Unashamedly Superhuman E-Book

Jim Steele

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 380

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Beschreibung

Tap into pools of pure potential you didn't even know you had In Unashamedly Superhuman: Harness Your Inner Power and Achieve Your Greatest Professional and Personal Goals, celebrated speaker, strategist, executive coach, and author Jim Steele delivers an incisive and eye-opening guide to unlocking the hidden wells of potential in each of us. Grounded in the latest neuroscience research and some of the best executive coaching techniques on the market today, the book shows you how to minimize distraction, eliminate unnecessary uncertainty and indecision, and reveal what you're truly capable of. In the book, you'll discover how to realize your wildest professional and personal goals by: * Harnessing the power of flow to increase your productivity beyond what you thought possible * Tap into mindfulness to uncover what your mind is really capable of * Meaningfully challenge yourself - without creating intolerable frustration - by leading yourself and others on adventures An indispensable resource for executives, managers, and other business leaders, Unashamedly Superhuman is the can't-miss guide to peak performance you've been waiting for.

Leseprobe

UNASHAMEDLY SUPERHUMAN

HARNESS YOUR INNER POWER AND ACHIEVE YOUR GREATEST PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL GOALS

JIM STEELE

This edition first published 2023.

Copyright © 2023 by Jim Steele. All rights reserved.

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Library of Congress Cataloging‐in‐Publication Data

Names: Steele, Jim, author.

Title: Unashamedly superhuman : harness your inner power and achieve your greatest professional and personal goals / Jim Steele.

Description: Hoboken, NJ : Wiley‐Capstone, 2023. | Includes index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2022025464 (print) | LCCN 2022025465 (ebook) | ISBN 9781119828518 (paperback) | ISBN 9781119828532 (adobe pdf) | ISBN 9781119828525 (epub)

Subjects: LCSH: Success in business. | Well‐being. | Work‐life balance.

Classification: LCC HF5386 .S8246 2023 (print) | LCC HF5386 (ebook) | DDC 650.1—dc23/eng/20220728

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022025464

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022025465

Cover Design and Image: Wiley

Foreword

My name is Oliver Medill. Like the author, I am a speaker, a business coach, and an author. I worked with Jim at Speakers International, latterly RogenSi, for several years. Like Jim, I too moved on to set up my own consultancy and have been lucky enough to work with him on many occasions in the years since our early adventures at “Speakers.”

Our friendship started with a shared passion for human development, and we have spent many transatlantic flights discussing various strategies whilst our fellow passengers snored around us. It has been enhanced in later years by a shared fondness for aspiring golf and pinot noir!

My first impression of Jim – an enigma; a mysterious blend of laid‐back and acutely perceptive at the same time. A little detached from the everyday hurly‐burly of a busy agency, he would observe his co‐workers through a filter of curiosity and a sense of the ridiculous – sometimes surprised by something new, sometimes convinced of an earlier theory, but always entertained by what he saw.

I realised gradually that Jim was, rightly, revered as a speaker because of this quirky view on life and human behaviour. Not automatically convinced by commonly held dogma, he would always filter both well‐known practical advice and thorough research through his amused, questing view of the world. The resulting conclusions, rigorously saved for his talks and articles, never for mundane day‐to‐day conversation, appeared like freshly‐minted coins – bright, new, inviting closer inspection, and above all, profoundly useful.

Always energetic, always amusing, it might be easy to think of Jim as just a performer, an entertainer. But this would be doing him a disservice.

The beguiling, laid‐back facade hid a raging and perpetual hunger for new insights and a burning desire to turn these insights into easy‐to‐use strategies. The man believes in and cares deeply about his work and about the audiences he speaks to, whether in person or now, in his first book.

The result? Dynamite.

I feel both flattered and proud to have been asked to write these few words about Unashamedly Superhuman. I gobbled it up. You will find it, in turns, a fascinating and entertaining read. Chatty and conversational, Unashamedly Superhuman is a heady cocktail of personal experiences, ground‐breaking research, and personally experienced advice. A study of human development, Unashamedly Superhuman transcends the line effortlessly between the personal and the professional; a win‐win.

