5 Reflections for Better Performance

Keep the principles below in mind and try applying them in your life. They might just make it a bit better.

Don’t think “balance”; It’s an illusion. Think tradeoffs.

You can’t have it all, and devoting equal time and energy to everything in your life is a recipe for boredom. Instead of making yourself crazy trying to strike some sort of illusory “balance,” think long and hard about where (and why) you want to focus your energy and effort, and pursue those things.

Stress + Rest = Growth. Too much of former: you get injury, illness, and burnout. Too much of latter: you get complacency and stagnation.

Aim to strike a harmony between pushing and pulling back. It’s a surefire way to the best — and most sustainable — results.

Quality is what arises when you give someone or something your all. The feeling is every bit as powerful as the result.

When you become rapt in the act of creating, the resulting creation takes care of itself. Focus on and throw your all into the process. The internal feeling of doing so is every bit as special as the external output.

Life is about acquiring energy and using energy. People are healthiest and at their best when the two are in harmony.

Physical and mental. Obesity is a disease of disharmony (too much energy in, not enough out). So, too, is mental burnout.

When you go big or go home, you often end up home. When you go incrementally over a long period of time, you often end up with something big.

Don’t neglect those moments of extreme motivation and energy, but try to harness them and use them over time. Too much too soon is one of the most common mistakes and derailers of new goals and projects. Think small steps and patience instead.

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The above thoughts are a sampling of those that came to me during the past week, based on my research, reporting, and writing in health and human performance. If you’d like these nuggets on a daily basis, just follow me on Twitter @Bstulberg.

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