As you might have guessed from this column, I like to read. The topics vary. Sometimes it’s fiction, sometimes classic literature (not too often), sometimes it’s physiology or some other science. Currently, I’m reading a book titled High Performance Habits, by Brendon Burchard. There are a lot of similar books on the market. Some good, some not-so-good. This one is decent and worth a read.
My interest in habits and behavioral modification is two-fold. I’m personally interested in the topic, as I’m always striving to be a better version of myself. Second, I teach many wellness-related classes that are centered on habit change, and I am open to any ideas that will help my students reach their goals.
In this book, the author argues that achievement is not just the result of talent or luck. Instead, high performance, or simply reaching your goals, is due to creating intentional habits that anyone can practice consistently. On some level, this is common sense, but if it is so common, why do people have such an amazingly hard time bettering themselves? Why is it that some people have focus, energy, and confidence, while others feel that life happens to them and they have little control?
Burchard maintains that high performance is a learnable skill, which I thought was interesting. But there’s a catch: he found that six core principles had to be developed: clarity, energy, necessity, productivity, influence, and courage. These words fit all of the hot buzzwords used in motivation, but I thought some were a bit unusual.
Clarity makes sense and is the foundation of the book. You can’t achieve something if you don’t know what it is. You need to clearly define your goal or whatever you seek. Does your current behavior or do your current actions match your goal? Being clear and intentional about what you want gives you direction. It could be weight loss, a job promotion, academic achievement, or even a better partner and parent. Having clarity also gives you the ability to make easier and better decisions because you have defined a specific outcome. You can have all of the energy you want, but if you lack clarity, you are just running in circles. This leads us to the next principle.
The second habit Burchard identified as essential to being a high performer was energy or stamina. This is energy in a very general sense. Having clarity is great, but you need the stamina to see things through. You need the physical, mental, and emotional energy to generate the sustained effort to do what is necessary. I’m sure all of us, from time to time, have begun a project, only to give up in frustration, or wanted to learn a new skill but quickly lost interest. To reach our goals, we need the energy to stick with the plan, regardless of how hard things get. To achieve this sort of energy, we need to manage our stress, stay fit through a healthy diet and exercise, get lots of quality sleep, and make sure that we are not wasting our energy on things that are unimportant to achieving our goal. We also need to keep a positive attitude, as negativity will drain us more quickly than most things. It’s not about always being happy, but about being resilient enough to move quickly past setbacks.
The third essential habit, according to Burchard, is raising necessity, which focuses on motivation. Basically, some researchers believe that people perform better when they feel that it is imperative that they succeed. Think about it: if a goal were connected to something important, such as your responsibility to feed your family or the need to complete your education so as not to let your parents down, you would be likely to achieve that goal. Conversely, someone’s fleeting desire to be a social media influencer or to lose the same 10 pounds they’ve been meaning to lose every year doesn’t have the same urgency. When you need to accomplish a goal, it becomes an obligation, and you are more likely to go through greater barriers to achieve it.
The fourth habit is increasing productivity. This does not mean being busy or pretending to be busy. Being productive means understanding what work is important to achieving a goal and focusing on it. It means protecting your time. Will a specific task move you closer to your goal, or is it a distraction? High performers prioritize and are very efficient. They create a target and a clear plan and stick to them. They are able to decline things that will detract them from their goal.
I’m going to finish Part 1 of this article with this quote by the author, Brendon Burchard, and will continue Part 2 with the remaining core principles of influence and courage. “Be more intentional about who you want to become. Have vision beyond your current circumstances. Imagine your best future self and start acting like that person today.”