The book is a journey in two senses. First, Jim's journey of discovery – an experiential adventure of pushing himself beyond the limits of what one would normally expect people to endure. Second, the journey of discovery that Jim invites the reader to travel with him. The first journey is a highly entertaining blend of self‐deprecation, surprise, and astonishment of what he has been able to achieve; the second is a masterful distillation of cutting‐edge “how tos,” or “hacks,” explained with clarity and reinforced with hard data.

After the scene‐setting opening section, there are three areas of focus:

BETTER

, which taps into expanding our potential; watch out for the story Jim tells about his experience in Hong Kong, where common sense and the power of re‐framing triumphs over common practice.

SMARTER

, which explores the power of mindset. The line “Strategies, not straplines” sticks in the mind. Look out for the “business card” exercise around purpose too—a game‐changer.

STRONGER

, which offers fascinating tips for using the untapped power of the body to maximise its power and, fascinatingly, for recharging—or recovery. I was particularly drawn to the point that different parts of the day are better for different activities to recharge the body (look out for

active

recovery and

micro

‐recovery).

There are different reasons why Unashamedly Superhuman is a must‐read. To begin with, unlike so many books in this field, the many “hacks” for attaining the eponymous superhuman qualities have been hard‐earned by the author himself. This isn't just theory or research.

Next, in my 20 years of knowing and working with Jim, he has, without exception, proved his mantra that every project he works on is the most important thing in his existence, whether it is delivering a speech, hosting a conference, completing an IRONMAN® triathlon, or writing a book. I know how important this value is to him from personal experience and Unashamedly Superhuman is no exception.

And last, I want to coin one of Jim's favourite phrases: “This only works.” Again, from personal experience I know that every word in his book is about strategies that work. There is no fluff or filler. It only works.

Whatever your BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal – mentioned throughout), Unashamedly Superhuman is your key to reaching it, using your newly accessed potential, your re‐wired mindset, and finally, by following the many “hacks” for empowered physiology and for recovery.

If you apply the learning, this book will change your life.

Oliver MedillFounder and Managing Director of All About Impact and Author of The Impact Formula

Acknowledgments

I'll start at the beginning. The wheels started turning when Stacey Winters floated the idea that high performance and well‐being could be interlinked. To my many clients and collaborators for the opportunities to test the content in the real world: Natural Direction, Open Water, Axis, and the team at the London Speaker Bureau to name a few. Special thanks to James Poole at the Gordon Poole Agency for posing the all‐important question, “Have you thought about writing a book?” Bonus points for then introducing me to Annie Knight and the team at Wiley.

Hey, Oliver. Thank you. Yes, for your most generous Foreword, but more for the quarterly rounds of golf that always provoke quality conversation and, in spite of my scorecard, never fail to lift my spirits.

A heartfelt thanks for the opportunity to be a part of the Three Amigos and the Four Musketeers. You have held a high bar for more than two decades. The challenge has always been appreciated.

To my family, past and present. The ups and downs, ins and outs, back and forths have been the best of all testing grounds for the content herein. It's been an adventure. You provide a safety net that has enabled me to wander off into the unknown. Let's just say WALES! WALES! WALES!

One thing that connects training for an endurance event and writing a book is the selfish nature of these pursuits. A great misconception is that these solo journeys require our sacrifice alone. Of course, that couldn't be further from the truth. Those nearest to us often put their goals on hold in order to facilitate ours. My partner in crime, Julia, most certainly did. For two years I pretty much disappeared. Whether into a seven‐day‐a‐week training schedule or down one of many rabbit holes, while in the struggle phase of writing, the support I received was unconditional throughout.

If I listed out the many ways in which you contributed, we'd be deep into another chapter. Suffice it to say, I couldn't have completed and finished either of these BHAGs without you.

And finally to my girls, Tirian and Manon. I may have started typing Unashamedly Superhuman a year ago, but it really started in 1992. Becoming a father inspired the need in me to try to work this stuff out. If it makes sense, pass it on.

It's my adventurers guide for Sebi, et al.♥

Introduction

Full disclosure: I am not (and have never been) a superhero. I am, however, proud to call myself Unashamedly Superhuman. More about what that term really means in Chapter 1, but for now, it's enough to know that you too can become Unashamedly Superhuman. You have the potential to be and do more. This book, more than anything, is about tapping into your potential and performing at your highest level.

