Hey Reader,
Sometimes, it’s not discipline you lack.
Consistently doing the right things or being mentally tough isn’t all you need to sustain high performance.
If you feel like you’re not really getting where you should be despite all these, then there’s something in your way.
Something you’re yet to let go of.
Most high achievers never fully achieve their potential because they haven’t done much of caring differently.
In today’s issue, we’ll explore the idea of performance not in the sense of discipline, but unlearning and habits and stories that strangle your capabilities.
💭 The moment I let it all go away
Many years ago, I wasn’t really in a good place.
Actually, I was.
It just didn't entirely feel so.
Had a great career and all, but I still felt like I was underperforming.
I was disciplined and consistent with my goals.
Maybe not so consistent. I had my on-and-off moments with my workout routine.
But I did good, so why was I so restless?
During that period, a friend told me about a retreat called “The Hoffman Process.”
It’s a weeklong retreat that helps participants identify negative behaviors, moods, and ways of thinking that people developed unconsciously.
I hesitated at first, but finally decided to go.
And I’m glad I did.
I became more conscious of and disconnected from old patterns of thought and behavior on emotional, intellectual, and physical levels.
I identified and let go of relationships, goals, wrong cares, beliefs, and things that had subconsciously held back fulfillment all these years.
I aligned more with my authentic self.
I’m more adaptable, still learning and unlearning, and it’s been an amazing ride with life.
I can say I’m performing at a higher level since then.
🧠 Caring too much can cost you
High performers rarely feel stuck because they lose discipline.
It’s just that…somewhere along the way, the work stopped being about the craft and became more about them.
They lost focus on the fulfilling impact of the craft or goal they were crazy about.
How so?
Caring a little too much about how the work makes you look, what it says about you, and how others might judge it.
Comparing your pace to someone else’s from a place of lack.
And gradually, your identity now matters more than the value of your craft.
You stop experimenting.
You hesitate to try new approaches because what if you fail? (Your identity means a lot more now.)
You hold on to old routines since they are much more predictable.
You’re still showing up, still disciplined, still consistent, maybe more than ever.
But you’ve lost focus on impact.
So the passion to take risks, make tough decisions, unlearn old ways, and all the things that make the journey uncertain, messy, but exciting, is gone.
It squeezed the joy out of the process, and now you feel you’re underperforming.
It’s hard to really fulfill potential in this state.
❤️ The bravest performers care differently
You can be obsessed with excellence without being consumed by it.
You have to care about your work, no doubt.
But when you strip away anything that makes your care too draining...like the fear of getting it wrong, the obsession with being perfect, or the need to protect your reputation, the impact of your work takes the front seat.
You have a clearer vision, and you find purpose every step of the way.
You make faster and more confident decisions.
You’re not afraid to embrace changes, even though you’re not sure about the outcome.
Because it’s no longer about a reputation to protect, but the cost of not achieving your purpose.
You know that no matter what happens, you will find your way back to the legacy you’re building.
You’re able to recognize relationships, opinions, habits, fears, and pressures that no longer serve you emotionally, intellectually, and physically.
This brave side of ultra-performance is freedom.
Freedom to play big, miss big, learn fast, and keep moving at a higher level no matter what’s at stake.
🤲 Train yourself to let go
We all want to achieve our highest potential.
This takes being brave to pick up and drop off different cares and habits in real time.
Here are 4 questions to help you separate healthy cares from unhealthy ones.
Take out a few minutes to reflect on them:
- Does your work fulfill or define you? Your goals should give you deep excitement. Sometimes, people won’t get it. Sometimes, it won’t even make sense to people. You just know you’re not letting external validation stop you from fulfilling your purpose.
- Are you trying to be perfect or learning what you’re capable of in the messy, imperfect journey? You can’t be exactly right all the time, but you can act a little before you’re ready. And if you fail, well then, take out the lessons and try again.
- Are you seeking validation through the result of your goal or looking forward to the impact of the outcome? Forget about how nice your goal sounds, or how incredible it makes you look. Who will it help? Who or what will it change? Can anyone learn from or get inspired by it? Again, choose impact over identity.
- Are you holding onto fear of failing or open to the gift of adversity? Like Rory Vaden once said, “You’re powerfully positioned to serve the person you once were.” If you don’t overcome a challenge, how can you learn and be able to teach others 100 other ways to be great at it?
Answer these questions sincerely, and let it guide you forward.
💢 Choose impact over image
If you stopped protecting your identity, what would you have the courage to attempt?
As Harry S. Truman said, “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.”
So, how much further would you go if you weren’t running from fear, but running toward impact?
Ultra-performance is built on the courage to release the things that keep you safe but small.
It doesn’t have to be the Hoffman Process for you.
Learn to embrace changes in your journey to greater success, not changes in the story about you.
With appreciation,
Huw
P.S: If you’ll like to know more about the Hoffman Process and my experience in that weeklong retreat, I wrote a newsletter about it months back. You can read it here.
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Huw Edwards
Founder & CEO, h3.xyz
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