What is Peak Performance?

To answer this question, we need to first look at performance. What is it?

In society, we constantly see people demanding better performance. Unfortunately, most of us have no idea what it is. The result is a lot of confusion and frustration.

Some offer that performance means nothing more than getting the job done. That you get the results you were trying for. There is nothing else you need to focus on, as there is no prizes in second place.

While we know there are people who win second place prizes, that isn’t the point. The main thing is that as part of peak performance, there is only one thing that matters. If you haven’t performed your best, then you didn’t do enough.

Looking at that idea, it seems tough, yet practical. After all, you didn’t manage to get what you want, so what have you done?

Today, we live in a very macho business culture, where you have to sound tough to be considered important. Even if that is far from being true.

Taking a closer look, we see that this approach to achieving your peak performance is problematic. No one ever has the guarantee of things going their way, no matter how much effort they put in. There are chance events that could prevent someone giving their all from being successful.

Consider what Scottish Poet Robert Burns said almost two hundred years ago, “The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men gang aft agley.” That means things go wrong, as the future is full of the unexpected and the unknown.

Things that are, “impossible” happen all the time. Are you responsible for these things when they happen? Think about all the variables out there. You have stock markets that crash, terrorist attacks, disastrous weather. Looking at catastrophic events, how many times did people know that would happen?

Not many. That’s the point. You need to stop treating your performance as unsatisfactory when things don’t go the way you wanted them to. Instead, look at the strategy taken. If you’ve managed your peak performance and used a great strategy, focus on that. After all, there are too many other variables that determine the results.

While doing this, remember that setting yourself for a particular outcome won’t give you any satisfaction is you achieve anything else. No matter if you achieve greatness just shy of your goal, setting yourself up for something specific often causes you to focus on what you missed.

In real life, our performances are defined beyond what is expected. Instead, we should try to reach our highest potential. Meet high standards on the work we do and strive for our peak performance. The results around that are just that, results.

So how do we work to achieve our peak performance?

We begin by looking at our mental resistance. This is the place we become uncomfortable. It is created by our beliefs, past experiences, values and even emotions.

Then understand that our peak performance comes beyond that. This is the point beyond where we believe our maximum potential lies. We focus on that.

Once you have created your threshold for optimum performance, you can push yourself harder. Then achieve your actual true potential.

You keep doing this time and again and you will discover your true potential.

Gregg Swanson is a human potential and peak performance coach and owns Warrior Mind Coach. He specializes in the development of mental strength and focus to achieve a flow state for maximum performance.  You can grab his complementary mini eBook, “How To Make Change Easy” by going HERE.