Written by: Virin Gomber, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
High-performing athletes, coaches, and entrepreneurs understand that mental preparation is just as necessary as physical preparation to achieve excellence. They are turning to proven mindfulness practices to improve workouts, recovery, performance, and coping with daily life pressures.
Studies have shown mindfulness meditation practices improve overall emotional and physical well-being and transform the brain and behavior, which can lead to improved focus, concentration, and peak performance.
What is Performance?
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, performance is the fulfillment or implementation of an action. It is the act of doing something successfully, employing knowledge instead of simply possessing it. It is also regarded as how well or poorly a person, company, or another entity performs a specific job or activity. In simple terms, it involves action and implementation of any act or task.
Performance in every area of your life is important as that’s how you get things done and achieve fulfillment. When your mental energy is maximal, you get to work on multiple things and achieve success in all of it. Excellent performance in every area of your life brings great satisfaction that ushers you into eternal happiness.
What is Low Performance?
Low performance means doing anything below your ability or capacity and achieving mediocre results. It manifests in different ways – low productivity, not achieving goals, mood swings, and showing signs of being overwhelmed.
Low goal achievement
The first and most obvious sign is that your goals are not being met. You set specific goals for what the job is supposed to accomplish and end up not achieving them or missing the mark completely.
Low-quality work
Low-quality work may indicate that goals are being met, but the quality of work is subpar. Furthermore, as a manager or business owner, you must be able to carefully explain to your team why their work is not meeting expectations and define what good performance looks like in comparison to what has been turned in.
Over-reliance on others
Another possibility is that you overly rely on others to achieve your objectives. So, while you may meet your goals, you discover that you are too much dependent on others to complete tasks. It's not a productive approach to get things done because you're depleting your inner resources with different goals and expectations that others also may not be able to meet.
What is Peak Performance?
Peak performance is the opposite of low performance. The word ‘peak’ signifies ‘the highest to the maximum’ level, so peak performance would imply acting maximally with high productivity. Peak performance enables you to live your best life. Performing at your best benefits everyone involved, not just yourself. Here are some beneficial outputs of peak performance:
Increased concentration
A peak performer focuses on the projects, opportunities, and people that matter. As a peak performer, you can maximize your time, rather than always struggling to try to do everything and constantly playing catch-up.
Reduced Procrastination
Procrastination is eliminated when you have a clear destination to reach and a clear plan for your day. If you don't know your most productive activities, you can waste a lot of time procrastinating instead of acting. Peak performance makes it easier for you to overcome procrastination. You can effectively prioritize your time daily if you have clarity on your goals and most productive activities.
Increased productivity
A peak performer recognizes their most productive activities and devotes more time to them, resulting in increased productivity and results. You will have more time, as well as more energy and focus, which will eventually boost your productivity.
Achieving peak performance helps you aim for bigger outcomes and achieve all your goals maximally. It also enables you to carry out your roles efficiently and independently without over-relying on others.
Meditation for Peak Performance
There are numerous pressures at work. They can range from looming deadlines to financial challenges and consistent value delivery. Dealing with difficult co-workers and unhappy clients and customers adds additional stress. Of course, this is on top of pressures from personal life including– relationships, parenting, and health. Meditation trains your brain to concentrate on one thing at a time. It means an increased focus on the current task at hand. As a result, you can complete tasks more quickly and efficiently.
You will become more aware of when your mind wanders as you begin your journey toward becoming more mindful. Instead of getting sidetracked, you can refocus on whatever you're trying to accomplish. In one 2017 study, Faculty and staff from two Australian universities were offered a seven-week mindfulness and meditation program with weekly lessons lasting 60 to 90 minutes. Employees reported improvements in three areas after those weeks.
For once, they deliberated more on their actions. Second, they were less concerned with the past and future (behaviors linked to depression and anxiety). Finally, they improved their sleep quality. Furthermore, participants reported enhancing their ability to calm down and regulate their thoughts, feelings, emotions, and reactions. Above all, Mindfulness meditation is also indicated to enhance your work relationships giving you maximal performance, productivity, and results.
