6 Steps to Developing a High-performance Mindset
What does your “best” look and feel like? Is there something holding you back from reaching your potential? Are you tired and frustrated with always struggling?
Successful entrepreneurs, leaders, professionals and trainers all have one thing in common: They take care of their health and strive for a high-performance mindset.
A high-performance mindset is all about how you view the world; how you communicate; and whether you can execute with precision, clarity and alignment with your core values. Here are six key steps to developing a high-performance mindset.
1. Examine Your Habits
Think about your habits. Are they bringing you closer to the life you want, or are they pushing you away from it? If they aren’t serving you in a positive way, be open to changing them and taking action to make new, healthier habits.
An easy way to start this process is to make a list of habits you want to end, habits you want to start and habits that you want to continue. Begin with your morning and evening routines and habits. Start small by spending 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes at night transitioning in and out of the day using activities such as breathing exercises; stretching or exercise in the morning; and taking a bath, journaling and turning off electronics at night. Positive daily habits and routines create consistent momentum toward developing a high-performance mindset.
2. Focus on What You Can Do Now
Focusing on what you can achieve is key. Use all the resources you currently have instead of wasting time and energy thinking about the resources you don’t have. The most successful people have clarity. They focus on what they want and how they can work within their current environment to achieve it.
A chief executive officer gained 25 pounds due to his hectic and busy lifestyle. We both felt that losing this excess weight would help improve his confidence, leadership presence and presentation skills and, ultimately, help him reach his goal to increase awareness and support for his growing company. When we started discussing what he needed to do to lose weight (i.e., set up a consistent workout routine and improve his diet), the excuses and complaints started flowing. He believed that long workouts and intricate home-cooked meals were the only way he was going to lose weight, and he didn’t have time to go to the gym for two hours each day or to cook a full meal every night.
We started drilling down into what he could realistically do in his current environment and within his current schedule. Together, we created a plan to purchase at-home weights and simple exercise equipment (which he would have access to anytime) and subscribed to a healthy food delivery service — no kitchen hours required! By making these small changes, he was able to take the weight off in four short months, and he had more clarity, focus and energy to spend on his career and his business goals.
3. Work With Your Body, Not Against It
People with a high-performance mindset know how to work hard, play hard and rest hard. Understand how your body restores and repairs itself mentally and physically, and most importantly, don’t be afraid to say no.
A chief executive officer was exhausted and overwhelmed because she was constantly accepting personal invitations and always saying yes to new professional opportunities and projects. As a lifelong high-achiever, it was hard for her to say no. After a few coaching sessions, she let go of the belief that saying no was letting people down. She came to understand that saying a gracious no to one request enabled her to say a resounding and more energetic yes to another. She made a positive shift in her mindset and established healthy boundaries in her life. This change gave her more time to be with her family, to rest and to set up a much needed self-care routine.
Set yourself up for success by planning ahead for healthy meals, self-care and exercise. These three important elements will keep your life moving forward and prevent you from getting stuck. Planning ahead will help you work hard, play hard and rest hard.
4. Experiment and Experience
Instead of making a quick decision or judgment, experiment and experience it for yourself. I believe in a flexible blueprint, because each person is different and going through different seasons and cycles in his or her life. If you learn about someone else’s approach, take it and make it your own.
I am constantly learning new strategies to optimize my business and my life, and I go through my own process of applying them to what already works for me to build a stronger foundation. By building this process into your lifestyle, you will discover what works best for you and become more flexible and adaptable — one of the true signs of a high-performance mindset.
5. Slow Down to Speed Up
Believe it or not, slowing down will help you go further, faster. When you slow down, you can take time to come up with a step-by-step plan and model people who achieve results like the ones you want. You can then take intentional action to achieve your goals — even your goals for more than a decade from now.
A student once came to one of my workshops with a “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” mindset. During the second day of the workshop, when I introduced him to a “10-, five-, one-year vision and goals” framework, something shifted for him. Five minutes into the 40-minute module, he saw a new vision for himself and his family. After putting all of his thoughts on paper, he was thrilled to share his insights with the group.
Three weeks after the training, I followed up with him, and he said that he was already adjusting his mindset, time management process and schedule to accomplish his professional goal of earning $500,000 that year and his personal goals of losing 40 pounds and getting better sleep.
6. Traction = Taking Action
Don’t talk about it; take action! Walk your talk. Momentum is built through consistent action, so set yourself up for success by organizing your time to so you can follow through on what’s most important to you.
Always remember that experiencing life is subjective. Each person has a different definition of health and wellness — and a high-performance mindset!
Content By: Training Industry – Katy Kvalvik | Read More Here