LEADERSHIP

Attention Please. Now Boarding All High Performer

Cheyenne Sweeney

May 12, 2021

Two years ago, I boarded a plane for California. 

I remember it being BEFORE DAWN…which is so NOT my time of day…but the sunrise from the plane was pretty gorgeous and totally worth it. I was beyond tired, I was also excited and nervous for my week ahead – the week I became certified as a high performance coach.

I really didn’t know what to expect as I stepped into the buzz of that conference center room. Before me was a room full of others attending this training for the same reason. You see, we were all there together to learn how to help individuals bring the high performance habits into their lives and how to work towards mastering them through 1:1 and group coaching. 

In fact, looking back it’s funny to think of how many people were in that room and how many of them I hugged and shook hands with…without any mask or sanitizer present! I also didn’t realize how much I would LEARN or how excited I would be to bring this back to my clients, colleagues and friends in the Valley.

Even though, I had read the book, High Performance Habits by Brendon Burchard, I knew that I wasn’t truly living a high performance life myself. 

Did I want to? Of course! 
But was I at that moment? No. 
(Side note…I’m still a work in progress. We all are.)

One of my favorite practices that I learned that week was scoring myself on how intentional I was throughout the day living a high performance life. Using a scale of 1 (low) to 5 (high) you rate yourself at the end of the day for each of the 6 habits: clarity, energy, necessity, productivity, courage, and influence. Next you write a sentence or two about how you could increase that number by just one point tomorrow. 

While a lot of people have journals or planners detailing their intentions for the day, how many people actually score themselves that evening on how well they did? How many of those people make a plan for how to show up better the next day – even just one point better?  

THAT is a difference maker and game changer.

My time in California showed me the power of mindset and discipline.  If you’re not living the high performance habits daily and with intention, you can choose to ignore it and it’s long-term effect… OR you strive to get a little bit better every day.

I always say: to know how much weight you want to lose you have to step on the scale first. 

This analogy is not about weight. It’s about self-awareness. It’s about taking a measurement of where you are now and creating a goal, strategy, and game plan on how to get better.

I just got off the phone with an experienced, hard-working professional who is stuck. Suffice to say, the dreams that he had for a better life for himself and his child have been derailed. It was disheartening to hear. We talked for nearly an hour. I listened and empathized…and then asked “ok, so we can’t get to ‘Barry 2.0’ tomorrow, but how can we get to ‘Barry 1.1 or 1.2’?” What is your next best step?”

The thing is, we all get stuck. We all feel like we are at the end of our rope sometimes. That’s normal. That’s life.

We should take time and grieve that or be sad… or eat that pint of ice cream!  But, when we are done with that (24 hours max here), the question should always be: what is my next best step?

The answer to that might not get you to YOU 2.0… but it does get you one step closer.  And, after a while, those steps add up to something pretty amazing.

So, am I sad that I’m a Certified High Performance Coach that isn’t high performance EVERY. SINGLE. DAY? Nope. I am human. Just like you.

If the last two years have taught me anything, is that performing at the high level is not a straight upward arrow with no bad days, no slips or falls. What that means to my current and potential clients is I am adding more REAL life experience to my own coaching resume.  I am in the trenches with you. I struggle too and there will be days I feel defeated. Then there will be that little win that puts the wind back in my sails and creates momentum again. 

In 16 weeks (wow that is a lot sooner than I thought), I will be adding a new chapter in my life. I am not exactly sure what being high performance will look like as a working mom with a newborn, working from home. Pretty certain, I am never going to tell you I’ve got it ALL together, BUT… I AM a different person, a better person, AND better coach than I was two years ago. And while my HPH score card will vary from day to day, one thing will remain the same no matter what: I will always be here to help you be the best version of you.

THAT’S why I boarded that plane in the first place.