Performance Engineer
High Performance Coach
My tenets For a High Performance Life
Sleep soundly
You cannot do anything, and I mean anything, unless you have consistently good sleep. And we all know how ready we are to take on the world after a good night's sleep. The research says sleep is the magic elixir to life. It's the only time your body truly goes into a restorative state, and not only repairs you physically, but emotionally and mentally. Sleep is my secret (not so secret) weapon. With all the new research coming out related to the benefits of sleep, it's important to make this a top priority in your life too.
feed the machine
Eat real food. Your body and your brain run on fuel, which for us is all the food we consume. Our main fuel sources are the macronutrients (fats, proteins and carbohydrates). In addition to the macronutrients we need a balance of various micronutrients (the vitamins and minerals). There is no perfect food, but some foods are better than others, plus our individuality means we all need something just a little bit different in our diets. When you eat a well balanced diet, including life's indulgences, you work better because your brain and body can work efficiently and effectively.
Get moving
We all need to exercise. How much? How far? How intense? That's really up to you. Some people need more exercise (like me!) others need less, but we all need a minimum of 30 minutes of moving our bodies everyday. Ideally outside. Connected to a community. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with going to the gym, I love it too - lifting heavy things to see how strong I can get. But if you're dreading going to the gym then it might be time to reevaluate what you're doing to find a way to move your body everyday that brings you joy.
Be intentional
Live in the moment. Put your phone down. Take a breath, take in your surroundings. Celebrate where you're at in your process. Be in the moment as it is happening. We are pulled in multiple directions - family, work, community - and each of these have competing priorities. Couple that with a world that is constantly connected and it's hard not to feel overwhelmed trying to manage it all. A deep breath, or two, or three. Focus on one thing at a time, being intentional and present with what you are doing. And then, then we can do anything we put our mind to.
Engineer your own excellence
When we sleep well, feed the machine, get moving and be intentional we can engineer our own excellence; you can do whatever you've challenged yourself to do. I define Excellence as showing up everyday, always demanding the best of yourself. And setting a threshold so the best continues to get better. We have set backs, we make mistakes but we move forward. Excellence is putting in hard work. Excellence is not just being resilient (getting back up) but learning from mistakes. Excellence is surrounding yourself with community, a group of people who challenge you to be a better version of yourself. And remember, how you define success to achieve excellence in your life is up to you.
