I define “high performer” as someone who wants to win; someone who wants to be the best version of themselves. I believe as humans, we’ve been called to do that. We owe ourselves to be the best version of ourselves. This is our contribution to society.
Imagine if everyone in the world strived to be the best version of themselves. How great would this place be? It’s insane. It’s hard for me to watch really great people in my circle not strive to be a high performer.
Here are the five functions:
- Physical
Mental
Spiritual
Emotional
Sleep
I’ll give an overview of how you can use each function to be your best self.
1. Physical Function
It’s very important to have a strong diet and workout routine. You don’t have to be a dietician or bodybuilder. Just eat well and exercise! Exercise can be as simple as going for a 30 minute walk each day. It’s crazy to consider this very act is out-exercising the majority of the United States. Get some momentum, build on it, get the blood flowing, flush out those toxins, get those endorphins! This matched with a healthy diet will give you the energy you crave to have. Go do that. It’s simple, it’s just not easy.
2. Mental Function
I think it’s important that we invest back into ourselves through reading, self-help podcasts, or something that creates mental stimulation. We need to get some kind of education like this that makes us sharper and better ourselves. These lessons add up: if you learn a lesson every day, that’s 365 lessons you could potentially move the needle on in your world. You must invest in yourself if you’re going to be the best version of yourself.
3. Spiritual Function
I believe it’s crucial for folks to hone in and look inward for their spirituality. What I’m not saying here is that any religion is wrong, but I feel like your spirit needs to be awakened and exercised. Just like your body. If you’re a Christian, I think you need to read the Bible every day and get into a routine. Be present in your spirituality and exercise what that means for you. I don’t want to talk about what religion is “right” or “wrong”. I believe if you’re into the “universe and yogi” stuff then do yoga and live that and be present in it. If you’re a Christian, live that and be present in it. I see spirituality as a tool to clean up the junk you’ve stored up. If we don’t, little things pile up. We need to flush those toxins out. This compliments your emotional state well.
4. Emotional Function
I firmly believe everyone needs professional counseling. If you’re not comfortable with that, at least do some research on psychology. Personally, I go to professional counseling once a quarter, but have spent countless hours working with my psychologist. I think it’s important to have an understanding of different personality types and how they communicate and interact with life differently. It’s important to have some framework of understanding both yourself and others.
If I had to pick one thing for you to fix in yourself, it would be conflict resolution. Many, many people do not know how to deal with conflict. Conflict resolution and personalities are two things that will help you diffuse and roll (not taking on any emotional burden). Once you understand these two things, you’ll have a better understanding of when to brush by, and when to be empathetic and feel. This is a super important one. For example, some personality types want to feel everyone, and this can be draining. If you want to be a high performer, you have to be strong emotionally.
5. Sleep Function
If you don’t have a solid game plan to build sleep in first, then you are done. You have to sleep. When you are rested, all the other functions allow you to be more present. Think about a time when you had been super emotionally fatigued. Were you ready to eat well, work out, or think clearly? Were you ready to deep dive into some meditation? No, of course not. Not to mention, emotionally, you’re going to be a lot less desirable to hang out with. Sleep is so important, it must be budgeted into your schedule.
Ready to be a high performer?
You have to plan these five functions (Physical, Mental, Spiritual, Emotional, Sleep), and then you’re able to do business in the openings around them. The majority of people plan their life around their work, and this does not make for a good quality life. You’ll be scrambling for time to nurture these five functions, and I promise you it doesn’t work. You will find you never have enough time to fill up those buckets. You can spend three hours a day doing high-functioning work, if all these function buckets are totally filled, and you’ll crush out what you have normally done in 8-10 hours. Why? Because in this setting, you are sharp, full, fueled, centered, rested, and ready to go.
Just like money, treat these five function buckets like your savings account: plan for them first, then book everything else (like work) around that. This makes you the best version of you. This makes you great. This makes you a high performer.
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