Over the course of the following chapters, I want to introduce you to parts of yourself you didn't even know existed. I'm talking about your inner resources that you've always had but maybe not always accessed. Some of you might have used them in the past, but often when we tap into our superhuman side it's not by design but by necessity. What I've learned is that you do have a sense of control over when and how you access your superhuman abilities, and I'll share how as we move through this book.

These are not haphazard, chance abilities. These are abilities you can predict, determine, and turn towards any area of your life that will benefit from you being Unashamedly Superhuman. You can use your inner powers to help you achieve your greatest personal and professional goals. Sound too good to be true?

I know, I was cynical at first as well. I had always believed that I had to sacrifice my well‐being for performance. It was a simple trade‐off in my mind, as I imagine it is in yours. But then I was set a challenge to combine the two, which threw me into uncharted territory. Sink or swim. Ultimately, this resulted in me becoming better, smarter, and stronger than I ever had been before.

It turns out well‐being is a key enabler for performance and one of the keys to tapping into your superhuman abilities is to treat recovery as a performance strategy. As someone who has always been excited by performance, this lit a spark.

No magic required …

I'm in New York City. It's 9 a.m. and the first speaker is about to open the conference. I'm booked to close the event at 4 p.m. There are 2,000 delegates waiting with anticipation. The theme of the event is, “Creating Magical Results.” Fittingly, the opening speaker was a world‐famous magician. It would add a bit of spice to tell you who, but it would actually detract from the point. You'll see why shortly.

His mind‐boggling routine of misdirection and sleight of hand will set the scene for the day. How to create magical results as sales professionals. Nice analogy. Cheesy, but nice.

It was December 1998. My first ever professional engagement in the United States. Here I was watching from the side‐lines, transfixed as the master thrilled his audience with smoke and mirrors. It struck me that as I was standing behind him, at the side of the stage, surely from this advantageous perspective, I'd see something that the audience wouldn't, thus revealing what we all know, deep down, there is no magic … just strategy!

I narrowed my eyes and focused on his every move. “For my final illusion,” he said, “I will read someone's mind.” Body language can reveal a tremendous amount about the thoughts and emotions someone is experiencing, but the ability to actually read another person's thoughts, I don't think so.

So, the volunteer came on stage and we're shown the deck of cards on a huge screen via a live link camera. The volunteer, Sandy, is given the cards. She cuts them, cuts them again, and removes the top card. All the while the magician's back is turned. He couldn't have seen it. I was 10 feet (3 metres) away. Sandy pockets the selected card just to be sure.

The magic man turns around, stands opposite Sandy, and looks deep into her eyes. “Don't speak or try to help me in any way. Just think of the card and picture it in your mind … .”

Looking intently at every pore on Sandy's face he states confidently, “It's a black card.”

A pause. “It's a spade.” Another pause, “I think I've got it,” he says. No way, I'm thinking. Not possible. He commits, “Nine of Spades.”

Sandy reaches into her pocket and holds up her card for all to see. The nine of spades. The audience erupts into applause. A standing ovation follows as the magic man exits stage right. He sees me looking. He avoids eye contact as he strides past me. “That was amazing,” I enthused. No response. Not a nod, not a smile. I figured I had nothing to lose.

“How did you do the last one?” I asked. “Why do you want to know?” he replied. Still no eye contact, “You're not just curious are you?” I thought that was an unusual question, and I replied that I was really, really interested in knowing his secret.

I guess the point behind his question was that there was no point telling me how to do the trick unless I had the ability and the intention of actually doing it. I assured him I would. After some umming and ahhing he did indeed show me and now I'm going to show you. When I do, you'll say it's the best card trick you've ever seen. You'll also know that anyone can do it. No skills required. Finally, you'll know why it works 100 percent of the time.

Scan the QR code and all will be revealed. Note: Only do this if you're sure you'll do the trick to one person within the next month.

So, you now know how to do the “trick.” You know that it requires just five minutes' preparation, minimal practice, and the success rate is 100 percent.

Most important of all, you now know for sure that to create magical results you don't need luck or mysterious powers, you just need a damn good, foolproof strategy.

