Book review - High Performance Habits by Brendon Burchard
High Performance Habits is a powerhouse of a book that blows current theories out of the water about what a person needs to get to the top and stay there. Many times, we chalk up our failures to factors such as age, education, income, race, nationality, or gender. However, the science proves otherwise. So how does a person be successful, lead a healthy and fulfilling life, and stay ahead of the game? Does one have to choose between success and money, and love and health?
Brendon Burchard and his team at The High Performance Institute have conducted an extensive study (with over 172,000 people) on what attributes and habits a person needs to develop in order to achieve their goals and sustain a fulfilling, high-quality life. Many of the activities in the book are easily implementable, while others will take practise and a major change in habits. Many of my preconceptions about success were shattered such as the old adage “Stick to your strengths.” If we do not work on our weaknesses and develop new skills, we are limited in what we can do and achieve.
The book is based on the six factors that the study conducted by The High Performance Institute found most affected peoples performance over the long term. Why just six? Well the six in the book: Clarity, Energy, Necessity, Productivity, Influence, and Courage were clear standouts amongst the hundreds of key habits identified in the study, and are measurable and achievable.
Although the book is based on academic research, every section finishes with 'Performance Prompts.' Questions to ask yourself, and actions to implement to make these habits part of your life today. Implementation is the key to growth, so to get the most out of this book you must dig deep, ask yourself the tough questions and make changes.
Why do you want to be a high performer anyway?
High performance, as defined by Burchard is, 'Succeeding beyond standard norms, consistently over the long term.' High performers are more successful, healthier, happier, admired, influential, serve others, and work more passionately. I certainly want those things, and I am sure you do too.
I would highly recommend this book. It has changed my life for the better and has improved my clarity. It has helped me become more productive and certainly less distracted. Overall, I feel happier and more content with life.
Reading the book is the 1st step, implementing the 6 habits is where you will really see the difference in your life. Brendon has trained and certified a small number of high performance coaches to work with clients 1 on 1 to dig deep and implement these habits in their lives. Do you think you would gain from working with a Certified High Performance Coach? I would love to offer you a session to see what a huge difference coaching could make for you. Click here to take the 15 min high performance questionnaire and I will give you a call to schedule your coaching session.
Review by Nathan Archer - Certified High Performance Coach
Set A Monthly Focus For Your Development
We often want to make changes in our life for the better, but sometimes those changes can make quite an overwhelming list! Quite often, we need to change our habits, which is not easy when we’ve been doing something a certain way for a while. One easy way of developing yourself is to give yourself a monthly focus, just one thing, that you can identify or work on and improve for a month. Obviously there are 12 months in a year, so 12 different areas of your life that you develop this year.
Think about what character traits or habits you would like to work on in the next 30 days. Some suggestions might be generosity, kindness, patience, saying no, or making time for family. Write your focus somewhere where it will serve as a daily reminder such as the calendar, your diary, a journal, or even a post-it on your bathroom mirror.
Tom Ziglar, son of the famous Zig Ziglar says that “The fastest way to success is to replace bad habits with good habits.” Plan what you will do when your bad habit rears its head. If you are working on patience and you get stuck in traffic, plan what you are going to say to yourself or do to achieve your goal? If you are working on kindness, how are you going to react when that work colleague pushes your buttons? What can you do instead?
Another way to work on the new habits, is to go over your schedule for the day and identify instances where you are likely to commit your bad habit. Can you predict any time in the day where it is going to be challenging for you? How are you going to react?
By thinking and working on this every day it will accelerate you to achieve your goal and be a better person. At the end of the day, and also the end of the week - check how you did. Reflect on your wins and also where you had losses. Are there any patterns that you can identify? Remember to celebrate your wins - breaking a habit takes time, and it might be a rocky road to success. Don’t beat yourself up if it’s not perfect the first time!
Once the month is up, review how you went and then set another goal for the next month. Hopefully your new habits will build month to month and you will have developed and improved qualities that you value to be a better person. Some people find it helps keeping a journal to write about their progress, and it is also great to have a record that tracks your success. Sometimes our brain only takes notice of what it wants, and so keeping records is really helpful. Hopefully, this will be one way that you can grow in your personal development, and people will be amazed with your transformation.
Right, let’s go!
Answer this question:
This month, I am going to focus on ______________________ . I am going to write it on my calendar and focus on how I am going grow in that area of my life every day.
Good luck!
Nathan
I am a Certified High Performance Coach who after 15 years as a professional photographer and small business owner, have been inspired to help others achieve a sustained level of happiness, clarity, and productivity.