5 Ways to Meditate for Peak Performance
The power of meditation in achieving peak performance can't be overemphasized. Here are five practical steps that would help you move from low performance to peak performance:
1. Short Mindfulness Exercises at Work
Mindfulness exercises train your brain to become more aware. The more you practice meditation, the easier it is for your brain to enter a conscious state, thus optimizing the effectiveness of your brain. Mindfulness exercises can be as short or as long as you like. These can be as simple as consciously connecting with one of your senses for one minute.
You are not required to close your eyes. You don't even have to be sitting. The process helps to rebalance your nervous system by suppressing the fight-or-flight response and activating the ‘wise’ part of your brain, allowing you to make rational decisions rather than reacting instinctively to situations.
2. Practice Mono-Tasking
Doing only one thing at a time is known as mono-tasking or single-tasking. Trying to do two or more tasks simultaneously, or switching back and forth between tasks, is an example of multitasking. Multitasking is a myth - in reality, your brain is frantically switching from one task to another, frequently losing data.
Keeping a time journal will assist you in overcoming your multitasking habit. Make notes when you are single-tasking and when you are multitasking. Note what you accomplished in that time frame and how mindful you were.
3. Slow Down to Speed Up
Being in a rush leads to poor decisions and wastes energy. Instead, pause, concentrate on listening, walk rather than run, and take your time working on your goals. It’s counter-intuitive, but resting can boost productivity.
Imagine if you did a few mini-mindfulness exercises during the day, got about seven hours of sleep, and accomplished an enormous amount of work. Your brain would become more focused and effective at accomplishing tasks efficiently, communicating with others, and learning new skills.
4. Feel Grateful
There is compelling evidence that actively practicing gratitude makes you feel better and improves your creativity, health, working relationships, and work quality. Gratitude makes being at work and home more enjoyable because it makes you content with where you are now and energized to do more.
If you feel trapped in whatever you are doing, the first step is to practice gratitude. Take stock of your work achievements, small or big, the clients you serve, and the difference you’re making in the world. Gratitude can help you overcome your brain's natural negativity bias.
5. Develop a Growth Mindset
Adopting a growth mindset is central to mindfulness. Mindfulness is about paying attention to the present moment and being open to new possibilities rather than judging your innate talent or intelligence. When you have a growth mindset, you don't mind receiving critical feedback because you see it as an opportunity to learn something new.
You don't mind taking on new responsibilities because you want to see how you'll handle them by learning new skills. That is the essence of workplace mindfulness:
Believing that you can improve and grow with experience.
Approaching challenges.
Living in the moment.
Learning new things about yourself and others.
Consistency is key
Mindfulness Meditation teaches you to have a clear mind and tune out what isn't essential - developing the ability to concentrate solely on the current activity or project. When you are not focused on the tasks at hand, you keep wasting valuable energy that you could put to better use.
Daily meditation keeps you in the present and feeds all your focused energy into productive goal achievement. When you practice this consistently, you will gradually attain peak performance and peak results.
Disclaimer: The suggestions in this article do not reflect any particular diagnosis or course of treatment. They are meant as a tool to provide you with new perspectives. If you have any further concerns about your current well-being, you may contact your GP or a medical specialist.
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Virin Gomber, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Virin Gomber is a leading Mindfulness Success Coach, Speaker, and Author.
Following a successful corporate career that left him with stress and burnout, he learned, created, and mastered highly effective Mindfulness strategies to boost his balance and personal performance. Since then, he has integrated Quantum Physics, Neuroscience, and Positive Psychology principles to craft a unique blend for his Mindfulness success system.
Dedicated to helping people become top achievers, the core of his work is with entrepreneurs, CEOs, professionals, and driven individuals to support them to achieve peak performance, balance and happiness.
He offers more than a decade of Success Coaching, corporate training, and 25+ years of Mindfulness experience.
Virin has co-authored an Amazon bestseller, “The Missing Piece in Self Love,” appeared on TV shows, and contributed to numerous global online magazines.
His ‘WHY’: To empower people to create accomplished personal skills to achieve next-level success and happiness.
References:
Achieve peak performance using mindfulness at work https://www.maartial.com/how-to-use-mindfulness-at-work-to-achieve-peak-performance/
How Different Types of Meditation Can Enhance Athletic Performance Depending on the Specific Sports Skills https://www.researchgate.net/publication/316054773_How_Different_Types_of_Meditation_Ca n_Enhance_Athletic_Performance_Depending_on_the_Specific_Sport_Skills