Inspired by the great and the good

One of the most rewarding aspects of my role as a speaker and performance consultant is the opportunity I have to work with and interview a wide range of fascinating people, all with their own take on what it takes to succeed in their given field.

From the business world, Virgin's Richard Branson comes to mind or the UK MD of Brother, Phil Jones. From the world of professional sport, Sir Chris Hoy or Olympic Hockey captain Kate Richardson‐Walsh. Ollie Phillips, voted world rugby player of the year went on to become a serial adventurer. He sailed a yacht around the world, cycled across America and got into the Guinness book of world records for hosting the most northerly rugby match. At the North Pole! Talking of adventurers, Sir Ranulph Fiennes and Chris Moon had remarkable stories to tell, as did the astronauts Charlie Duke, Buzz Aldrin, and one of the UK’s first female fighter pilots and author of An Officer Not a Gentleman, Mandy Hickson. Equally, I've taken inspiration and wisdom from observing managers, leaders, and individual contributors from all walks of life, famous or otherwise.

Finally, in my search for combining high performance and well‐being, I've lost count of the numerous ‘a‐ha’ moments that I've had along the way. My mind has been blown on more occasions than I care to remember. I've attended seminars and training programmes, and immersed myself in hundreds and hundreds of hours of provocative, insightful, and inspiring long‐form podcasts. I've loved every minute; none more so than the work of Dr Michael Gervais, a published, peer‐reviewed author and recognized speaker on optimal human performance, and Steven Kotler, the New York Times bestselling author, award‐winning journalist, and the founder and executive director of the Flow Research Collective. And then there is Professor Andrew Huberman, the American neuroscientist and tenured professor in the Department of Neurobiology at the Stanford University School of Medicine. If I said he has a brain the size of a planet and knows everything about everything, I might be exaggerating, but only slightly. I'll mention him often within the pages of this book and I'll continue to turn to him as my interest in neuroscience deepens.

Enthusiastic lab rat

The insights gathered from all of the above, influenced me greatly.All, in their own way adding to the rich melting pot of principles, ideas, and techniques that I was happy to dive into. That said, the process of learning, developing and putting into practice the various tools, tips, tricks and hacks tested me greatly. Tested the limits of my abilities for sure, but also on occasion tested my patience. Nobody said ‘Superhuman’ was going to be easy. It wasn’t. It was however an enlightening journey of discovery.

This book is not just about my journey to become Unashamedly Superhuman. I invite you to set out on your own journey to achieve that same goal. Your version of Unashamedly Superhuman will undoubtedly look different to mine. At its core, this concept is about feeling strong from the inside out. None of us are perfect, but we are all capable of more than we realise. We all have better, smarter, and stronger parts inside us; all we need to know is how to access them.

Part I sets the scene and shows you just how far I've come on my own journey (as well as explaining exactly why I embarked on this particular path in the first place). If you're wondering what Unashamedly Superhuman really means, you'll find out in these first two chapters.

Part II of Unashamedly Superhuman is titled “BETTER – Tapping into Potential.”

Here, we're going to crack the code for how to gain access to some remarkable resources that will enable us to adapt to our surroundings and respond to challenges and opportunities with agility.

Part III is titled “SMARTER – Tapping into Mindset.”

In this part we look into our ability to structure our thinking in order to increase confidence and mental focus. We also focus on how to get into the zone and access that super productive state of mind where we both feel and perform at our best. Flow!

Part IV is titled “STRONGER – Tapping into Physiology.”

With the chapters in this part, we get underneath our extraordinary capabilities and discover what it takes to build successful habits that ensure we can push ourselves to the edge of our abilities whilst at the same time recover in a truly world class way.

To sum up, Unashamedly Superhuman explores the principles, ideas, and strategies that will enable you to combine two critical areas, high performance and well‐being.

Let the games begin!

Part ISETTING THE SCENE

Figure I.1 Introducing the author

The left‐hand picture in Figure I.1 was taken on 25 April 2018. That'll be me on the left. Large glass of red, Marlborough light, and what can only be described as man boobs. Moobs!

