High performance is not about working harder or smarter—it’s about adopting specific habits that align with your deepest purpose and values. The research is clear: specific deliberate habits, practiced consistently, create extraordinary results regardless of your starting point, personality, strengths, or environment. When you implement the six habits of seeking clarity, generating energy, raising necessity, increasing productivity, developing influence, and demonstrating courage, you will experience greater success, fulfillment, and contribution across all domains of your life.
“High Performance Habits: How Extraordinary People Become That Way” by Brendon Burchard is a groundbreaking exploration of the specific habits that lead to long-term success and well-being. Based on one of the largest surveys ever conducted on high performers, the book identifies six deliberate habits that elevate individuals above their peers and sustain their success over the long term.
Burchard begins by challenging conventional wisdom about success. Rather than focusing on personality traits or natural talents, he argues that specific habits are what truly differentiate high performers from their peers. Through extensive research involving more than two million people across 190 countries, Burchard discovered that high performance is not about working harder or having innate abilities but about developing and consistently practicing the right habits.
The first habit, Seek Clarity, involves continually asking yourself who you want to be, how you want to interact with others, what skills you need to develop, and what service you can provide. High performers don’t just set goals—they regularly revisit their intentions and align their actions with their deeper purpose. They focus on future self-ideation, visualizing their best future self and working backward to determine what habits they need to develop today.
The second habit, Generate Energy, emphasizes the importance of actively managing your mental, physical, and emotional energy. High performers are deliberate about how they care for their bodies, minds, and emotions. They release tension and set intention before important activities, practice full engagement during tasks, and understand that sustainable success requires sustainable energy management.
Raise Necessity, the third habit, involves connecting your actions to a meaningful “why” and creating positive pressure that drives performance. High performers understand that a sense of urgency and importance propels excellence. They use performance prompts like deadlines and public commitments to create productive pressure and ensure follow-through.
The fourth habit, Increase Productivity, focuses not just on efficiency but on prolific quality output in areas that matter. High performers identify their primary field of interest (PFI) where they can make their greatest contribution, and they eliminate or delegate tasks that don’t align with their mission. They believe in progressive mastery—constantly challenging themselves to improve their skills.
Develop Influence, the fifth habit, centers on developing trust and persuasion with others. High performers understand that real success involves bringing others along. They challenge people to grow, role model the behaviors they wish to see, and provide authentic appreciation that goes beyond mere recognition.
The final habit, Demonstrate Courage, involves standing up for yourself and others, sharing your truth, and taking bold action despite fear or risk. High performers regularly practice honest speaking and smart risk-taking that moves them closer to their goals.
Throughout the book, Burchard provides specific action steps and practices to develop each habit. He emphasizes that high performance is not about perfection but about consistent implementation of these habits across different areas of life. The book concludes with strategies for integrating these habits into daily routines and overcoming common obstacles that prevent sustained high performance.