LEADERSHIP

High Performance Re-Mastered: A Focus on Clarity

Cheyenne Sweeney

June 11, 2020

Well, it’s been about two weeks since I started the journey of re-applying the high-performance habits into my life. How am I doing, you ask? This is where I want to bury my head in my hands and avoid your question!

Why is it so difficult to stay on track with what we really want to do in life?

I really WANT to be a high-performance hero – not a dud. So, what’s my issue? I have ALL the tools. I KNOW what to do yet I still struggle with consistency. Are Oreos really THAT good? (Umm…yes!) Do I really have NO DISCIPLINE over myself? (hmmm….good question actually).

It reminds me of that saying…“It doesn’t get easier. You get better.”

Enter the High Performance Habit of Clarity.

So last week I took some time to figure out what is most important to me. How do I create clarity around what I want for my life? What helps me live my best life?

Now that I have some answers…I can begin consistently applying those answers to my life. With this clarity, I’ve noticed I can be more consistent and, in turn, do better.

A practice I do with all my high performance clients is to figure out:

– who you want to be

– how you want to interact with others

– what makes you most successful

I’ve answered these questions for myself and will share some of what I’ve determined with you.

Active: This is extremely important to me. When I’m active, I get SO MUCH accomplished in other areas of my life. I’m energetic. I’m friendly to those I interact with. I’m just all-around a better person. That’s who I really want to be. When I am not active, I tend to get migraines. Then I’m not productive. I’m not nice…so on and so on. So why don’t I get off my duff a little more often?

Routined: Ok so maybe this isn’t a real word…but I’m using it anyway. I have found I’m much more successful when I live by routine. A bedtime routine, optimal hours of sleep, waking up at the same time every day, a wake-up routine (which I’ve not mastered yet), and even a little exercise routine, hence the bike. Too often, I give myself permission to set the routines aside. If I’m too lenient, then I live life flying by the seat of my pants – which I really enjoy – but it doesn’t always allow for the best ME to show up for my work, family, and friends. Yet, when I am consistent with my routine, I can see that I’m an all-around-better person.

Straight-Forward, with touch of empathy: This is about my interactions with others. I have a really hard time with people that beat around the bush when they need to tell me something crucial. Don’t be coy. Guilt trips are not effective or productive. Just say it. I pride myself on being an open and honest communicator…almost to a fault. So while, being straight-forward is exactly how I want my relationships to be, I have to remember to utilize my empathy and think about my own words – because these people in my life are pretty important to me.

There it is. A few ways I’ve created clarity around how I am living my own definition of success. Taking the time to produce CLARITY has helped me see what habits I need to live a successful life. The more I focus on these words, the more consistent I will be in doing these actions.

The good news…I’ve ridden my bike much more often. One ride I did nearly 12 miles. We stopped buying ice cream (well, until yesterday when I needed to spend $5 more to get free shipping on my Giant Peapod order). And I think I’ve only had Coke twice. Although this doesn’t seem like the greatest of achievements, it’s important to still celebrate the small wins.

If you don’t celebrate the small stuff, YOU WILL STALL.

The trick is to not celebrate with pizza, Oreos, ice cream, and Coke….as much as I would love to do so! Instead, celebrate with things that bring you true, lasting joy and memories: time with family, a walk, some ME time with a good book or call with a friend.

So how will YOU answer these questions:

·      Who do you want to show up as in life?

·      What clarity do you need around how you get there?

·      And if you were 10 times more consistent in applying these behaviors, how successful would you be?

I’d love to hear your thoughts!