High Performance: Lessons from the Best on Becoming Your Best

Product Information

This book captures so many different lessons from so many remarkable people. It will help every reader apply these insights to their own lives - so they can become high performers themselves. ADAM PEATY Wow. I know some people say that you come to things when it is the right time in your life, but boy do I wish that I had found either this book or the podcast earlier. We’ll never know. Because, one way or another, we’ll never bother to ask them. Their life of relentless striving led only to obscurity. But…. If this your first dabble into the “winner” genre, I’d recommend a note of caution before you start. Like many “positive thinking” books, HP’s underlying message is that, if you put in the hard work, if you take responsibility, if you’re single minded, dedicated and determined, and if you stay focused and driven; you’ll get to the top.

I loved sports at schools. Team sports to be exact. But hated cross country running in the winter. I’m more a player than a watcher of sports. I bought this book because I worked with Jake in his CBBC days. No, I didn’t make him dress up as a lobster. I’m a huge fan. Jake is the ultimate professional. He came to set prepared and ready to have fun. I trust him and love his work ethic. I can only guess the amount of effort he put into this book.Teamwork won us the Rugby World Cup, and teamwork can transform your life. In this brilliant book Jake and Damian get to the heart of defining, creating, and inspiring the team around you, so you too can achieve high performance. SIR CLIVE WOODWARD This excellent book won't just teach you how to be a high performer. It will show you how to build a high performance culture that spreads beyond your actions into those of the whole team. TRACEY NEVILLE I loved this book. It isn't just about how to be a high performer sometimes, but about how to be a high performer all the time - on the pitch, at home and at work. KEVIN SINFIELD

High Performance reveals the methods the world's most remarkable athletes, coaches and entrepreneurs use to excel. then, apart from a handy recap, this book will have nothing new for you. If you haven’t encountered these books yet, then this book is probably an excellent place to start. Damian Hughes is an expert on high-performance sporting cultures and a visiting professor at Manchester Metropolitan University. The author of a number of bestselling books, Damian's research has been praised by the likes of Sir Richard Branson, Muhammad Ali, Sir Roger Bannister, Tiger Woods, Jonny Wilkinson and Sir Alex Ferguson. High performance begins in the mind: before you can behave like a high achiever, you must think like one. Next comes behaviour, in which you turn that newfound psychological state into concrete actions. Then, through that behaviour, you can pass a culture of high performance on to your wider team, which will help both you and them. High performance ripples outwards from our minds to our actions, to our teams.”I liked the reference to positive psychologist Martin Seligman’s formula for judging whether your attitude is optimistic or not. In his research on learned helplessness, he came up with three ‘Ps’ that indicate you’re overgeneralising. People who view their problems as pervasive, permanent and personal tend to end up with worse life outcomes than those who view them as specific, temporary and external. Enjoyable This book will appeal to you if you’re interested in how your brain works , or how to perform better, but you’ve never yet considered reading any books about the subject. The “taking responsibility” chapter was my favourite & gave me a tough wake up call of how I can’t remain in a state of “learned helplessness” where the world and life is happening TO me. I have to learn to take responsibility. But also understanding a fine line between always thinking something is my fault = taking responsibility - that’s not true. “high performance is about what you do; it isn’t about constantly blaming yourself”. Jake Humphrey has interviewed some of the most iconic individuals around. He has a wealth of wisdom to share.' VEX KING, author of Good Vibes, Good Life

This amazing book will teach you the mindset and habits of champions. High Performance has already impacted some of the best players and coaches across the world, but Jake and Damian's insights are equally valuable to people from any walk of life. I urge you to open this book and open your mind to the lessons within. FRANK LAMPARDThe Chimp Paradox: The Acclaimed Mind Management Programme to Help You Achieve Success, Confidence and Happiness This audiobook contains an exclusive Q&A with Jake and Damian, answering questions posed by listeners of the High Performance Podcast. Unfortunately, there are thousands of books out there which perpetuate the myth of being “special”, being a winner, achieving your goals and battling against the odds, but there aren’t many books that encourage you to be realistic about your aims, understand and accept your limitations, recognise when the juice simply isn’t worth the squeeze, and learn to appreciate what you already have. Along the way, they draw on cutting-edge research to explain why these methods work - and how we can all use them. Anyone can learn the secrets of high performance.