8 Forbidden Habits Of The Most Elite Performers In The World

These habits are probably not for you — even though they will transform your body, mind, and business if you follow them for 60 days. Society is doing everything in its grasp to keep you from developing any of these habits. They do this by accusing you of being "no fun" and weird and making you feel like an outcast if you go that route. Sticking to any one of these will admit you to the elite level. Still, you’re unlikely to make it work if you prefer to impress those around you than doing what is initially uncomfortable but ultimately empowering.

Here are 8 forbidden habits of the most elite performers in the world:

1. Abstaining from alcohol

New studies are coming out daily about the poisonous effects of this substance, even in smaller quantities. The reason we feel drunk is that our brains are losing cells. Alcohol may feel good in the short term, but it is a depressant in the long term. Quitting improves sleep and skin and will make you feel more balanced and happier throughout the day.

2. Taking action over mind-focus

This lies at the heart of mental wellness and is overlooked by many. Especially in a world that promotes mental health awareness, more people than ever are doing more of what is harming their mental strength: Focusing obsessively on themselves and their concerns for their minds. The more attention you place on what you perceive to be wrong about you, the more that concern grows like a ballooning plume of smoke. Elite performers have ditched the obsession with their minds and instead turned to focus on producing beautiful things.

3. Brainstorming

Not enough of us use the brain optimally in the creative ideation sense. In a world requiring us to make hundreds of new decisions, we need access to the best ideas and the most intuitive guidance. This means digging deep rather than picking the first idea that comes to mind, which is often not the best one. Elite minds brainstorm, putting many ideas on the table before choosing the best.

@geoffreybyers Here are my top 4 brainstorming techniques I use as a designer to help find great ideas. 1 Starbursting It's a brainstorming technique, to use once you or your team have homed in on a single idea. To begin, put an idea on the middle of a whiteboard and place six questions around it. Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? Consider every question as it relates to your idea, such as, “Who will want to buy this product?” or, “When will we need to launch this program?” This will help you explore scenarios or roadblocks you hadn’t considered before. 2 Brainwriting Think of this brainstorming technique like a herd of cows grazing in a field, except it’s you and your team grazing on ideas throughout a week, jotting down thoughts or ideas. Start by sharing a cloud-based document to jot down a few ideas. From there, encourage team members can build off of those ideas on their own time and provide feedback. Be sure to set a clear deadline of when the brainstorming session closes to ensure all brainstormers have an opportunity to chime in. 3 Crazy eights This brainstorming technique delivers on quantity by encouraging quick thinking using sheets of paper that have eight boxes and only eight minutes to sketch out eight ideas. Once the timer stops, the group discusses their ideas. Repeat this for as many rounds as you have time. 4 Round-robin This is a group brainstorming technique where everyone must contribute at least one idea before the entire group can give feedback. This technique is great for introverted team members and larger groups to ensure everyone can contribute. It also promotes the notion that the only bad idea is no idea. #creative #creativity #design #careeradvice #innovation #inspiration #brainstorming ♬ original sound - Geoffrey Byers

4. Exercising daily

That’s right. Elite minds require that it is housed in a body in near-continual motion. We are not built to sit around all day. Even a twenty-minute walk counts. No days skipped.

5. Going caffeine-free

This will probably lose me followers because 65+% of you are addicted to this stuff, like I was, and you will resist the idea of losing your beloved socially accepted hard drug. Indeed it is. Caffeine has countless detrimental effects, including flooding your system with stress hormones and disrupting REM sleep, which is foundational to good health. If you were to check out the studies done on it that aren’t bought and paid for by the caffeine companies, you’d know to quit, especially if you experience any anxiety.

@docamen Reply to @bosskatanaone Let’s discuss ☕️ #fyp #foryoupage #coffee ♬ original sound - BrainMD

6. Consistently doing anything for 60 days

What could you do for 60 days straight that would profoundly impact your life? Why haven’t you done it? What’s stopping you? Do what most people refuse to do because of the pain of the initial unexpected struggle. Create something remarkable by bringing relentless consistency to something meaningful.

7. Going gluten-free

Yeah, I know — you love your morning croissants. And so did I — massively. But just read a book like Wheat Belly, and you’ll see that gluten and wheat are major causes of weight gain, mood issues, gut inflammation, and even aging. I still enjoy the occasional treat, but I’m more conscious now. Even if you’re not intolerant, it’s still worth keeping this stuff to a minimum.

8 Regularly connecting with someone who knows more than you

This took me too long to realize in my business life. Connecting with mentors who can guide you, even if it’s paid, is vital if you want to avoid the pitfalls of trying a particular path alone. Elite performers find coaches and other human support to help them make the most of the paths they choose.