5 key concepts high performers need to understand

Wish to improve and sustain performance?

How to lead yourself through turbulent times?

Understand these key concepts and how they relate to you performance and wellbeing.

• Homeostasis

• Hormesis

• Volatility

• Resilience

• Anti-fragility

Our bodies and minds want to “bounce back” from what differs from the norm. They seek homeostasis.

But is it possible to gain from uncertainty and volatility?

Potentially yes. What matters is, how resilient your base is.

Are you able to reach a more of an anti-fragile state after a turbulent period (whether physical or mental).

Physiologically speaking, our heart rate wants to be steady and low. After a heavy work out, or having ran after the bus, our heart rate wants to lower back to what ever your normal rate avg is. Stress, in it’s many forms typically raises our heart rate and prolonged this may cause trouble. Having an elevated heart rate when you're supposed to be resting and recovering (let’s say night time sleep) will be tough for your overall health, your physical and cognitive capacity.

So, if one wants to be resilient and have somewhat smooth sailing through rough seas.. How’s that possible? How to succeed in reaching goals even when there are set backs and worry along the road.

What helps?

1. Having a clear purpose

2. Taking care of your overall health

3. Know what matters the most

4. Teach your mind to be agile and willing, i.e. ready to adapt

5. Dare to step out side of your comfort zone, consciously. Seek hormesis.

To clarify, when stress makes an organism more robust, it’s called hormesis.

A small amount of something bad will create something good. For instance: Just the right amount of time spent on the sympathetic nervous system (increased hr, blood pressure, feeling of stress whether mental or physical) will support your energy production and performance in the long run. Your heart and mind will be healthier as a result of this.

So don’t fear stress - know how to navigate in it and how to switch modes, how to steer and lead yourself. HIIT session is a great example of this. But doing HIIT (high intensity interval training) every day is probably not favorable. Sauna is another great example. High heat for a shorter duration is good - for a prolonged period, there will be negative effects.

"Undercompensation from the absence of a stressor, inverse hormesis, absence of challenge, degrades the best of the best. “ (Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Antifragile)