So what is peak performance? The term “peak performance” is often used with athletic performance. But we like to look at peak performance at an indicator of what to strive for in every area of your life… whether you’re an athlete or an entrepreneur… and even in your personal life…because the reality is that if you’re an entrepreneur, EVERYTHING overlaps.
Entrepreneurs tend to be high performers anyway, so these tips are designed to help you streamline your activities..
So, doesn’t it make sense to arrange your life, your activities and your daily processes to get the most out of everything? When you do, you will find that you accomplish more, you are happier, you are healthier and, believe it or not, you will have MORE TIME to do the things you want to do in your life.
Peak performance is as much adopting a particular mindset as it is a series of actions, but remember that action will always win out at the end of the day… IF you’re adopting the right mindset…and IF you are taking action in the right direction.
If you’re running east trying to chase a sunset, you’re probably going the wrong direction, but even small actions in the right direction will compound to create long-term success.
So, let’s get into the 7 Critical Keys to Creating Peak Performance in Your Business…
Belief – Unless you believe in what you’re doing, what’s the point in starting in the first place? Entrepreneurs tend to always stay focused on the higher purpose, a vision, a mission… what’s yours? If you are just dipping your toe in the water of your business, your opportunities, or your life in general, you are not going to get the result that you “say” you want. Take a few minutes and check in with yourself and be sure your belief is strong. Even if you are new to the space and don’t have the full 100% belief set in stone yet, tap into mastermind groups, communities, mentors and others who can help you solidify that belief.
Commitment – commitment is your absolute certainty that you will achieve your goal. The bottom line is that when you are committed, you are not going to stop short or let yourself fall prey to negative self-talk or a few bumps in the road. Know why you are doing what you’re doing. It is so important to be clear on your “why”… in every situation. You don’t have to be focused on the “big why” all the time… but why are you taking your next action? Is it supporting your goals? Is it taking you closer to your end game?
Persistence – How is persistence different than commitment? Commitment is a concept and persistence is an action. You are (or force yourself to be ) unstoppable in the face of adversity… any adversity. You are strong. You are invincible. (Wait… aren’t those lyrics from a song? Oh yeah, I Am Woman!)… well… you understand what I mean! 😉
Two of my favorite quotes on persistence:
“Persistence prevails when all else fails.”
“A river cuts through rock, not because of its power but because of its persistence.”
Self-Education – Part of your commitment should be to self-education…or education in general. We live in a world where information is coming at us from every direction all the time. But discerning what you should be paying attention to is key to true self-education. What do you want to learn? What SHOULD you be learning? How much time are you focusing on education? There are so many ways to do this… Successful people “read” or at least ingest material that constantly raises the bar for them. I love books but to be more efficient with my time, I listen to most of my books these days because I can do it while I’m hiking or working out or something else that doesn’t require my mental attention. You can tap into podcasts, YouTube videos, audiobooks, print books, or e-books, blogs… I guarantee you that whatever you want or need to learn is out there in a format you and digest easily.
Discipline/Self Control – this may be the most important factor to staying in a peak performance state. There are so many ways to be distracted and sucked away from your most important activities…and the ONLY one who can stop you from going there is YOU! I hate to tell you but there are no magic bullets, no pills you can take (well, there are things you can take that will help with this… the first step developing the mindset of a peak performer is create and maintain discipline. Use a schedule… block out your time. Protect your time at all costs.
Fearlessness – Let me be clear about this one. Fearlessness isn’t eliminating fear in your life. Fearlessness is having courage in the face of fear. It’s facing your fears. It’s seeing your fear and pushing through that thing anyway. This goes back to discipline and awareness. When fear comes up, just stop, take a minute to breathe and stay in the present moment. Because right NOW… everything is OK. Stay in control of your own mental response to fear and know that it is a choice to feel the fear. Your mind wants to project out into the future but you don’t have to go there. Feel the fear and do it anyway and soon the fear won’t be a factor!
Genuine Desire to Help Others – All successful entrepreneurs… and successful humans are ultimately driven by a desire to help others. Yes, you can make money “off of” the back of others… yes, you can make money without really caring about who it affects and how they are affected… but that strategy is going to be short-lived because (at least I believe) that for the most part, people are genuinely good and it goes against their nature to do things that are parasitic or take away from others. Always focus on giving to others, providing the highest level of service, and do so with no regard to the financial outcome…and the really interesting aspect about adopting this philosophy in your life is that money seems to flow even more effortlessly when you simply focus on helping other people to solve a problem or create a better life. The more value you bring, the more value you will receive.
