Maximizing 2013 at full capacity.

It is the custom with many of us to have a resolution when a new year begins. But as often is the case, most of us never see it through. Circumstances have a way of changing things even in the face of “man's reach exceeds his grasp” and “I can do all things”. While it is easy to point to indiscipline as the reason many goals or are not achieved, it might be important to consider other factors too. I follow the Anthony Robbins school of tough; that there are no such things as lazy and indiscipline people. It is often a case of lack of motivation. As soon as a person is motivated enough, they will do something that they of themselves did not believe was possible. So if you failed to manifest that resolution last year, it may not be because you lack disciplined. Sometimes we set our eyes on grand things when all we need is to check the basics and everything else will fall in place.

It is not often that a person engages in activity and decides to be lazy and undisciplined and even go further by finding reasons for it. Not many people consciously decide they are not going to be their best. Indeed people work really hard and many of us are very talented in our own ways. The trouble is sometimes with the structure with which we approach the world. I.e. how we interpret the world and its influence on how we approach.

The philosophy of peak performance offers a concise means by which we can tackle the basics in order to ensure that whatever power is being generated from our main engine (talent and skill) is being brought to its maximum. Two things can set us back: leakages and hindrances. Perhaps you have seen one of those old cars that make a lot of noise yet doesn't move much. That is the indication of a leakage. Further, when something gets in the way, you can’t really move forward even though you are firing on cylinders. Hard work is ok but very often it is not what we should be looking at. In some of my work I have tried to establish the idea that the people who are the best at what they often don’t work hard as it is an effortless affair for them.

We maximize opportunities when we have eliminated hindrances and sealed leakages. This automatically makes even the small amount of work powerful because we are maximizing opportunity.  Leakages and hindrances are a result of liabilities. In the philosophy of performance one can classify absolutely everything into two categories, assets and liabilities. Assets power you forward and liabilities slow you down. When anything becomes a liability, we must see how it can be converted or offloaded. Liabilities are baggages—they slow you down. People and everything else can be a liability. Friends and spouses can be a starting point. If they are not helping your cause, they might be slowing you down and causing a leakage in your system. A friend who only thinks about the pub only when he sees you is a leakage on your finance. If you don’t do something a lot of your money will end up in the pub owner’s account and your friend will be the agent who made it possible. This doesn't ensure that you finish the year at full power because if you end the year with less than you are worth, you are under-performing. The less time you spend in the pub the more money you save. The power you are generating from working can then be maximized.

A spouse must necessarily be an asset or they must be disposed (I don’t mean to be nasty). If a spouse doesn't provide the emotional support you need to spur you on and instead their actions slow you down, it might be time to rethink. It is not possible to list the number of things that can be your angels and your demons, but perhaps an expose of the core idea in the philosophy of performance and how it can be applied on 2013 as a period will be useful.

It starts with having specific goal in mind and if you have read any of my work you know how I feel about goals. They must not just be SMART, they must also be intelligent. Intelli-goals are situation sensitive as such, they react and modify themselves according to situation whiles still maintaining integrity. They are also very connected to purpose and personal strength so you are no setting a goal that you don’t believe is achievable. You must understand first that 2013 is only one of the many years you have left on planet earth and in fact only one of the many blocks of your larger life. Each block must be strong in order for you to finish your life at full power. Your goal for 2013 is a component of the larger goal of your life. The two must be integrated seamlessly. As indicated earlier the first step towards getting the best out of the year as per the philosophy of performance is to have a set objective or what we have termed the goal for the year.

The sum of the philosophy involves; identification of assets (because they power us forward), elimination of liabilities (because they slow us down) understanding and maximizing capabilities (because they are assets) and fully exploiting opportunity (because they engage us) towards a specific objective.

Sealing leakages and avoiding hindrances is a huge subject that cannot be covered in this article. I shall however point us to two key points to pay attention to. A lack socio-emotional competence can create hindrances and leakages that will slow us down. This involves our performance in the social arena where there are other people we must deal with. A high competence in the social arena is a powerful way of sealing possible leakages and avoiding hindrances. Maintaining assets-people and transforming liability-people into asset requires an understanding of human behavior. Experts say that social intelligence makes success more predictable than even  talent.

A leakage to look out for is Trapportunities: these are traps that present themselves as opportunities. They derail you and trap you in a place you shouldn't  This of course has a negative effect on your performance. The best way to avoid them is to maintain a high level of integrity and focus. Avoid unauthorized short cuts and to think in terms of the shortest distances and straight lines.

Whiles I do not know what you are involved in; this philosophy has been designed to work for every situation. However, its application will have to be customized to meet your peculiar needs. I have said in my soon to be published work the Philosophy of peak performance that there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all approach to life and therefore it is important for us to consider our unique circumstances in applying any idea. I will encourage you to follow in that direction. May we also be reminded that regardless of what you want achieve in a day or in your entire life; after all the visualization and dreaming, the next thing to do is to engage in activity. This is why performance is of great importance. Perform at your peak and you will experience the first fruit of success. The ultimate maximization of your life depends on the maximization of the opportunities present in the seconds, minutes, hours and days. 

When they are maximized, your life will be maximized. Happy New Year and May you finish it with full power.

I am giving away an unedited version of my book; Performance Awareness.
If you have been reading my work it is my gift to you for the New Year. Please click on the link here to download it for free. Send us comments at spidup@csdafrica.com and let me know how we can improve it. Five books will be released in the first half of 2013 and what you tell us will play a key role in ensuring quality.

Markus and CSD/SPiD-UP team.