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How Extraordinary People Become That Way

According to Oprah.com Brendon Burchard is “one of the most successful online trainers in history” and “one of the most influential leaders in the field of personal growth.”

And in “High Performance Habits” he combines his experience with data and statistics to teach you how no more than six habits stand between the ordinary and extraordinary you.

About Brendon Burchard

Brendon Burchard is one of the best-known and most watched personal development trainers in the world. By acclamation, he is also “the world’s leading high-performance coach.” Unsurprisingly, Burchard is probably the highest-paid motivation trainer in history.

He has written five books. In addition to “High Performance Habits,” these are “The Charge,” “The Motivation Manifesto,” “The Millionaire Messenger,” and “Life’s Golden Ticket.”

“High Performance Habits Summary”

There are many talented people out there who dream of becoming extraordinary men; however, most of them seem incapable of finding the right method to do that.

In “High Performance Habits,” Brendon Burchard draws upon an extensive research of the world’s most productive people to draw a fairly simple conclusion.

Namely: what stands between you and success is not a rigorous regime (more or less), but no more than six high performance habits.

And it all starts with something Burchard calls clarity seeking.

It consists of four different elements and you need to work on each of them separately. Hint: most of them are really similar to the four core aspects of your emotional intelligence.

First of all, you need to know what you are and what you want to become. Then you need to be aware of your surroundings and develop your social skills accordingly. Third, you need to prevent yourself from distractions and work on those skills which should really matter in the long run. And finally, you need to find a way to give back to the community.

The second habit Burchard lists is generating energy.

Or, to put it in layman’s terms – the habit of exercising, both physically and mentally. The former is fairly self-explanatory. The latter will be once you hear our translation of Burchard’s ideas: think positively! Because, that can actually change your life.

Habit number 3: raising necessity.

You know those stories when a mother is capable of lifting a car to save her baby? Well, logically, she should be able to do that on a daily basis; but, she is not, because she hasn’t raised the necessary level of necessity. You can do that by adding extra urgency to any task.

So, strive not for personal glory – but, say, to help others. It will make all the difference.

Next, we move on to a fairly recognizable habit: increasing productivity.

High performers are great at planning. They are capable of overcoming procrastination and organizing their lives in a way which guarantees maximizing productivity. In short, this means deadlines and goals, timing and determination.

The fifth habit is a giving mindset.

Contrary to popular belief, it’s not lonely at the top. Authors as diverse and as influential as John C. Maxwell and Henry Cloud have found out that high performers reach the top because of meaningful relationships – and not in spite of them. And Burchard’s studies have confirmed this: high performers like to give.

And that’s exactly why they receive back.

Demonstrating courage is the sixth and final habit of high performers.

Because to them, risk-taking is not something that happens from time to time, but an activity as common as waking up refreshed on a Sunday morning. They rejoice at the thought of a challenge. And they delight at the fact that other people think that they’re “crazy.”

Because they know what that famous Bukowski quote really means…

Key Lessons from “High Performance Habits”

1.      Seek Clarity and Generate Energy
2.      Raise Necessity and Increase Productivity
3.      Adopt a Giving Mindset and Demonstrate Courage

Seek Clarity and Generate Energy

High performers share between them six common habits.

The first one is seeking clarity. Namely, being aware of who they are, what they are doing and what they want to do in the future. Because knowing yourself is the first step towards becoming a better self.

The second one is generating energy. You know how to do that in the realm of the physical. But, you should start doing that mentally as well. Think positively – and you’ll make positive things start happening.

Raise Necessity and Increase Productivity

Raising necessity is high performer’s third shared habit. It means finding an extra reason to do something. If others are running for personal glory, you run for a charity of your choice.

That will help you be more productive as well. But, increasing productivity is a science. It has a lot to do with planning and avoiding distractions, but even more with dedication and timing.

Adopt a Giving Mindset and Demonstrate Courage

You may think that in order to reach the top, you need to be selfish. Science, however, backs the very opposite: only giving people are capable of making any difference in the world around them. So, adopt a giving mindset before embarking on your journey to success.

And while on it – be prepared to demonstrate courage. Because, high performers are risk takers. As opposed to underperformers who never leave their comfort zones.

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“High Performance Habits” Quotes

Emir Zecovic

Emir is the Head of Marketing at 12min. In his spare time, he loves to meditate and play soccer.