High Performance and How to Manage It

The idea of high performance in an arena is no novel endeavor. Whether it be in a classroom, athletic field, music studio or at work, there are usually individuals who are high performers and those who may be seen as more average. Being average is not a bad thing and a lot of times average individuals are seen as more average because of other responsibilities they may have in life, pulling their attention away from high performance. High performers on the other hand usually sacrifice other aspects of their life (health, money, family) in order to perform at their highest level. Whether it be a professional athlete, PHD Student, professional musician or just a person in a cognitively demanding career these people may seem to have it all figured out, but more times than not, a lot of these people are still going through identity crises and imposter syndrome.

I have gone through many of these shifts as well; when I was in high school, I played three sports and juggled school on top of that, my first two years of college I juggled a demanding academic schedule as well as college football. For my last three years of college and my master's in finance I was working my way towards a career, and during my 5 years working I was struggling to make money until I matriculated back into grad school. These experiences were not for the faint of heart, and I would be being dishonest if I didn't say I wasn't burnt out at the end of some of them. I matriculated into an engineering master's this past September, which is just another endeavor that takes a ton of mental acuity and high performance.

One thing remains the same during all these experiences, I have felt lost at various points throughout them. This is not uncommon for people taking on a lot of responsibility, but this doesn't mean that you should not take on the responsibility, you just need to know what you're getting yourself into. I have had moments where I felt I had it figured out and moments where I did not feel the same.

Advice I would have for people who are trying to take on a lot and feel they are sacrificing other parts of their life to do so is to have an anchor. Something that is non-negotiable in your life that you need to do maybe once a week, maybe every day to keep you sane during your hard-working time. For me, I need to play tennis 3 times a week and that is non-negotiable. Even while I am taking on a hard courseload this semester (Fluid Mechanics, Statics, Thermodynamics and CAD), I need my three days a week to play tennis. First of all, I need it for exercise purposes, second, I need it because athletics is a part of who I am and what I do so it keeps me grounded while working very hard to achieve in graduate school.

Another piece of advice, especially for those in demanding careers is to exercise. This is a lot harder if your anchor is not linked to exercise, but human beings need to exercise and move their bodies. When I worked in banking, I neglected this and felt my mood was unregulated. My last two years before graduate school I made tennis non-negotiable, and my mood was a lot better. Even if it's 10 minutes on the treadmill after work, anything to get your body moving. Exercise is linked to preserving brain function, as well as regulating mood.

It may be difficult to manage yourself if you're taking on a lot of responsibility, but you can do it. Just be reasonable with yourself and do not let other parts of your life suffer. You may have to sacrifice a few things but keep in touch with those non-negotiables and set boundaries for yourself. Exercise and have that anchor, something you may look forward to throughout the day or throughout the week that keeps you in touch with your own identity outside of your performance.

Examples of some anchors: Sports, playing a musical instrument, a podcast that you look forward to, reading, movies, playing with a pet, video games, any artistic endeavor (painting, drawing, etc...)