Thoughts on being a high performing human…

It’s day 3 of my “rise and write” challenge. It’s a rainy morning, and here I sit with my blank page…

I’ve been here for longer than usual (72 minutes so far). I had something typed out and I just went in and deleted it (I know I said I wasn’t going to do this) but I kept getting stuck in the words. I felt like I was trapped in a maze, every turn I tried to take kept circling me back to the same place.

Maybe it’s the rainy, overcast morning. I’m going to try shifting gears…

Yesterday I listened to an audio about the habits of high performing people. One of the things that I loved about it was that a person can be “high performing” in any role – it’s not necessarily about being a CEO of a large corporation, it’s about finding long term success and fulfillment in whatever area we chose.

I love this. Sometimes I don’t feel like a very “high performing” human, and I recognize that’s in part because I take on a lot (okay too much). I tend to be overly optimistic about what I can get done in any give day, week or year!

When I chose ONE area to focus on, and I’m clear on what success and fulfillment in that area looks like, I start to feel a little more “high performing.” My primary focus area is my role as a mom. I know what success and fulfillment looks and feels like in that area, and I experience it most days.

I feel confident and at ease in my role as a mom. I don’t have a need to do things perfectly or be in control, the opposite is pretty much how we roll. I believe the reason for this is that I came up with a mom mantra early on – all that truly matters is that at the end of each day we’ve laughed and our babe knows that he is loved.

When I bring in multiple focus areas, or roles, my perception of my performance changes. The other areas leave me feeling a bit frazzled. Time feels harder to manage, decisions feel harder to make and focus feels harder to find. There is just too much stuff crammed into the other slots.

I believe that “how you do one thing is how you do everything.” I know for myself that when I try to do everything “how” I do things changes. It becomes harder to find clarity and tap into my true way.

What that means for me, is that it’s time to clear some of the clutter hijacking my focus. My first step is to more clearly define what success and fulfillment looks like as my version of a momprenuer. I’m not sure that counts as one area, but it’s a good enough start.

Maybe that’s why so many of us struggle – the merging of our different worlds and different roles feels really hard. Showing up strong in one inevitably means we have to step back in another. Choosing which hat to wear and what to focus on requires us to be crystal clear on what that merger will look like. It also requires us to have a willingness to let go anything that isn’t a necessary part of that picture.

This means that we can’t do everything but we can do the most important things. I imagine that over time, as we weed out the distractions, the most important things become our everything, and that’s when we feel like “high performing” humans who truly have it all.

What do you think?

Emily xo

P.S. I’m excited to check out Brendon Burchard’s book “High Performance Habits” to learn more about the 6 habits that are consistent across the board of high performing people. If you read it, let me know what you think!