Hello and welcome to The Performatist—let's get started. I'm Larry Maguire, writer and researcher on human performance. I created this site to share science-backed information that can help you improve your performance in work, business, sport and indeed, life.
Whether you're just starting out on your career journey, or you are a seasoned veteran, I hope that the content here helps you develop and refine the skills you need to succeed. My aim with everything I write is to help you improve your mental game, to develop your psychological skill set and become The Performatist–the conscious agent in your own life.
These vital mental skills include resilience, creativity, problem solving, focus & attention, decision making, and are cultivated through application of techniques such as self-talk, imagery, self-regulation, time in solitude and other strategies. When you take the necessary time to learn and apply them, your results will change for the better.
I'd like to break down how that looks, but first, who am I?
A Bit of Background
I'm almost 46 at the time of writing, an honours psychology graduate, running a small business since I was 25. I live in a three-bed semi-d in Dublin, Ireland with my wife Joanne and our three kids, Ruairi (14), Cian (13), and Cara (7). I coach my son's Gaelic football team, I love to cook, run, lift heavy stuff, study, research and write. This year I continue my studies in an MSc in Work & Organisational Psychology at Dublin City University and I am a member of the Psychological Society of Ireland.
My passion and curiosity are held by the question; how can we command our own work, daily work that engages and provides fulfilment without sacrificing our happiness? This question applies to the world of art, sport, career, business and where ever human beings perform. The science of psychology has become the means by which I explore this question and the entire purpose of this site is to attempt to deliver answers.
Becoming The Performatist
The Performatist is the one who makes a dent in their own private corner of the world. It is a person who becomes an active, autonomous agent in their own work and life experience. The term comes from Performatism, the idea proposed by philosopher John L. Austin in his book titled “How To Do Things With Words”. Austin said that there was a difference between language that describes the world (constative language), and language that does something in the world (performative language). Teaching, for example, is considered a performative act.
Through the application of psychological skills, we begin to command our own daily work for its own sake, for the inherent enjoyment we derive from it. The aim of the content here is to promote a state of being whereby each of us becomes The Performatist. Rather than being pushed around and dictated to by the dominant social narrative, we instead apply the principles of the psychology of human performance to act purposefully, to command our own work, and perform to our own personally written script.
My Best Content
When you become a regular subscriber and reader, you can look forward to in-depth science-backed content detailing the operative components involved in human behaviour and high performance. I'll dig into contemporary theories and research on performance, behaviour science, creativity, and work psychology. We'll explore proven practice for delivering best results and offer you real-world solutions to your everyday challenges. Here are the primary content topics we'll cover.
The Mental Game Podcast
The Mental Game is a podcast on the psychology of human performance. It's hosted on Anchor and distributed to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and everywhere good podcasts are played. I'll be discussing the components of human performance and introduce you to research experts on a regular basis. Listen on your favourite player below to get each new episode.
Subscribe to the weekly podcast on your favourite player.
Join The Community
I publish the Sunday Letters newsletter every week and a new article on human performance every couple of weeks (they're long and take lots of effort to create). There are also perks to being a member, including access to reserved content, discounts on coaching and free material. Enter your email below to join.
Subscribe
Every week I publish a new article on the art and science of human performance. Topics include creativity, behaviour, performance, daily work, and the self. Enter your details to get it to your inbox.
What Next?
- Read articles on the psychology of human performance and apply what you learn.
- Listen to the podcast to reinforce your learning.
- Consume lots of books on behaviour & performance.
- Subscribe to The Performatist newsletter and enrol in the Free Course.
- Book a One-to-One Consultation or find out more about coaching.
My Promise
Finally, something important… I cast-iron guarantee you will never get hyped-up content designed to secure a sale. Never will I attempt to manipulate by selling to your emotions and I will never promote or sell your information to third parties. I will recommend to you, books and other content that supports the content here, and I will occasionally offer you my own books and other products. However, you will never get the hard sell from me. The so-called personal development industry is full of these tactics, I can't stand it and will never subject you to it. So in sum, my efforts are foremost to write on topics that have captured my interest. And second, to give you information that can possibly help you. If you choose to take the next step and engage me further, I'd be delighted with the opportunity to work with you.
Regards for now
Larry