The high performers paradox

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I first heard about the concept of high achievers living in the grey zone from Rich Litvin.

Rich Litvin is a coach to the best of the best. From Presidential candidates to Olympians and Business Executives. Rich helps the best become even better.

“The grey zone refers to a pace set by a runner that is too fast for recovery and too slow for growth. A pace like this can feel like a tough workout. But running in this zone, run after run, will actually lead to a decline in performance.

The danger for a high performer is that your grey zone creates so much more than the average person that there is a temptation to continually underperform without even realizing that you’re doing so.”

The High Performers Paradox, as I like to call it, causes great people to slowly slide backward and get stuck in an endless loop of being tired and lacking fulfillment while appearing to be constantly producing and operating at the top.

High performers of any field can do more than most other people. So to the average observer, it appears that they are working with all the effort they have. But are they?

If you go for a run with an Allstar triathlete and they beat you, does that mean they tried hard and got a good workout? No, it does not.

When someone achieves more than those around them but does not put enough effort to grow and improve, they end up in this no man’s land, the grey zone. People can get stuck here for months, years, or a lifetime.

This paradox is dangerous because when a high performer’s results start to slide, it takes away from their identity of being successful. They had to grow and improve to get to the top, so when they are no longer growing and improving, who are they?

The High Performers Paradox can occur from two main situations:

1) When the individual doesn’t realize that they stopped pushing themself, they slowly put in less effort and eventually stop growing.

2) The paradox can also occur when other people project their assumptions of what is enough onto a high performer, gradually dragging them down.

If you have been told you are trying too hard and putting in too much effort, know you are not alone. It has happened to me several times throughout my life.

• People said I didn’t need to be so strict when I was trying to lose weight.

• When I was learning woodworking and knifemaking, people said I didn’t need to be such a perfectionist.

• It happened when I started this blog and spent more than a reasonable amount of time reading, learning, and writing.

People will often assume they know what is best for you and how much effort you need to put in. However, it is up to you whether you listen to them or not.

The type of feedback you get is directly linked to the kind of people you surround yourself with. If you are in a room with Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and Peter Diamandis, will they tell you that you are putting too much effort into achieving your dream?

NO! They will tell you to put in as much effort as it takes to make your dream a reality.

Only you know how much effort is required to be your best self. As humans, it is in our DNA to grow. Show me someone who is unhappy, and I will show you someone who stopped growing and solving new problems.

Many people in the world are operating on the highest level. Actors, athletes, CEOs. These people pay tremendous amounts of money for support systems. These support systems are coaches who encourage and help elevate them to be the best version of themself.

If you are a high performer, who is making sure that you push yourself and do not end up in the grey zone?

• Do you have a coach?

• Do you have a mastermind group?

• Do you read books or blogs that inspire you?

• Are you surrounded by people that bring you up?

• Who is asking you the hard questions?

I am creating a safe space in this blog where people can come for tactics and strategies to improve their life. This blog is a community where people are surrounded by other high achievers; here, you are encouraged to be exceptional.