A few days ago I began reading High Performance Habits: How Extraordinary People Become that Way by Brendon Burchard. I'll be honest, I was hesitant to read it out of fear it would be a repeat of The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. Duhigg's account of the physiology of habits provided knowledge and understanding, yet it didn't inspire me to make changes to the bad habits I knew I needed to address. It was interesting, but not life-changing.
High Performance Habits on the other hand, provided a shot of adrenaline and motivation that kickstarted my day. Burchard has spent decades interviewing, studying, and dissecting what makes the world's highest performers tick. What his research uncovers is great news for the rest of us...
"High performers do things differently from the way others do, and their practices can be replicated across projects (and almost any situation) regardless of your personality, past, or preferences. In fact, we've found that there are six deliberate habits that made most of the difference in performance outcomes across domains." - Brendon Burchard
No matter who you are, your socio-economic background, your level of education, your personality type, ANYONE can implement habits that allow you to grow, develop, reach higher and farther than ever before.
In his chapter titled, Seek Clarity, Burchard suggests developing high performance habits begin with a foundation of intentionality.
"Imagine your best future self, and start acting like that person today."
This morning I walked through one of his proposed exercises. It was so eye-opening, I wanted share it with you.
Start by writing down each person's name in your immediate family and/or team at work. Then envision those relationships twenty years from now. What three words would each family member or colleague use to summarize their interactions with you through life? What would you want those three words to be?
I was surprised to see that the words I chose for my son were different than ones I chose for my daughter. They are different from one colleague to the next. As I ruminated on each of those relationships, I determined to choose words that would best support and sustain each of their unique personalities.
Intentionally choose words that bring out the
best in your loved ones.
I challenge you today to pick a handful of people, start with your closest family members, and spend some time thinking about the legacy you want to create. How do you want them to remember you? If twenty years from now they described your interactions with them, what three words would they use? Now, intentionally live out those words as truth today.