Elite performance without deep recovery leads to the depletion of your productive assets. Rest isn’t a luxury—it’s an absolute NECESSITY [for growth and the full expression of your gifts + talents].

There’s a full chapter in The 5AM Club on the model that has been so helpful to the titans of industry, sports superstars and elite performers Robin Sharma has coached. It’s called “The Twin Cycles of Elite Performance” and once you learn/apply it you’ll multiply your productivity considerably yet work less.

The Twin Cycles of Elite Performance

Learn to forgive those who have hurt you. Everyone is doing the best they can, based on where they are at on their human journey. Their criticism is awesome soil within which to grow your faith in yourself. And your ironclad trust in your finest instincts. Bless them rather than cursing them. For they are helping your rise.⁣⁣

One Way To Understand People Who Have Hurt You

Learn one of Robin Sharma's SOPs [standard operating procedures] that he encourages you to wire into your daily life through consistent practice, because as you know so well: Consistency is the Mother of Mastery.

1 Daily Ritual That Predicts Success

The more people you enroll in your mighty mission and the more lives you serve, the more good things will unfold in your future.

And the more humans you help the more fortune will help you.

To Lead Is To Serve

All adversity carries with it greater opportunity.

Understand that the real reason for your life is to use what happens as fuel for your growth. As I wrote a fair amount about in The 5AM Club where Mr. Riley is teaching his students how to “enter the magic” while they meet on a vineyard in South Africa, life is not random [as far as I can tell]. So much of what happens to us arrives in our lives as perfect training to make us into the genuine heroes we’re meant to be.

The Spiritual Beauty of Deep Difficulty

Good research confirms that what makes the best athletes the best in the world is not what they do in their sport but how effectively they recover. For example, it was the rituals that star tennis players did in between points that made them stars. What made the Russian weightlifters so undefeatable was their “work-rest ratios”.

So, set a timer for 60 minutes and during those intervals, turn off your technology, shut your door and dive—with massive intensity—into the project that matters. Then, recover with a pristine break like walking, listening to music or reading. Just try this protocol for a month and witness the gains.

The 60/10 Method For Superhuman Productivity

When you get out into “the wild” (I love to do a one hour nature walk at the end of my work day but the wilderness for you could be a quiet room in your home or running through your neighborhood), your brain waves slow down from beta to alpha.

When this happens–amid solitude–the part of your brain responsible for self-criticism, mental chatter and constant worry shuts down. This silencing of the prefrontal cortex happens temporarily and is known to neuroscientists as Transient Hypofrontality.

With the prefrontal cortex temporarily quiet and your monkey mind on a little vacation, you enter the Flow State. Elite athletes know this as “the zone” and it’s the place where all great performance begins. In Flow, your neurochemistry is altered. Dopamine (the neurochemical of inspiration) gets released. Anandamide (the neurochemical of bliss) shows up. And serotonin (the neurochemical of pleasure) kicks in.

The High-Performer's Perfect Refuel

Getting great at being a great human being involves being fully present.

Presence is rare these days - and a phenomenal gift to give those who intersect your days.

Being fully present and genuinely engaged (versus checking messages or rehearsing your answer) as you hear the speaker makes the other person feel important, understood and safe with you. This accelerates trust massively. And trust is the bedrock of a great relationship, whether at the workplace or within your home life.

One Way To Become An Extraordinary Human Being

Too many people talk too good a talk these days. Tons of empty promises. Tons of hyperbole. Tons of lofty statements that never amount to anything. Leaders are different. They talk less and do more.

So make a commitment today to be impeccable with your word. And be a person of action. Someone who is all about generating results. Because getting great things done speaks for itself.

Less Talk, More Do

You know I’m an evangelist around the whole idea of being ultra-fit if you want to be the best of breed. Getting into world-class physical condition is one of the smartest moves a leader (and remember-if you consume oxygen, you have the opportunity to behave like a leader) can make. Exercising will make you look better, feel stronger and fill you with boundless energy.

Get Ultra-Fit To Lead

This dramatic, tragic, messy and stormy period will—eventually—pass. And the insecurity will transform into our collective creativity while the volatility will become a most sensational serenity.

And you know my brain tattoo around the concept: All change is hard at first, messy in the middle and gorgeous at the end.

I pray you will leverage this season to reaccess the bigness, honour, kindness and strength that I know is you at your best.  It’s the best time I’ve ever known to build your most exceptional you. And to upgrade your skills. And to lead your field.

A Potent Brain Tattoo To Help You Manage Change

Bestselling author of 15 books (including The 5AM Club), globally celebrated leadership expert and philanthropist; Robin Sharma is considered to be one of the top 5 leadership experts in the world. His work is embraced by rock stars, royalty, billionaires and many celebrity CEOs. 

Deeply passionate about helping children in need live happier, healthier lives, Robin founded The Robin Sharma Foundation for Children (RSFC) as a registered charitable foundation. 

Visit www.robinsharma.com to learn more.