High performance. It’s what every entrepreneur, every business owner, every motivated human being is shooting for. Yet, for those who are used to living at medium capacity, running full force into a high performance life is like learning to walk all over again.
It takes a certain mindset, disciplined habits, and the willingness to self-reflect, in order to develop high performance qualities. Four experts share some questions to ask yourself when you’re on the journey to a high performance life.
What would it take for you to get into absolute flow state?
It’s easy to forget that everything we need to know is already inside of us, so usually we don’t ask the right questions. Instead of looking inside, we ask other people for help or advice.
Monique Lindner, High Performance and Human Optimization Specialist, teaches that, while it can be great to get help from others, it often turns us from our own truth, wisdom, and the power that we already have inside of us to truly know what is best for us.
Lindner says, “The question I ask my people is this: ‘What would it take for you to get into absolute flow state?’ Usually I get a blank stare first or the reaction: ‘Well, that’s why I hired you, so you tell me!’ But once I explain the actual intention of the question, the answers spill out. And that’s also what so many people miss by not asking this question; the intention behind it.”
The intention is to bring out our instant, unfiltered intuition of what we truly need, not want, explains Lindner. Here, we can reactivate our gut feeling, calm our mind, and listen to what our inner voice has to say. If you dare to listen to your answers and implement them, you will be able to perform on your highest level.
“The next time you are looking for a better, faster, and stronger performance,” says Lindner, “ask yourself: ‘What would it take for me to get into absolute flow state?’”
Am I in a state of peak performance, creativity, flow, productivity, and high level performance?
Clarity is essential. CEO of Kazlow Global LLC, Dr. Fern Kazlow, advises people to continually make sure they are clear on the big picture; committed, consistent, confident, courageous, focused, flexible, open to seeing new paths, solutions, and perspectives.
Dr. Kazlow says, “If you answered no to being in a state of peak performance, then consider what you feel is blocking you. This problem could stem from being tired, bored, lacking energy, having trouble focusing, or being hindered by uncertainty, afraid of failing or succeeding, disempowering habits, beliefs, doubts, or second-guessing. What’s underneath these thoughts, feelings, or actions is what needs to be identified and dealt with.”
Dr. Kazlow believes that when you understand what your blocks are, you will be able to find out what works for you so that you can rewire and realign your mind, body, and actions for peak performance.
“Consistent peak performance is a constant struggle until monitoring it becomes a habit. These questions are not about blame, they are about taking conscious control over your state of performance,” explains Dr. Kazlow.
By asking yourself this question, your goal is to be present in your own life, uplevel your peak performance over time, and operate from your No Doubt Zone.
What can I delegate or eliminate?
Dana Fong-Aiu, Business Development and Success Coach, talks about how we live in an era where people typically include the word “busy” in their answer when asked how they are. She believes that time management and high level productivity have become less about the “to-do” lists and more about the “do-not” lists.
Fong-Aiu explains, “When I sit down at my desk, I start with a brain dump of all the things on my mind, and then I ask myself, ‘What can I delegate or eliminate?’ This allows me to shorten my list and (technically) get quite a few things checked off without lifting a finger. A shorter list means less options. Less options mean less decisions to make. Less decisions to make means more brain energy to direct towards the important stuff.”
Asking yourself this question and reducing your list allows you to choose a single item to work on with no distractions, to become fully immersed and absorbed in it.
Fong-Aiu continues, “This is the state of flow; and this is where you get to access your highest levels of creativity and productivity. Success is not measured by just the sheer volume of work that you do; it is about the depth of mastery within your work.”
For WHO do I need to show up for today?
Most people are better at keeping a promise for someone else than they are at keeping a promise to themselves. Whatever people need, they’ll put themselves out to ensure it gets done. But when it comes to their own priorities? Struggle City.
Oscar C. Guerrero, High Performance Confidence Coach, teaches that far too often the promises we make to others lack any real meaning. We will agree to do something without taking the bigger picture into consideration; the bigger picture being the deeper importance of why (and for who) we need to show up with our A-game.
Guerrero says, “Moving forward, before you start your day, think about for whom and why your success is necessary. Why is it important? How will it impact both those who are directly and indirectly impacted by your performance?”
When we set forth each day with passion and intention, focused on who we are serving and why, we will be ready and able to bring out our high performance.