NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
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NEXT BIG IDEA CLUB MUST READ
"An absolutely beautiful book."—Steve Kerr, nine-time NBA Champion; Coach of the Golden State Warriors and Team USA
The definitive book on excellence—beloved by world champion coaches and athletes, award-winning artists, top entrepreneurs and executives, and high performers across fields, from bestselling author Brad Stulberg.
Whether you are pushing your limits at the gym, practicing guitar, leading a team, honing a craft, studying medicine, or giving yourself the time and space to finally take on that big creative project, The Way of Excellence is a practical guide to actualizing your potential amid the craziness of modern life. Unlike "pseudo-excellence," which is about hustle culture and hacks, genuine excellence means doing hard things, creating, contributing, and expressing the unique qualities that make you who you are. Too often, we get caught up in convenience and distraction to the detriment of our full potential. Though our environments often work against us, we can overcome the default options and set out on a better path, one that includes more meaning, aliveness, and resonance; more connection to yourself, to others, and to the big projects and goals in your life.
Here, Stulberg finds a fascinating convergence between modern science, age-old philosophy, and daily practice to explain that we are wired to strive for excellence—the pursuit of excellence is in our nature, core to our humanity.
The way of excellence means learning about:
- Why mastery and mattering are key to the good life
- Cultivating focus and concentration
- Prioritizing consistency over intensity
- Confidence based on evidence
- Defining, living, and working in alignment with your values
- Developing the courage to care deeply
- Designing environments that support excellence
- Selecting goals based not just on what you want to achieve, but on who you want to become
- Overcoming the traps, pitfalls, and barriers to excellence—including alienation, chasing a never-ending supply of dopamine, and addiction to external validation and the opinions of others
- Applying the principles and insights of excellence to one's teams, organizations, and communities
At its core, excellence is a deeply-fulfilling process of becoming—the best performer, and person, you can be. Whether you're a high performer looking for something to encourage, inspire, and cement your commitment, or someone brand new on the path, this book shows you the way.