The Myth of High Performance

Photo by Jamie Street on Unsplash

One of the biggest myths I’ve seen in the world of high performers, achievers, and deeply driven individuals - is that, it has to come at the expense of maintaining inner peace.

It feels good to constantly strive for higher levels of achievement and to identify as individuals who are constantly pushing the boundaries.. often wearing it as a badge of honour. But for a lot of people, this relentless pursuit often comes at a cost.

We fall into the trap of believing that to maintain this level of intensity, we need to make sacrifices. We equate high performance with constant hustle, and in doing so, we convince ourselves that we cannot simultaneously be deeply driven and pushing the limits, and still maintain a sense of peace and calm in our lives.

This belief often leads to overworking, and in some cases using drive as a vice.. as a means to avoid dealing with what we are really feeling or other aspects of our lives. The idea of being both deeply driven and having a deep sense of peace in our lives seems like a paradox.

But, this couldn’t be farther from the truth. It is possible to be a high achiever and still maintain a deep sense of peace and calm in your life. It is possible to be deeply driven without having to sacrifice your wellbeing.

If you want to come back to and create this sense of inner peace and grounded-ness, there are 3 simple steps that can help guide you there..

1. Awareness

The truth is, your orientation towards high performance and being driven isn't WHO you are.. It is an EXPRESSION of who you are.

Your true self and true essence is one of peace and calm.

We can become addicted to the cortisol, the stress, relying on the motivation of fear, busyness and anxiety. Once we start to become aware of the fact that there actually is a different way - we can then start to shift it

2. Pattern Identification

By the time we have reached our early thirties, a significant amount of how we move through life is habitual - it is a pattern. Our actions, our movements, our thoughts - so much of what we do and how we are is on autopilot. 

By recognizing this and understanding that we are living in these continuous patterns - it allows us to take back the power - although easier said than done - this is the first step to rebuilding the patterns in a way that is true to you.

This past fall, I travelled to Italy and had the chance to visit the Accademia Gallery, where the famous David is housed. It was my second time seeing it in person, and even so, it ceased to amaze me. The art itself is incredible, but to me a huge part of the beauty lies in the creation of the work - it was not created by adding to, or building on top of - it came to be by the removal, the shedding of the layers - doing this is what allowed the art to come through. 

I believe this is such a powerful metaphor for the de conditioning of ourselves. In being able to identify what patterns exist on top of our true core, it allows us the ability to break them down.

3. Shift Your Energy

In every moment, we have the ability to choose. When we become aware of our thoughts, feelings, and emotions.. we have choice. When we create a gap between thought and reaction, when we can truly be present, we can become more intentional. We can make decisions that are not just about driving us forward, but also about keeping us grounded and at peace.

So, how we actually put this into action?

One of the most powerful tools that I have experienced and share with my clients is Meditation.

• The essence of meditation is to go beyond the mental constructs of our thinking-default-mode and come into the field of pure awareness

• Meditation allows us to dissolve the ego and to connect to the true self

• Meditation allows us to disrupt the lived patterns and rewrite the narrative

• It creates a gap between thought, emotion, and feeling, offering us the chance to respond differently - to create a new way

The practice of meditation doesn't end when you rise from the cushion. In fact, that's when it actually begins. It's in the everyday moments of life, that our awareness and choice are put into action.

So this is your reminder - that it is possible… you can be deeply driven, ambitious, and high performing while doing it from a space of grounded-ness and peace.

And if your goal is truly IMPACT, imagine if your drive was fuelled not by stress and fear, but by this energy of calm and peace?

Meditation is powerful, however not all are created the same, or have the same goal. If you are looking for a meditation that is going to help you achieve and come back to this sense of peace and grounded-ness, I would be happy to share my favorite one with you - comment below if you would like me to send you the link!