How to Be a Success at the Inner Game of High Performance

So you want to be more, do more, have more? You’re not alone. Most people do.

Stop judging where you are now. Where you are right now is just where you are. It doesn’t define you or make you a “bad” person or less than. It’s just where you are.

Wanting to be farther along, achieving more, making more money is great. It’s fantastic to have goals and dreams. Wanting, hoping, and wishing for them won’t make them happen. So what will?

First look at your perspective. Do you say, “Great another day at work” as though you dread it or do you say, “I get to do this another day” with excitement and enthusiasm?

The way you view your situation, your work, or this moment greatly impacts your experiences, how efficiently you do a task, how many errors you’ll have, and how effective you are. All of these lead to bottom-line results.

If you think about it or track it, what you’ll find is that most of the days you are the same way. Doing the same thing in the same manner with the same attitude. This also leads to feeling burned out (that’s another topic for another day). If you’re not aware of your attitude, perspective, and outlook, you’re also not aware of the impact it has on others, clients, or your growth.

So, what is your attitude? How do you go about doing the tasks you don’t like?

Doing things in the same way can be boooorrring…mundane. You can feel your performance wade the longer you do it.

Next, do the things you don’t particularly like first thing in the morning. Otherwise, you’ll dread the day progressing. By the end of the day, you’ll be doing anything to not have to do those tasks. In fact, you’ll tell yourself you don’t have time or it can wait until tomorrow, even though you’ve said that same thing for a week now.

If you do them first thing in the morning, you’re not giving yourself time to think about them. The more you think about them, the more you’ll talk yourself out of doing them. This pertains to anything you don’t like or are unsure about. Yet when it pertains to people the opposite is true. If you are unsure about a person, you’ll talk yourself into it (and give all the reasons why this person is good, or doing business with him is good). This is how you can get burned sometimes.

Do the things you don’t like to first thing in the morning is beneficial for two reasons. You don’t have time to think about it (and talk yourself out of it), and you’ll actually get it done (instead of putting it off again and again). Plus most people have the most energy first thing in their day, which means, even if they don’t like doing it, they have a higher tolerance for it.

Have fun with the things you don’t like to do. Smile. Make them a game. Challenge yourself to do better, go faster, or get more done than you did last time. Put on your favorite song, and sing to it. Who can have a negative attitude with their favorite song on?! If you can, you should change your favorite song.

Once you’re done, give yourself a gold star, a pat on the back, or a high five for a job well done. Yes, you need encouragement, to be acknowledged, and feel appreciated.

Finally, no matter what unexpectedness that may arise throughout your day, don’t allow it to change your attitude. Things come up you can’t control, a child gets sick, a client meeting goes longer than expected, or someone has an “emergency.”

Frustration and worry will only distract you from high performance. Don’t allow the things that come up to roll over onto other things. Keep things in perspective. Don’t allow yourself to buy into those emotions, because they could easily turn into anger and stress. The more you have of those, the harder it is to maintain focus and concentration.

In order to be a success at the inner game of high performance, you first must start with your mental game. If your inner game isn’t on track, your performance won’t be either. You can’t allow people, things, or distractions to affect your attitude, motivation, determination, or morale. Only you can keep yourself on track and aligned with these.

Believe in yourself and where you are going. Stay true to who you are and what you want. And no matter what happens, keep taking positive actions, no matter how small, and your performance can’t help but increase. These small actions will create massive change in yourself, your team, and your organization.