BRING ON THE JOY!

 

One of the MOST anticipated and requested interviews of all time is finally here! There is none more accomplished in the space of personal development and peak performance than today’s AMAZING guest. This interview filled me with so much joy, light, and motivation, and I know it will do the same for you! It is my honor to bring you, Brendon Burchard!

 

In case you’ve been under a rock, Brendon Burchard is a 3-time NY Times bestselling author, one of the most quoted personal development trainers in history. Forbes named him the world’s leading high-performance coach, and Larry King named him the world’s top motivational trainer! This is a MAJOR POWER PLAYER and dear friend, and we’ve got a message for YOU!

 

Brendon and I open up and share how the effects of COVID-19 are affecting our businesses and personal lives and share what we are doing to continue to be a leader in our professional and personal lives. You’ll learn how to reprogram your mind to THINK like a peak performer and how to use the struggles we are ALL facing right now to find balance, peace, and endurance for yourself AND your family.

 

Even if you’ve already ready Brendon’s book, High-Performance Habits, the tactical skills shared in this interview will help you jump start your life and develop the habits needed to generate momentum and sustain your ability to achieve at the highest levels, even in the midst of this pandemic!

 

Brendon even shares his emotional and powerful experience with his father during his final days on earth that will move you to your core. I’m a strong dude, but this interview truly touched my heart and nearly brought me to tears.

 

If you want to become a better version of yourself, increase your skills, your knowledge, your ability to lead and love yourself, and others, two of the most followed and influential motivational and peak performance coaches are RIGHT HERE to teach you how.

 

Who Is Brendon Burchard?

 

Brendon Burchard defines what it means to be EXCEPTIONAL. At just 19 years old, Brendon was in a major car accident. He almost lost his life. That experience forced him to ask some tough questions — “Did I live fully? Did I love openly? Did I make a difference?”

 

After surviving the accident, Brendon decided to take ACTION. He studied psychology and leadership, and by just 32 years old, he was already a #1 best-selling author and a renowned high-performance coach. He’s also a MAJOR PLAYER in the world of online education. His advice is incredibly useful right now while so many of us are stuck in our homes and working on our computers because of the COVID-19 pandemic

 

Today, Brendon is WORLD-RENOWN through his online courses and video series. His videos boat over 100 MILLION VIEWS, and his online courses have helped more than TWO MILLION students develop habits and skills they need to be high performers.

 

Brendon is a highly sought-after conference speaker, and he’s spoken at events alongside such INCREDIBLE peak performers as Oprah, Steve Forbes, Tony Robbins, Arianna Huffington, Magic Johnson, and even Sylvester Stallone. In our interview, Brendon gets into some of his experiences working with Oprah, and one of the most significant high-performance habits she uses to grow her IMPACT and SUCCEED.

 

Brendon’s latest book, High-Performance Habits, will change your life. Don’t even bother trying to highlight the good stuff in it — you’ll end up highlighting EVERY WORD. This book has already helped so many people STRIVE to WIN, and I’m so glad Brendon came by to share some of the BEST advice from it today.

 

With that, let’s dive into my interview with Brendon Burchard and learn more about the HABITS that help high performers THRIVE and even experience JOY along the way.

 

How to STRIVE in CHAOS and UNCERTAINTY

 

It’s not a secret that the world is struggling right now. The COVID-19 pandemic has created a massive shift for all of us. People are working from home, locked inside, and facing uncertainty like never before. That’s true for Brendon, it’s true for me, and it’s true for you too. So how can we continue to STRIVE?

 

Brendon brought his A-game and shared with me the TOP THREE THINGS leaders do when they deal with this kind of stress and adversity, and the first is this: They adopt a role model mindset. 

 

“I realized as I’m going to endure difficulty in life, the kids are watching. My friends, my family, [and] others are observing and being influenced by me. There is a contagion out there, but there’s also an emotional contagion out there. Let me be that role model in showing people how to deal with things, with perspective, with being centered amid the storm, with the strength of intention to say, ‘You know what? I know this is going to be hard, so let me take care of myself and let me be kind to other people.’” - Brendon Burchard

 

I’ve adopted this role model mindset as I lead my family through this situation. There’s a lot of fear in the world right now, and I recently talked to my daughter about that. I’ve explained to her that when my anxiety goes up, my activity goes up. I want to work HARDER during times of stress and uncertainty, and I want to model that for my daughter.

 

Keep in mind that other people are watching you. Adopt the POWERFUL mindset of a role model, and literally CHANGE your behavior to be the best leader you can be. Continue to work hard, and in the future, you’ll be proud of how you handled this tough situation.

 

The second thing leaders do amid chaos is OPTIMIZE their health and wellness. You cannot be a peak-performer if you’re not taking care of yourself first. You just can’t.

 

Brendon uses this image — think of yourself as a power plant.

 

“I always tell people, “No, the power plant doesn’t have energy. It generates energy.’ A power plant takes energy from one source, transforms it into another, stores it, and transmits it. And so right now we’ve got to take energy from this low level, low-grade source — negativity, fear, upset, outrage, terror — we’ve got to take that low-grade energy, and we’ve got to be able to, in our mind, … transform that and transmit something different.” - Brendon Burchard

 

Truly successful LEADERS don’t transmit negativity, fear, or terror. High-performing people take those negative emotions, confront them head-on, and say, “I’m going to use this energy to take care of myself today. That way, I can transmit something better into the world.”

 

So do what you need to do. Meditate, exercise, journal, eat a healthy diet, get enough sleep. Make sure you’re channeling your energy and transforming it into POSITIVITY and LEADERSHIP.