The picture on the right is a still shot taken from a video of me crossing the finishing line on 2 September 2021. Mileage covered totalled 140.6 (226.3 km): 2.4‐mile (3.86 km) swim, 112 miles (180.25 km) on the bike, and then a 26.2‐mile (42.2‐km) marathon. Time taken: 12 hours, 23 minutes. Aesthetically, the vital statistics, externally at least, didn't change much over the 30 months. Maybe a cup size smaller. Internally, however, it's a different story.

My respiratory and cardiovascular systems stats are a world apart. Biomechanics, joints, knees, and back health? Best they've ever been. How do I know? Well, after 12.5 hours and 140 miles I was barely out of breath and totally pain free. Something was responsible for this internal transformation.

Was it the exercise, the transition to barefoot running, the daily breathwork routine, and cold showers? Maybe. Or the nutritional strategy, ditching the traditional methods of fueling with carbohydrates and replacing it with fat, or the personalised approach to hydration? Possibly. Dispatching cigarettes and alcohol for a couple of years probably helped. Or was it the mental rehearsal or the positive self‐talk or maybe the rapid de‐stress techniques that I picked up from a prof at Stamford that kept me moving forward through the toughest moments? Likely to have helped. Or perhaps the techniques I picked up from the Flow Research Collective for how to drop into the Zone, a hyper‐productive performance state, at will. It might even have been something to do with the 20 hours being tattooed as part of my pain management training! Or it might simply have been the determination to get to the other side of what was quite clearly a colossal midlife crisis!

Difficult to say which played a bigger role. One thing I know is I wasn't doing any of the above two and a half years earlier when I couldn't even run for a train without triggering a coughing fit or causing one or other of my knees to lock up. By accident or by design, all of the preceding factors contributed to my individual version of what I'm calling Unashamedly Superhuman. My individual version. The important question is: What would yours look like? What will Unashamedly Superhuman do for you? Some of the proceeding information may help. Some won't be necessary for you. Reading this book may simply trigger you to discover the perfect performance hacks for you, ones that I've yet to discover.

This book is a manual for success. It assumes that the measure of our success is how much of our potential we have realised. It is important to appreciate that success is not a matter of how well we do in comparison with others. It is how we measure up to the best in ourselves. It's worth mentioning at this point that this book has nothing specifically to do with keeping fit!

It does, however, have everything to do with harnessing your inner power to achieve your greatest professional and personal goals.

Chapter 1WHAT IS UNASHAMEDLY SUPERHUMAN?

Figure 1.1 Who are you?

Unashamedly Superhuman. What it is and what it isn't….

“I'm superhuman!” That's such an unlikely claim. Arrogant? Inaccurate? Deluded!

Although, for sure that wasn't always our viewpoint.

Cast your mind back. Pre‐teens most likely. It may have been Marvel comics or Hollywood movies that sparked our imaginations. If I'd asked you then, what would be your superpower of choice, I have a feeling the challenge would have less to do with our belief in whether it's possible and more to do with limiting it to only one!

I've been asking this question of grownups at conferences all over the world.

I'd like to share with you the top five answers from this exhaustive, albeit non peer‐reviewed, data.

By the way, before I do, which one would you choose?

Take a second. If you had to pick one superpower, from all the comics, films, and stories that you heard growing up, which would be yours?

Here are the top five answers…

At No. 5 we have a tie: shapeshifting and invisibility.

How cool would it be to be able to look like anybody in the world? Being able to seamlessly blend into any environment. We'd be able to infiltrate any situation and align ourselves with whomever we choose. Shapeshifters are dangerous not because they can be anybody. No, they are dangerous because no‐one can tell if they are looking at a shapeshifter or not. Excellent!

But if shapeshifting isn't the way that you want to escape from the world around you, then perhaps invisibility is more your style? The invisibility trait is one as old as superheroes. Disappearing from plain sight has a myriad of advantages Over the years, invisibility has allowed the heroes to do more than turn invisible. Some have perfected their power so much so that they can create invisible force fields and turn the objects around them invisible, including whole universes. OK. Now it's just getting ridiculous!

One for the politicians at No. 4: mind control. Controversial?

Imagine how much power you could attain if you could control the minds of everyone around you. Like many of the other superpowers, mind control is incredibly old. Maybe mind control, whether controlling others or even our own is the best of the traditional superhero powers. If you don't agree with me, remember this. It doesn't matter which superpower you have. If you have no control over what you're doing, the power is useless. Just a thought.

