking CLARITY: #1 Habit of High Performers
BOOK REVIEW
Success and happiness: That's the combination we all hope to achieve. But the problem is, how do we become more successful and feel more fulfilled?
A couple of years ago I read High Performance Habits by Brendon Burchard and came away very inspired to follow his advice on building habits to become a better performer.
Why do some people succeed more quickly than others, and maintain that success over the course of decades? And out of that extremely small subset of people, why do some of them seem to struggle, while others live happy lives? What motivates people to reach for higher levels of success in the first place, and what kinds of habits, training, and support help them improve faster?
These questions led him to speak with some of the highest performing athletes and business professionals the world has ever seen. He was able to uncover a ton of research and data to help him understand the answers. With all of this information, he was able to write this book.
Brendon discovered that there are six habits of high-performing* people.
*For the purpose of his book, high performance refers to succeeding beyond standard norms, consistently over the long-term.
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According to Brendon Burchard, who spent 20 years answering that question, High Performers have a habit Nr. 1 and that is:
SEEKING CLARITY FOR WHO YOU ARE AND WHAT YOU WANT
As Brendon writes: “High performers are clear on their intentions for themselves, their social world, their skills, and their service to others.”
In this post, I will emphasize the Nr.1 habit, because obviously as a Founder of Calmfidence Academy this resonates very much with my teachings, therefore I have gone deeper into the area of my expertise.
Seeking Clarity
Let’s, start by answering this question: What does it mean to seek clarity?
High performers don't necessarily get clarity. Instead, they seek it more often than other people -- so they tend to find it and stay on their true path. High performers constantly seek clarity. That makes them better at sifting out distractions because they constantly refocus on what is important.
For example, successful people don't wait until New Year's to perform a self-evaluation and decide what changes they want to make.
It is remaining focused on today, and the present moment, while thinking about tomorrow and the future. Really tough to do and balance your time between being present and thinking about what is next. Brendon’s research showed was that High Performers have figured out how to do it, and they centered their focus on the future into these core statements:
Seems like a pretty easy thing to know, but you would be surprised that very few people have spent time thinking about those statements above.
To understand further into how Brendon went about his research on seeking clarity he interviewed people asking them questions like this:
By asking these questions he was able to identify how high-performing people use clarity as to the #1 habit for performing at levels that are so much higher than their peers.
A simple approach to seeking clarity is to focus on four things: self, skills, social, and service. How do you want to describe your ideal self? How do you want to behave socially? What skills do you want to develop and demonstrate? What service do you want to provide?
Asking -- and answering -- those questions more often than other people will definitely give you an edge.
Using all of his data and experience he lays out three simple practices for you to use to help you seek clarity in your life:
ENVISION THE FUTURE
Self – You must know who you want to become.
The first aspect of clarity is knowing yourself. Brendon advises us to:
“Be more intentional about who you want to become. Have a vision beyond your current circumstances. Imagine your best future self, and start acting like that person today.”
Have a vision for your future self. An easy exercise to help you:
Think about yourself in daily situations with co-workers, your kids, and your wife. Is that person you want to be? If you do not like how you are, then ask yourself how would I want to be. Now, write down three aspirational words that represent how you want to be and use them as your guide.
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Ask yourself questions about aspirational words that describe your future self. What do you want to become in the future? One example Brendon mentioned is a woman who described herself as “alive, playful, and grateful.” These words reflect your values and aspirations. By asking yourself how you would describe your future self, you’re gaining clarity on who you want to become.
Social – Understand how they want to treat other people.
Brendon writes:
“High performers… have clear intentions about how they want to treat other people… In every situation that matters, they know who they want to be and how they want to interact with others.”
Ask yourself, “How can I be a good person or leader in this upcoming situation?” or “What does the other person need?” or “What kind of tone or mood do I want to set?”
Asking yourself these questions helps you become more intentional about how you want to interact with others, and helps you avoid being entirely reactive or defensive in high-stakes or stressful situations.
Write down each person name in your family and professional life that you see regularly.
Imagine it is 20 years from and each person is describing why they love and respect you. If they had just three words, what would you want those words to be?
Next time, you are with them use that time to demonstrate those three qualities.
Skill – Think about what you want your future to be like.
Know what skills and experiences you need to develop in order to be more successful in the future. By identifying your primary field of interest and the skills required to excel, you can then be intentional about learning, practicing, and reflecting on those skills. Over time, you will develop the expertise necessary to be an excellent performer.
Then understand the skills needed to get there and obsess over obtaining those skills.
Think about your primary field of interest and write down three skills that make people successful.
Under each skill, write down what you will do to develop it. Will you read, practice, get a coach, go to training? Set up a plan to develop those skills.
Now think about your primary field of interest and write down three skills that you will need in order to succeed in that field five to ten years from now.
Service – They care more about their service towards others than themselves.
Finally, high performers care deeply about the positive impact they will make for others, and for their broader community. They seek to clarify whom they are serving and what those people need, in order to deliver their contributions “with heart and elegance.”
For example, low performers ask themselves questions like this, “How can I get by with the least amount of effort” and high performs say, “How can I serve with excellence.”
DETERMINE THE FEELING YOU ARE AFTER
High performers define the feeling they are after. They know exactly what that feeling is, and they do whatever it takes to there. They ask themselves, what is the primary feeling I want to “bring” to this situation, and what is the primary feeling I want to “get”? As Brandon, shares from his studies he finds that underperformers shy away from the feelings they want.
DEFINE WHAT’S MEANINGFUL
High performers tend to take in four factors when describing something as meaningful.
They feel enthusiasm towards that project or goal. For example, most high performers wake up and ask themselves “What can I get excited or enthusiastic about today?
They factor in their connection and value challenges over comfort. They want to be around peers and family who challenge them not make them feel comfortable.
Satisfaction: High performers said they feel relate satisfaction with meaning and an equation Brandon puts together is this:
Life Makes Sense: High performers want to know that everything happens for a reason. They want to feel like their effort is helping them or others work something greater than themselves and that their life has a purpose.
One common thread that I noticed throughout the book is the idea of serving others, feeling a sense of duty towards others, and fighting for others. The highest performers are much more others-focused than self-focused. Brendon observed that most people are willing to do more for others than they are willing to do even for themselves. By focusing on others, high performers find the motivation to dream, the strength to persevere, and the courage to act.
Ready to embark on the path of enhanced performance and prosperity by mastering self-leadership?
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7moI like the way she explain the six habits after reading this I don't think that there is any more need to purchase a book thank u from digibridge.in
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1ynice well done with this!