Overcoming the Big Three: Fear, Fatigue, and Frustration

When you think about the times in your life or career or business when you’ve been stuck (and we’ve all had them), what is it that held you back? What kept you from performing at your very best?

In working with high performance coaching clients, I have found that many problems and challenges people face tend to fall into these three categories: Fear, Fatigue, and Frustration. Each has its own set of anchors, and learning to overcome them can really move the needle for you as you continue to move forward.

Fear. When we face fear, we have stories in our heads that don’t support us. We use the experiences we’ve had in the past to prevent us from going forward. When we face the unknown, we fall back and don’t push ourselves forward because we worry about what will happen if we fail. We worry that we will go through all the effort, and it won’t turn out well. We worry that we will lose our reputation.  We worry that we just can’t handle the struggle.

These are real concerns that people face on a daily basis. You may have heard that FEAR stands for “false expectations appearing real.” It can be scary when you don’t know where to turn, or you don’t have the support or resources you need to meet your obligations.

High performers have figured out how to deal with fear. They’ve learned how to be more aware of where and how it’s stopping them, and how to face it with courage and confidence.

Fatigue. So many high achievers work super hard, build incredible momentum, accomplish the seeming impossible, and just keep going on and juggling it all, without realizing the cost, until they simply burn out. They’re overwhelmed and stressed out. They’re physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted.  Maybe they’re even facing significant health challenges.

The reality is that high performance demands a lot of energy.  It requires not only physical stamina, but also mental alertness. When you are physically drained, it impacts your ability to focus. And it causes you to get short and irritable with coworkers and family members, because you are also emotionally fatigued.

High performers learn how to manage their physiology to sustain their level of energy, not just physical energy, but mental, emotional, and spiritual energy as well. Understanding the habits you need to start, stop, and continue to maintain the amount of energy you need to perform consistently at high levels is a game changer for your life, your career, and your business.

Frustration. If you ever feel like you are beating your head against a wall, and not making the progress you need toward your goals and responsibilities, you are probably experiencing a high degree of frustration. It can be frustrating when you are doing a lot of things, but they’re not paying off. And it can be frustrating when you aren’t getting the support you need from your boss and coworkers, even your friends and family.

When you are frustrated, it’s easy to take it out on the other people around you, which only makes matters worse. Once you’ve harmed important relationships, you have to work even harder to re-establish them, adding to your frustration.

High performers learn how to recognize the triggers that lead to frustration, and use the appropriate tools to manage their responses before causing permanent damage. Learning the habits that contribute to your equanimity and well-being on a sustainable level is critical to your success, not to mention your mental health.

What would it mean to you and your state of mind if you could better manage your fears and frustrations, and overcome the fatigue that prevents your best efforts and the level of performance you want to maintain?

And, by extension, what would it mean to the people you work with and those you live with if you could succeed beyond standard norms consistently over the long run while maintaining well-being and positive relationships?

Because that’s the definition of high performance:  succeeding beyond standard norms consistently over the long run while maintaining well-being and positive relationships.

Overcoming fear, fatigue and frustration is the just the beginning. If you want to show up and perform at your best on a daily basis – whether at work or at home – it may be time for you to invest in yourself, working with a high-performance coach.

Learn more about my upcoming high performance group program here.