No. 3 is a surprise entry: elemental control. What is that?

If living in the United Kingdom has taught me anything it's this: If you don't like the weather, give it a day or two, it'll change. Four seasons in one day isn't just a catchy Crowded House tune, it's a regular forecast in my hometown back in Wales. Waiting for the weather to change is one thing, but being able to change the weather when you want to is another. My personal favourite.

In the runner's‐up spot is superhuman strength.

Wouldn't it be amazing to be able to pick up a car and throw it the length of a football field? Although I can't think of too many instances where this would be useful, just being able to do it would be awesome. Super strength is one of the most basic traditional superhero powers. From the early days of comics, most heroes typically came with it. Superman, Thor, Captain America, and Wonder Woman. The reasoning is simple. When heroes are stronger than any who oppose them, it makes victory a near certainty.

Finally, No. 1 on the superpower of choice list, consistently, is the ability to fly.

Of all the traditional superhero powers, very few are as common as flight. Flight and superheroes go hand in hand. I suspect it has something to do with safety as much as it does excitement. Whether on an overly bumpy holiday flight or when running late for a date, surely at some point in life everyone has had the thought, I wish I could fly.

I want to make it clear that Unashamedly Superhuman has nothing to do with wishing for an impossible, miraculous, and freakish ability.

So what is it then? Let's start with the word superhuman. Wikipedia defines it like this:

The term superhuman refers to enhanced qualities and abilities not naturally found in humans. These qualities can be acquired through a unique ability, technological aids or by self‐actualisation.

Let's take a closer look….

The term superhuman refers to enhanced qualities and abilities that exceed those naturally found in humans. So it's already suggesting it's unnatural and different from the rest of us normal people. We tend to save that label superhuman for those rare few, those individuals who have achieved something miraculous. The seemingly impossible. They're not like us.

It goes on to say, “these qualities may be acquired, (excellent news), through a unique ability (which I've already ruled out), or by technological aids.” That's an interesting one, technological aids. I suppose that's the one we've all taken advantage of in order to give ourselves an edge.

We walk around with our phones practically strapped to our hand, which gives us a tremendous amount of additional capability. Complex mathematical calculations resolved in seconds. Every book ever written at our fingertips. Any question asked, answered anytime, anywhere, immediately.

Recently I've taken advantage of a plastic contraption that looks like a low budget bionic arm. Coco, my Jackapoo is blown away by my new‐found super‐owner ability to launch her tennis ball 10 times farther than other owners. You may have come across this contraption yourself. Coco's not the only one who's happy. I'm delighted too as it delivers a significant performance improvement yet requires zero extra effort, which perhaps sums up the appeal of acquiring any superpower.

Which brings us onto the last of the three options offered by Wikipedia. It concluded, Superhuman can be achieved through self‐actualisation. Self‐actualisation? What even is that? Sounds about as unattainable as waking up with the ability to shape‐shift.

Put simply, self‐actualisation is the realisation of our full potential. Now, I don't know what you think about that over simplified statement.

For me, whenever I've heard motivational speakers or well‐meaning managers announce that in order for me to achieve the results I want I simply need to tap into my potential, my inner critic would wake up and laugh loudly, and continue to do so until such time as I pulled myself together and got on with something more practical. While we're at it, talking about motivational speakers, let me also reassure you, my intention here isn't to try to motivate you. I'm sure that you, like me, have been to many meetings and conferences where they introduce the guest speaker, “Please make some noise for our speaker for today who has flown in especially to motivate you.”

At which point you sit back, fold your arms tightly, and frown. Your eyebrows drop and just one side of your mouth rises. The accompanying thought goes something like: Oh, really. Well just you try, Hank! An hour later Hank's crawling off stage. You raise your arms and declare triumphantly, “I'm still de‐motivated!” Or perhaps that's just me.

My point being, the term tapping our full potential sounds motivational but it provides us with nothing specific that would enable us to actually do so. It's too abstract to be of any practical use. And yet it makes sense intuitively.

Consider this: How much of your potential do you feel you're currently tapping into? If you had to put a number on it out of 100 percent, what feels about right for you right now? Not in any specific area, just generally, in life?

