Habitual Performance - Don't Be a Victim!

Everything you’ve experienced from birth has created your beliefs and behaviors. Things you’ve learned throughout your life have developed you into the person you’ve become today. The question is: do you like that person? Are you exactly who and where you want to be? Personally? Professionally? If so, good for you! You’re on the right track. If not, does this mean you are doomed to stay the way you are now? Are you trapped inside yourself and helpless to change? Any of you who know me personally know I would never subscribe to that belief. You shouldn’t either.

Too often, many of us just “go along” in life, going through the motions, acting in ways that are basically just habits for us. No deliberate thought. No passion. No action. Everyone’s just doing things the way they always have, because that’s what they’ve always done. It seems to be working, sort of … so why bother to change or do something new? That would just take waaaaaay too much energy, right?

The thing to keep in mind is that developing new habits and changing ourselves for the better creates more energy! When you bring new things into your life – new ideas, thoughts, actions, behaviors – it all creates new energy and new opportunities. So the question is: how much do you really want that change? What is it worth to you? What would it mean? What does it look like?

Let’s take something as simple as a guitar. The few times I have tried to play guitar, I found the finger placement to be difficult and it didn’t feel natural to me. Change is often like this for any of us; a little uncomfortable or strange at first. I love music, and nothing is as thrilling as the trill of a guitar (except maybe a double bass drum or the voice of Chris Cornell, but I digress). Yet as much as I love the guitar, I don’t have enough passion for actually playing the instrument itself. My passion instead is for watching and listening to amazingly gifted musicians and singers, which I do as often as I can. But if I felt like it would truly add value to my life, could I learn to play if I really wanted it? Absolutely! If I put my mind to it, spent the time to learn and practiced my new skills, I know I could absolutely accomplish it. Or anything else for that matter, because with new things all you have to do is get past the initial discomfort and work through change as it comes. You can do this, too! With anything!

Many times we have developed habits from those we’ve spent time with through the years – family, friends, peers, supervisors, etc. Perhaps we learned from people who taught us habits that were toward their way of thinking or preference, and we never knew anything better existed or took the time to learn anything else. Some of this may be tied in to communication styles, manners, professionalism, demeanor or other habits in general, which are basically all learned behaviors. Keep in mind that we must constantly reevaluate to determine if our “habits” we learned through the years and taught ourselves are indeed best practice or currently serving our best interests. Maybe they are, or maybe not. But how can we improve?

Personally, is there something missing that would enhance your life and make you feel better about yourself? Professionally, are there things you could be doing to help increase your productivity and performance? Or are you simply at the top of your game everywhere and couldn’t possibly improve a thing? I’d like to meet that “perfect” person. I haven’t met one yet.

In truth we can all improve ourselves, but it has to start with desire, not complacency. Consider what habits you currently have that aren’t serving you as well as they possibly could (how’s that procrastination really working out for you?). Think about any self-defeating thought processes that may be inhibiting you (“I’m no good at closing.” “Follow-up is lost on me.”). Change starts first with thought. You first have to recognize areas in which you want to grow or change, then commit to the process. Focus your thoughts on where you want to go and who you want to be.

Do you constantly seek out education? New ways to continue to train yourself? Additional learning opportunities? These are some things that can help you continue to progress. Maybe there are training classes or online seminars you can take. Perhaps it’s searching out sales articles and books or listening to recordings or podcasts on personal improvement. It might be subscribing to a professional newsletter or blog, or reading the latest periodical on your trade. It could be staying on top of all the latest industry trends. Whatever it might be, the more you know, the more you grow!

Don’t settle for letting old habits rule your life. Evaluate yourself. Ask peers, subordinates, supervisors and those close to you for constructive feedback on areas where you can improve. Ask them, “Is there one thing you think I can do to enhance my performance to be a better leasing consultant / salesperson / boss / teammate / partner?” Then find out if there is anything you can help them with in return. Research has proven that we can train our minds, and our beliefs can control our attitudes, our actions and even our biology! Any of us can use our minds to improve ourselves and our lives.

Re-conceive the way you think about yourself. If something in your life isn’t working for you, figure out why and take steps to change it into something better through different thoughts, actions and habits. Our minds are endlessly creative if we simply allow the process to happen. Don’t be a victim of habitual performance. Instead, dream of that self you want to be and become that person. Do what you’ve never done. See what you’ve never seen. Learn what you’ve never learned. After all, the only person stopping you … is you.



Valerie M. Sargent is Senior Associate at Yvette Poole & Associates, a consulting firm dedicated to unlocking the dynamic power of people through more well rounded training programs and integration into company cultures. For questions about this article or assistance with leasing, sales & leadership training, Valerie is based in Newport Beach, CA and can be reached at valeriesargent@yahoo.com , (949) 637-0104 or www.ypooleandassoc.com.