Is there really a such thing as peak performance?
When I think of peak performance, I think of a person standing on the very point of the mountain top. Or a better representation is someone trying to balance on one foot at the very point of a triangle. How long will this last? Sooner or later, the person will fall.
When someone says “Peak Performance,” that’s visually what I see and realize I don’t believe in peak performance sustaining long term.
Peak performance, to me, is the ultimate top. Elite. According to dictionary.com, peak means “Extreme, greatest, maximum.”
Think of great athletes, whether it’s Tom Brady, Mia Hamm, or Tiger Woods. They might have won the championship game, gold medal, or trophy. Or even win it again. When winning it the second time, were they at their peak or were others not at their peak which helped them win?
They weren’t the same person, have the same opponents, or be in the exact same situation the first and the second time they won, so which was their peak, the ultimate? After all, there can only be one greatest!
When I think of peak performance, I think of someone being their best at a very specific point in time, which isn’t sustainable. Even if they are the best right now, next year, they might be better, making the first time not their peak (best).
The Inner Game of Peak
Peak feels like comparing. Comparing yourself to someone else, to where you wish you’d be, or where you thoughts you’d be, and the feeling that comes from comparing yourself can be self-defeating.
Whereas striving for high performance is sustainable. You can maintain high performance in anything and everything you do. High performance is doing your best in a situation. It’s not about comparing yourself with someone else or being the “greatest.” It’s about doing your best with your situation, circumstances, and experiences.
When you think you have to reach this ultimate peak, as though it’s the pinnacle of your existence or purpose, and when you do reach it, it’s easy to get disappointed. Because this peak doesn’t have the answers you thought it did, and then you crash hard.
You had unrealistic expectations of what would happen when you reached peak performance or that it would last indefinitely. And in reality what happened, you got there, and it wasn’t what you thought it would be, because no one can sustain peak performance, purely by its own definition.
The Inner Game of High Performance
When you have the mentality of high performance, you can continue to work at, live at, and be at high performance. You can continue to do your best in the short term as well as the long term.
You’ll get great results. And even when you don’t, you adjust and tweak to maintain high performance. You’re able to champion yourself for how far you’ve come and look for the opportunities for improvement.
You have realistic expectations of what you can and should do, while lovingly pushing yourself forward to reach bigger goals.
OH…The Pressure
Peak performance doesn’t allow you to make mistakes. It won’t allow you to adjust and tweak. Peak performance doesn’t allow you to be anything but the ultimate, extreme, greatest. And then when you’re not, you’re no longer peak performing.
Wow! That’s a lot of pressure to be perfect…oh, I mean, peak.
And although you want great results…more clients, better communication, better leadership, less burnout, and less stress. You don’t want more pressure. More pressure to do more, be more, and have more and to be anything but who you really are. More pressure to…well, you fill in the blank.
Because more pressure is debilitating. It’s paralyzing. It’s overwhelming. And that all leads to shutting down.
So don’t put unrealistic expectations on yourself…because no one sustains peak performance. Even Tom Brady with six Super Bowl wins..Because five of those he wasn’t the greatest, the ultimate, even though his team won. Only one person at one point in time can be the ultimate, the greatest. So which Super Bowl was he at his peak in?
Don’t Strive for Peak Performance.
Strive for high performance. For doing your best, being a great team leader, upleveling your performance. For improving your communication or enhancing your leadership skills.
When you do your best, you’ll be your greatest and for that, you’ll win every time.
Jessica Rector’s mission is simple: transform lives. With a BBA, MBA and BS, Jessica started, hosted, and produced her own TV talk show in Los Angeles with just an idea to help others which launched her first company jessICAREctor International. Having worked with clients such as NBCUniversal, the Dallas Mavericks, and American Airlines, she uses first-hand research, experiences, and strategies, to help organizations, people, and teams to develop high growth, high performance, and high achievement with their inner game through her process called Tame Your Brain Game.
As a thought leader, keynote speaker, and #1 best-selling author, Jessica consults with companies, trains teams, and speaks at conferences, conventions, and organizations helping you change what you say to yourself about yourself to change your thoughts and actions to change your life. Jessica is a Contributor for The Huffington Post and has been seen on ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, Business Journal, and Market Watch. Get Jessica’s recent book, Tame Your Brain Game at jessicarector.com. Connect with her on LinkedIn by CLICKING HERE.
