These are the cornerstones of human health and high performance
Have you ever wondered why you hit a flat spot from time to time?
It’s often called the glass ceiling but we prefer to call it what it actually is…
We call it the Performance Plateau because that’s the result, a drop in performance. And the only truth is the result.
But once you understand why this happens you’ll see also how predictable it is, inevitable really. And the good news is that when something is as predictable as this, so is the solution and so are the results.
As with most things in human life it can all be explained by neuroscience. Now that’s a fancy name for your nervous system which is responsible for coordinating what you do and how you feel.
The cool thing about neuroscience is that it's just that, it’s science.
And for humans to be firing on all cylinders and kicking the door of life off its hinges consistently then all of The 7 Pillars of Performance must be aligned.
Otherwise there is a high probability that you'll hit the Performance PLATEAU.
What Are The 7 Pillars Of Performance?
01 - Purpose
Hitting the performance plateau nearly always starts with a lack of clarity around mission and meaning. Think of your purpose as your superpower. It's your North star that underpins everything in your life and guides you. Or at least, it should…
02 - Learning
It’s important to keep learning, to have a sense of growth in what we do. It could be a new challenge at work, learning to play a musical instrument or adopting new lifestyle behaviours. One thing is clear, treading water doesn’t move you forward any more than it will win you a gold medal at the Olympics or in life.
03 - Autonomy
It’s important to have a sense of control over the course of your own life. Having autonomy is actually an important psychological trigger that motivates the ‘self’ and can suffocate creativity and motivation if it’s missing.
04 - Team
You could be the most introverted person on the planet, but that feeling you get when you’re part of a team is important. It gives you a sense of belonging, support, of human connection and cultivates a reciprocal sense of accountability.
05 - Energy
In the same way that you need quality sleep, you need to eat real food and move your body. These are the things that give us the energy and vitality to live an amazing life yet they’re often neglected as the white noise of life consumes you.
06 - Attitude
Your attitude, your mindset are the set of beliefs that influence how you think, how you feel and how you behave. So it stands to reason that if our attitude isn’t dialed in, your performance suffers.
07 - Unleash
When you feel your best, you perform your best. And so many people get so bogged down with life that they get out of the habit of unleashing themselves from it all and just have some f’ing fun. Let’s be honest, life gets pretty dull pretty quickly without it.
And here's the thing...
You can be knocking six of the seven pillars of performance out of the park but, when we see an athlete lose any one of them, when we see a business professional lose just one of them, that’s when the Performance Plateau shows itself.
But, get all seven pillars back on track and, almost immediately, most of the plateau’s symptoms just start to fade away. Stress levels come down, you sleep better, you have space and freedom in your calendar to do whatever it is you want to do, your relationships start to improve again.
And understanding that the journey of peak performance is infinite is an important piece of the puzzle. It’s a lifelong endeavor. And it’s amazing.
Yet, one of the most common roadblocks we hear people talk about is that they’re too busy, they don’t have enough time.
But time isn’t the real problem, it’s just a symptom of having hit the Performance Plateau.
Your priorities are the real problem. And this usually occurs when you don’t have clarity about your sense of purpose.
People with a clear purpose have clear priorities - it’s no coincidence that this is the first of seven pillars. Get clear on your meaning, your mission and most other things start to fall in place.
Where to start?
Stress test your priorities right now and benchmark yourself against The 7 Pillars Of Performance to claw back time for what matters most.
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