I've been asking this question a lot lately on webinars. Surprisingly, the numbers come into the chat box thick and fast. 60 percent, 75 percent, 20 percent. I say surprisingly because when you think about it it's quite an achievement actually coming up with a number. It's a complex process. Cross‐referencing everything you've achieved in the past with everything you believe is possible in the future in around five seconds.

What is less surprising but essentially the point of me asking the question is that nobody ever types in 100 percent. Not one. Never. No one is sitting there thinking, “I'm tapping all of it, Jim,” or “I've got nothing left.”

It's this faith in possibility, this feeling of certainty that we have access to something more that triggered a conversation resulting in Unashamedly Superhuman.

I'd spoken at an event in the United Kingdom for one of the big four accountancy firms. I was talking to my client afterwards who had recently been promoted into a senior role leading a large global team, and she asked if I had any training programmes that would marry together two specific outcomes. High performance AND well‐being.

It sounded like an oxymoron. Can you have both? Can you push yourself to your limits and at the same time truly look after yourself?

It wasn't long ago when burnout was considered a badge of honour. It was almost an acceptable price to pay for success. First in and last out was the desirable brand, if you wanted to get ahead. Finally, we're coming around to the view that it's not only ineffective, it's unacceptable. People get hurt. I heard recently that Kevin Johnson, CEO of Starbucks, announced that mental health support is now considered an employee benefit, and many other organisations are blazing a similar trail. However, there's an unavoidable caveat. And that is that many of the things that cause the stress and the pressure haven't gone anywhere. Things aren't getting any easier. The bar of expectation continues to rise. Competition is fierce. Growth targets always point north. In some companies it is still very much a case of up or out. So what's the solution?

I accepted the challenge to find strategies that actually ticked both boxes. Strategies that could genuinely help people to drive productivity to new levels of achievement, whilst at the same time factoring in longevity and sustainability.

The resulting principles, ideas, and techniques are equally for people who are pushing themselves towards the edge of their capability and looking to achieve extraordinary results and for those that are happy to continue achieving exactly the same results but they'd like to have more energy left in the tank at the end of their day. They'd like to give their family their best, not just what's left.

So, the challenge was high performance and well‐being. Not one or the other, but both. I was excited and most certainly challenged. Excited because I believed it would provide solutions to the age‐old conundrum of establishing and fulfilling a successful work‐life balance and challenged because I genuinely had no idea where to start.

I'd spent 25 years focusing on the principles, ideas, and techniques that lent themselves to driving performance. At the time well‐being was not a word often seen on the company values.

Of course, the topic of well‐being is nothing new. It's been debated since the 3rd century BC. The philosopher Aristotle came up with the concept of Eudaimonia – the contented state of feeling healthy, happy, and prosperous. Bringing it right up to date, The Oxford English Dictionary defines it as a state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy. Sounds great except I've never met a high‐flying, Type A corporate exec who accredited his or her success to any of the previous traits.

The fact is, in life we have to prioritise our time and select the activities that lead us to our most important goals. In pursuit of these there are must do activities, should do activities, and then at the bottom of the hierarchy of importance you have the nice to do activities. The companies that I'd worked for set their priorities in order to drive a high‐performance culture. One that gets results.

Frankly, looking after yourself was never promoted as a must. For all the spin in the company branding, in reality it languished somewhere between should do and nice to do.

For this to work in my world I would have to approach this from an angle that continued to celebrate essential elements like graft, grit, and resilience as well as promoting the tangible benefits of operating outside the comfort zone, in or out of the box and doing whatever it takes to go the extra mile. In addition, I would have to brand well‐being as a means to provide the high octane fuel that can drive you to new and extraordinary levels of achievement.

All I needed to do now was prove that this was true too. And what better way to prove this works than to feel it for myself.

That'll be where the triathlon came in… .

For a year I didn't mention it to anyone outside a small circle of friends and family. Even then the response I got was typically what followed by why? Both fair.

It had to be ridiculous. A challenge so outrageous that it would require a completely new set of strategies. New knowledge, new skills, new processes, and most certainly new mindsets and beliefs. If I were to gain a true understanding of how to combine high performance and well‐being, I had to test the ideas for myself.