Brad's message emphasizes three themes that counter the narrowly-focused rat race mentality that equates dogged hard work with success without considering the big picture. In the presentation, Brad gives examples from his nine-year career as a professional triathlete (coached by Mark Sisson!), where he learned the lessons of success and failure in an intense and dramatic manner. In the athletic arena, personal frailties and flawed perspectives are exposed for all to see with sub-par performances or difficulty functioning in real life despite material success. Brad explains that to truly experience peak performance, you must:
1. Balance Stress and Rest: This includes all forms of stress in life, as even pleasurable events such as workouts are a form of stress to the body
2. Release Attachment to the Outcome: Don't attach your happiness or self-esteem to the results of your endeavors. Pursue peak performance goals in the workplace, in fitness/athletics, and even with body composition for the right reasons - for the love of the journey, the appreciation of a healthy, balanced lifestyle, and the thrill of the challenge.
3. Cultivate an Intuitive Approach: Reject the obsession with consistency promoted by conventional wisdom when it comes to fitness, diet and even career goals. Listen to the little voice inside of you that knows the right thing to do, whether it's back off on your exercise schedule to get more rest, move to a new city for a career change or pursue an interesting relationship. Your mind and body are not robotic and will thrive with a more fluctuating and open-ended approach to peak performance.
