Last year, I read “High Performance Habits: How Extraordinary People Become That Way” by Brendon Burchard. It’s full of great advice, and there’s one habit I’ve been doing for ~10 months that is worth sharing.
Brendon encourages readers to create “trigger moments” throughout the day to remind ourselves of the kind of person we want to be. For example, let’s say you want to eat healthier. If so, you can create 2-3 triggers throughout the day to remind yourself to “Eat healthier.”
My Approach
I decided to try it and created an alarm at 8AM, which says: “Faithful, Consistent, Patient.” At this point in my life, these three things typify the type of person I want to be. Here’s a deeper look into what each one means for me:
- Consistent: My wife and I joined a church three years ago, and in a meeting with the Senior Pastor, I asked if he had any advice on plugging into the community. “Just be consistent” was his advice. At the end of the day, I want to be someone who keeps showing up…no matter what. I want to keep showing up for my marriage and serve my wife even when I’m frustrated with her. I want to consistently spend time with my kids after work and be present even when I’m tired. I want to work out 3-4 times each week even when I’m traveling and don’t feel like it. I want to show up and give my best at work each day. I want to be consistent with my sleep habits, etc. World-class performers aren’t any different from you and me; they’re just consistent people who keep showing up even when they don’t feel like it…or when things get hard.
- Faithful: I want to be a person of faith, and prioritize it as #1 in my life. This means I’m a person who glorifies God each day and spends time in his word and executes on His wisdom. For me, my faith gives me a have a foundation to stand on, provides hope, and delivers a framework to be a better person today than I was yesterday. My goal is to use my faith to lead my family and make a positive impact on those around me.
- Patient: This is probably the hardest one for me since I’m very impatient, but it’s one I’m determined to improve. Especially when interacting with my beautiful children who are six and four. They’re absolutely delightful, but as any parent knows young children can whine and fuss, and not listen. I sometimes find myself losing my patience with them and overreacting to things. This also applies to the terrible drivers in South Carolina and in the checkout lines at the grocery store.
Results
After six months, I added a second reminder at 5pm because I wanted another reminder before I engage with my family after work (see the third bullet). This has helped me ease into my father and husband roles more quickly.
I’m certainly not nailing everything, and some days are better than others – some days I breeze throw the reminder with barely a glance. However, I’ve noticed it’s improved my relationships, my health, and my faith by forcing me to pause and think about the kind of person I want to be.
Try it out and let me know your thoughts in the comments.
Finally, if you want to take your career to the next level this year, please email me at [email protected] to learn more about my coaching offering.
You’re the CEO of Your Career,
JMars