 

And finally, the third thing on Brendon’s list is simple and brilliant: skill up.

 

High-performance people are always trying to get better. They prioritize BUILDING SKILLS because they know it’s NECESSARY.

 

“The third habit we found psychologically of high-performers is they do something called ‘raise-performance necessity.’ Necessity means I make it necessary for me to figure out the things for me to be able to grow. I make it necessary for me to do work today.” - Brendon Burchard

 

Peak-performers understand that you have to keep GROWING, and that remains true even during a pandemic. So use this time to develop your skills. Adopt a “raise-performance necessity” mindset and find a way to develop the skills you need to #MAXOUT your life.

 

How and Where to Seek CLARITY 

 

Another critical practice that peak-performers do is seek clarity. And I want to take just a minute to explain the difference between FINDING clarity and SEEKING it.

 

“Well first, understand it’s a practice. It’s not a one-time acquisition. … I used to always say, ‘You need to get clarity,’ but the reality is, no, they seek clarity. ‘Get’ means you got and you’re done. ‘Seek’ means an active practice.” - Brendon Burchard

 

Seeking clarity is something you have to strive for continually. No matter what you’re working toward, what skills you’re trying to develop, you’ve got to have clarity. That way, you can work with INTENTION and FOCUS. Brendon shared with me that when Oprah starts a meeting, the first thing she does is ask, “What is our intention?” She establishes clarity first because when you start with clarity, you have a lot more DRIVE to succeed.

 

Brendon also talked about how high-performing people seek clarity in four main areas, and I just want to talk through those, so we all have a solid place to start. And while you’re reading through these, it’s a great idea to start a journal. Writing down your thoughts is a powerful tool for establishing who you are and who you want to be.

 

The first place high-performers seek clarity is in their own identity. They ask questions like, “Who am I?” and “How do I want to be perceived?” High performers are introspective, and they constantly check in on themselves to establish who they are with a clear VISION.

 

The second area where high-performers seek clarity is in social interaction. According to Brendon, high-performing people have more positive relationships than the average population because they question their relationships, set boundaries, and have explicit conversations.

 

Third, elite performers seek clarity about their skills. They’re intentional about developing the skills they need to succeed — in business, personal fitness, relationships, or anything else. And according to Brendon’s research, your ability to intentionally BUILD the skills you need does NOT depend on your background, income, or education level.

 

And finally, high-performing people see clarity about how they can and should serve their community.

 

“And the last piece, which unites you and me in brotherhood, is they were always seeking clarity on what their service should be. … They wanted to know what is the service they [need] to provide. They want to be excellent about that service and intentional about that service.” - Brendon Burchard

 

Where do you need to seek clarity? Take some time to write down your thoughts on those four areas. Think about your work, your goals, and even your emotions.

 

“And once in a while, great leaders really contemplate leadership. They deeply think about that interaction they just had with the team. They deeply think about that presentation. They just get their contemplation time. They’re not smarter than other people. They’re giving more contemplation time.” - Brendon Burchard

 

CONTEMPLATION is KEY. Look at those four areas of your life and seek clarity so you can become a LEADER with INTENTION and live a life of JOY.

 

#MAXOUT with Brendon Burchard

 

Okay, guys, I want to bring it down a bit. We’ve talked through a TON of fantastic advice and information that will help you develop the habits of a high-performer. But now I want to talk about something more personal.

 

I’m really struggling right now because my dad is very sick. I get really emotional talking about this, but my friend Brendon has been through this too. His dad recently passed away after being sick for a little while, and what Brendon did in that situation really inspired me.

 

“I wanted to capture his voice talking about his memories and what he thought of us kids and his life, his career, and what he wanted us to know moving on. So I wrote down 30 questions about life, and I called him. I said, ‘Hey, can I interview you on these?’… And it was … a beautiful call and I recorded it … and it’s one of my most cherished assets in my life.” - Brendon Burchard

 

Brendon is a man of intention. He understands the importance of cherishing the people we love, and I really admire his courage at having that interview with his father and recording the important things. It changed my life when he told me that story, and I think there’s something we can all take from it.

 

Especially during this pandemic, while many people are at home more often, it’s absolutely essential to consider what matters most to us and whether we’re living lives with the right intention if we’re going to live good lives. I think that right now there’s a really powerful and beautiful recalibration that’s going on. People are considering what really matters. They’re re-aligning themselves with their priorities, remembering their loved ones, and reconnecting with what’s most important.

 

“... The essential takeaway from all this understanding that I have is — the most important thing we are being reminded of right now — is you want … to have a good life. You need to have reverence for this life. … When you deeply have reverence and care and appreciation and gratitude for life, you’re not bored. You’re not. … You want to experience life. You want to … experience the richness and fullness of it.” - Brendon Burchard

 

I think that says it all.

 

Guys, this was an incredible episode for me. I hope it helped you #MAXOUT your life and learn some skills you need to become the HIGH PERFORMER you can be!

 

If you loved this episode as much as I did, please share it on Instagram! And while you’re there, connect with Brendon, @brendonburchard, and with me, @edmylett. Use the hashtag #MAXOUT to share with me your biggest takeaways from the episode in the comments below! I read your comments every week, and a few select winners get all sorts of prizes from gear to coaching calls with me!

 

Are you ready to develop the SKILLS and HABITS you need to become a HIGH PERFORMER? Are you ready to #MAXOUT your performance? Then don’t forget to pick up Brendon Burchard’s new book, High-Performance Habits. And once you do, get to work and bring on the JOY!

 

Thanks, guys. Catch you next time!