The Way of the Champion: Pain, Persistence, and the Path Forward

by Paul Rabil

“Accessible and practical, Rabil’s book will appeal to anyone seeking not only to understand what it takes to succeed, but also to understand the courage, discipline, and grace it takes to become a champion. . .Wise, inspired reading.”

— Kirkus


From lacrosse legend Paul Rabil, lessons on becoming a true champion— in sports, business, and life

Long before Paul Rabil had become lacrosses's most acclaimed player, the sport's first million-dollar man, and the cofounder of the Premier Lacrosse League, he always strove for greatness.

The problem was he lacked a manual for how to achieve it— so, he set out to create one himself. He talked to Bill Belichick about how to prepare, Steph Curry about how to practice, Sue Bird about how to develop resilience, and Mark Cuban about how to build a career with longevity. From the wisdom of these and other legends, and through his own—often painful—trial and error, he forged himself into a true champion. And in doing so, he wrote the manual he always wanted.

The Way of The Champion is the synthesis of everything Rabil learned on his path to becoming one of the greatest lacrosse players of all time. But this is not merely a sports book. It is a guide to embodying a champion's mindset—in sports, in business, and in relationships.

According to Paul Rabil, “No one is born to be a champion. It can only be earned— through equal parts philosophy, execution, and sheer determination. I've won and lost championships, business deals, and relationships. I've learned that our best moments come after we've faced our most devestating defeats— when we choose to rise with unwavering resolve. That's the way of the champion."

Genres: Sports, Audiobook, Self Help, Biography, Nonfiction, Personal Development

249 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 7, 2024

Reviews

[George Fulton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of good stuff in here. Sometimes though I wished that the book had better flow to it. Many short excerpts pulled from every single walk of life…which made it interesting in the beginning. By the end it could’ve used some more flow to end the book properly

[CatReader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Paul Rabil is a retired professional lacrosse player; in this relatively brief motivational book aimed at athletes but certainly transferrable to non-athletes, he gives a series of tips on achieving big goals, staying motivated when facing challenges, and reinventing oneself after the end of a sports career. This was a quick listen and largely congruent with other motivational books I've read; I think athletes will enjoy this book as it's geared toward sports, but a general audience will likely find utilty as well.

My statistics:
Book 303 for 2024
Book 1906 cumulatively

[Evan Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Earlier today I finished this book and think it was well written by Paul Rabil. When I was a little kid, I looked up to Paul and tried to emulate his game as a midfielder. Now, he put together a collection of motivational stories and insightful lessons shared by athletes as well as influential figures.

He sets the tone early on page 7, “If you don’t set ambitious goals, you won’t achieve ambitious things.” He takes this one step further to explain how this is people by inviting us to “study the people who shouldn’t be as good as they are” (p. 38).

Whole each page offers unique advice, the book can be summarized by one line on page 57, “dream big. Set goals. Work hard every day.” I find the most comfort in this page because whether it’s Tom Brady or LeBron James, we all have our own goals in life but dreaming big and working hard is applicable to everybody. Each of us is born with different skill sets and households but opportunities arise when you make them for yourself.

Overall, this was a great book and I’d suggest this to any athlete looking to be inspired.

[Nolan Parker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very short anecdotes from different specialists. Start of book reads like all other personal narratives, and even uses excerpts straight from them. Back half of book was lot stronger and more interesting.

[Charles Reed · Rating 3 out of 5]

60%

This book does a great job of showing you the way to push yourself out there to achieve greatly, to achieve whatever you want to achieve, and primarily focuses on the pro sports circuit, especially lacrosse, which I think is awesome because I never get to hear about lacrosse, ever, from where I am. So hearing about an exotic sport like this, theoretically, is just really cool, and hearing about all of the different ways and tactics and techniques is always a good refresher for me, as I love to hear people talk about how they can achieve greatly, and the core component here is really just show up and practice, and don't stop, because the only way that you lose progress is by not taking care of yourself, and or stopping. Now, this book is a very common template. It's pretty normal for regards to all these types of books like this, kind of sound this way for the most part, so it wasn't exceptional in that way, but I do like to hear about these good core concepts once again.

[David Thrower · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid collection of lessons and perspectives from Paul’s life and many others. The structure of the book limits its depth. In the credits, Ryan Holiday (Daily Stoic) is credited as a collaborator - so that makes sense. The book is a quick read and interesting. Definitely was thought provoking in places. Imagine Jordan Peterson’s 12 rules for life, except with none of the depth. The plus side is he was able to explore dozens of “rules” since he only wrote a page or two on each.

[Suzanne Mosley (Suzanne Shares) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was introduced to Paul Rabil by my middle son who is a lacrosse player. Paul Rabil is one of the greatest American lacrosse players and is most noteworthy for creating the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL), the NFL for lacrosse. When I saw Rabil’s book at my library, I picked it up. I knew nothing of the book but have been impressed by Rabil’s accomplishments. The book is a collection of his wisdom and experience—both his own and collected from famous and successful athletes and coaches. If you are looking for a book to inspire you to become a better athlete or business owner, I commend this book to you! I’m no lacrosse player, but I am a small
business owner and found this book extremely applicable to me in that realm.

[Mike Garbose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ryan and Billy’s fingerprints all over this one

[Michael Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rabil has presented a series of essay's on a wide variety of topics each revolving around the game of Lacrosse. He utilizes aspects of his career and the careers of sports figures and business leaders to make the point of each essay. The title provides the subject, than the meat or point of emphasis and than a final statement tying back to the title. He covers human behavior, motivation, discipline, goal setting, growth in all aspects This text isn't really design to read cover to cover but more like each time one has a free moment maybe read one or two essays.

