Do you have an inner critic? A voice in your mind that points out your flaws, or belittles your goals?

In my experience in working with top performers of all stripes, it’s all too common. In fact, it can be especially common among talented, and driven people.

Being aware of your imperfections and constantly aiming to do better can be a good thing, but when this scale tips toward constant criticism, that’s when healthy self-reflection becomes paralyzing, toxic self-criticism.

When you look at high-level performers, people who’ve reached the top of their game, in any game – sports, business, science or technology; how do you explain how they got there?

Is it because they’re innately talented? Or is it because they’re persistent and have the right mindset?

Was Michael Phelps born the greatest Olympian of all time? Or did he learn to be, from experience?

How do you account for your own strengths and weaknesses?

How you answer these questions can be a sign of whether you have either a fixed or a growth mindset.

Are you trapped in the cycle of overwork? Feeling exhausted and uninspired as you grind through a laundry list of tasks that never seems to get any smaller?

What if I told you the key to being more productive was working less?

Author and productivity expert Cal Newport claims that most of us can only manage a total of 4 deep, focused hours of work each day. After 4 hours, our ability to work effectively decreases along with our overall performance.

If this is true, why do so many of us feel the need to do 10-hour workdays?

Could we just be playing catch up with our own inefficiencies?

We’ve all heard of company mission statements, but have you ever considered writing a personal mission statement?

If you want to increase your ability to be present, perform at a high level, and build a strong sense of purpose, writing a personal mission statement is an essential first step in your journey.

If you want to feel, relate with others, and perform better then one of the easiest things you can do is to adopt a more grateful attitude.

But if you’re highly ambitious and have your sights set on big goals, taking time out to be grateful for things the way they are might seem counterproductive. Even scary!

You might think that if you’re grateful for what you have, you won’t want to make anything better, and give up on all your goals and aspirations. While viewed through a certain lens this may make some sense, in reality, it is simply not the case! It is very possible, and indeed very useful, to inwardly accept and be grateful for things the way that they are, while outwardly working to make things better.