The most important list every high performer should write today
/The single most powerful asset you have as a high performer may actually be the reason behind your falling into frustration, depression and unhappiness: AMBITION.
I talk a lot about the importance of having a "purpose", a strong "why" behind everything you do. My mantra is to #neversettle!
However, there is always a chink in that armour: many a time highly successful people overcome a number of challenges and then "feel empty" - they just don't know where to channel all that energy, all that drive, all that passion that made them high achievers in the first place!
I’ve experienced this first hand after completing gruelling endurance events like Ironman triathlons. Triathletes call this “Ironman blues”: you work really hard for 6 months, sacrificing social life and family time for the sake of achieving a monumental feat of endurance, and then, it’s all over on 1 day, not to be replaced by another large challenge until some time in the future.
But this doesn’t just apply to physical challenges: I see it in entrepreneurs (once they sell their companies), CEOs (once they become successful and are “coasting”), and even mothers and fathers once their children leave the nest.
Did you ever wonder why endurance sports (running, triathlon), obstacle races and Crossift have exploded in the past 10 years? People are desperate for the challenges, for something to fill a void left by something positive: completing a “life” challenge.
Here is where planning ahead becomes critical. I have a "bucket list" of things I want to achieve in my life and I have it with me wherever I go. It's NOT a list of things I “want to do” (like a typical bucket list). It's a list of things I want to ACHIEVE. There is a big difference.
Start putting that list together. Make sure it incorporates "life goals" that cover health, career, relationships, personal development, and leaving a legacy to be remembered by.
That list is your sense of purpose. Your "raison d'être".
Print out that list and stick it to your bathroom mirror, or fridge, or anywhere else that forces you to read it every single day. Highlight the most important & immediate items for you today, and remind yourself of them every single day!
The reward: you won’t look back on your year on December 31 feeling like you’ve wasted 365 days.
So start writing.
Tony
#neversettle