I believe this book would be a gret read for any individual in sports or business.

[Cort Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, good lessons, but nothing super new. Felt like a decent amount of recycled ideas from other authors.

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a book with a promising premise (sharing the advice of successful athletes, artists, and entrepreneurs), it lacks substance. Each chapter has the brevity and depth of a fortune cookie; moreover, there isn't a notes section to dig deeper into the interviews.

My biggest takeaways:

If you don't set ambitious goals, you won't achieve ambitious things (page 7).

Treat every day with the excitement of a first date (page 94).

Make strategic adjustments based on lessons learned from prior performance (page 97).

To win a lot, you have to risk losing a lot (page 102).

Compete only with yourself to be better than you were the day before (page 139).

Pressure and nerves are signals telling you that what you're doing is important; it's the chance to do something special (page 148).

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are parts a bit trite, but overall this was a pretty good read. I loved the format - extremely short paragraphs, with numerous stories/examples. It may be skewed a bit towards those competing at higher levels of athletic performance, but there is relevance for everyone. It is the first book I can recall suggesting that my 15 year old son read - he is a competitive golfer, and I think he would benefit from this book.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some really good lessons in here. I didn’t relate to everything but the stuff I did, was gold.

[Jesse Bartko · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is great for athletes who need a pick me up during tough times, teenagers looking to achieve their next goal, and coaches reminding themselves of what it takes. Paul Rabil is not a writer by trade yet his voice feels as if your sitting in a room with him hearing him tell stories. This allows for young readers to understand the messages behind each of the stories. As an educator, I appreciate the idea Rabil used of bringing in all different versions of "success." Including athletes, entrepreneurs, writers, even philosophers (the list goes on and on) helps show that "success" is focused on achievement of goals and satisfaction, not simply the glam or money.

The structure of the book itself is very nice for busy readers as the chapters are brief to allow for lots of put-down points. This format doesn't allow for a narrative and some chapters may feel disconnected at times. I don't believe Rabil set out to write a memoir, more provide short lessons to pass along to athletes, coaches, and those looking to excel in life.

Overall, I appreciate this book as something I will share with my students, players, and one day maybe even my children. The lessons in this book are reinforced through my own experiences and made me stronger; passing these on to the next generation is key to ensuring well-rounded adults in the future.

[Cade Hightower · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a very digestible read with lots of great stories about how to be the best you can be and better yourself, from the greats who have done it. I really enjoyed this read and the short stories and lessons that were in it. As a lacrosse player and fan for 15 years, it was cool to see that someone in our sport has had the success that Paul has had, but it didn’t come without blood, sweat, and tears. 100 shots every day, no matter what… This is something I am going to implement into my life, relationally, physically, spiritually. Whatever the case may be, repetition in the things you want to better yourself in, not matter what. Thank you Paul for this book.

[lilmisstwyla · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the last half of the book, more than the first half. Overall, I wish it was organized in a more fluid fashion. At times, I realized similar analogies were used in the first half that certainly had a great impact. However, it would have been lovely to deep dive into the analogies in a more organized manner.

Although not a huge sports fan in general, I find inspiration from athletes, coaches, and managers. The lessons are easily transferable to business operations and sales. This book provided just that.

[louella brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

All in nutshells. A must read

If you want more mental reassurance on becoming a better athlete or a stronger person. You need to read this book. Each chapter goes directly to the point. Paul does an excellent job in getting your attention and keeps you focus.
This book is a must read

[Ethan · Rating 5 out of 5]

My goat Paul Rabil wrote a book.

Someone I’ve looked up to for as long as I’ve played lacrosse. I spent countless hours watching his YouTube videos trying to get a glimpse of what the best lacrosse player on the planets life is like. This book does exactly that. Also providing the reader with the tools necessary to become a champion. Whatever that may mean to them.

[Matt Mac · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lot of really good mindset changers throughout this book from one of the greatest lacrosse players to ever do it turned great businessman and many other people that strive for "the way of the champion" in his network. Pretty quick and easy read, but worth it, applicable to life in general not just sports.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid motivational book. "Chapters" are about one or two pages long at best. Could suit well as a coffee table book or something you reference everyday to keep up the hustle. Not really something you sit down with and read from front to back. My gripe would be that if you spent some time comparing the advice throughout the book, I'm pretty certain you could find many contradictions.

[Hailee · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. There’s some really helpful concepts in here, but not the most memorable delivery and I wish some points were expanded on more than others. As an athlete myself I think the book is pretty beneficial for my specific experience.

[Josie Goldman · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book for lacrosse over winter break, and I honestly thought it was just okay. By no means was it useless (some of the lessons were very valuable), but they became repetitive and lost meaning. It was also kind of poorly written which made it difficult to follow sometimes.

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A manual indeed! A perfect book to pick up daily and read a chapter at a time. This is not meant to read in one sitting. Soak up a chapter a day, journal, and use as a guide. The amount of expert content in the book is wonderful. A great gift for a high school or college athlete.

[John Kotwick]

Worth picking up, but this seemed like the summary of his podcast interviews more than a standalone book.

[Jared Leuer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Feels a lot like a Ryan Holiday book, like something that could be read as a tear-off calendar. Well I like those kind of books, especially ones centered around sports with a business element

[Samurai Chippy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fine.

[Orlando · Rating 5 out of 5]

This One Skips The Line

Whatever your booklist looks like, put this one at the top of the list. Well worth the read… and reread.

[Theo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Drivin

[Ian Steffensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lax god.

[Olivia Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is literally incredible you all need to check it out