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The Way of Excellence: A Guide to True Greatness and Deep Satisfaction in a Chaotic World
Not yet published
Expected 27 Jan 26The definitive book on a practical guide to creating, contributing, and actualizing your potential amid the craziness of modern life, from bestselling author Brad Stulberg
"An absolutely beautiful book."—Steve Kerr, nine-time NBA Champion; Coach of the Golden State Warriors and Team USA
Whether you are practicing guitar, pushing your limits at the gym, leading a team, honing a craft, studying medicine, or giving yourself the time and space to finally write that book, the pursuit of excellence is a big part of what makes life worth living—and it is for all of us. Unlike "pseudo-excellence," which is about hustle culture and hacks, genuine excellence is about challenging yourself in worthwhile endeavors, focusing on what matters most, 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 true potential. The good news is that we can set ourselves on a better path, one that includes more aliveness and resonance, more connection to self and others.
Here, Stulberg finds convergence between modern science, age-old philosophy, and daily practice to explain that we are wired to strive for excellence—it is what we are here to do, core to our humanity. Yet our environment often works against us. The path he shares to reclaim excellence means learning
Defining, living, and working in alignment with your valuesCultivating focus and concentrationThe power of prioritizing consistency over intensityBuilding durable confidenceThe connection between mastery and matteringDeveloping the courage to care deeplyDesigning environments that support excellenceSelecting goals based not just on what you want to achieve, but on who you want to becomeOvercoming 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 othersApplying the principles and insights of excellence to one's organizations and communities
At its core, excellence is a deeply-fulfilling process of becoming—the best performer, and person, you can be.
"An absolutely beautiful book."—Steve Kerr, nine-time NBA Champion; Coach of the Golden State Warriors and Team USA
Whether you are practicing guitar, pushing your limits at the gym, leading a team, honing a craft, studying medicine, or giving yourself the time and space to finally write that book, the pursuit of excellence is a big part of what makes life worth living—and it is for all of us. Unlike "pseudo-excellence," which is about hustle culture and hacks, genuine excellence is about challenging yourself in worthwhile endeavors, focusing on what matters most, 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 true potential. The good news is that we can set ourselves on a better path, one that includes more aliveness and resonance, more connection to self and others.
Here, Stulberg finds convergence between modern science, age-old philosophy, and daily practice to explain that we are wired to strive for excellence—it is what we are here to do, core to our humanity. Yet our environment often works against us. The path he shares to reclaim excellence means learning
Defining, living, and working in alignment with your valuesCultivating focus and concentrationThe power of prioritizing consistency over intensityBuilding durable confidenceThe connection between mastery and matteringDeveloping the courage to care deeplyDesigning environments that support excellenceSelecting goals based not just on what you want to achieve, but on who you want to becomeOvercoming 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 othersApplying the principles and insights of excellence to one's organizations and communities
At its core, excellence is a deeply-fulfilling process of becoming—the best performer, and person, you can be.
288 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication January 27, 2026
432 people want to read
About the author
Brad Stulberg
20 books399 followersBrad Stulberg researches, writes, and coaches on health, well-being, and sustainable excellence. He is the bestselling author of Master of Change, The Practice of Groundedness, and co-author of Peak Performance.
Stulberg regularly contributes to the New York Times, and his work has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, The New Yorker, Sports Illustrated, Outside Magazine, Forbes, and other outlets.
He also serves as the co-host of The Growth Equation podcast and is on faculty at the University of Michigan’s Graduate School of Public Health. In his coaching practice, he works with executives, entrepreneurs, physicians, and athletes on their mental skills and overall well-being.
He lives in Asheville, North Carolina.
Follow him on Intagram @Bradstulberg and Twitter @Bstulberg and learn more at www.bradstulberg.com
Stulberg regularly contributes to the New York Times, and his work has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, The New Yorker, Sports Illustrated, Outside Magazine, Forbes, and other outlets.
He also serves as the co-host of The Growth Equation podcast and is on faculty at the University of Michigan’s Graduate School of Public Health. In his coaching practice, he works with executives, entrepreneurs, physicians, and athletes on their mental skills and overall well-being.
He lives in Asheville, North Carolina.
Follow him on Intagram @Bradstulberg and Twitter @Bstulberg and learn more at www.bradstulberg.com
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 3, 2025
Brad does such a great job researching and sharing good news about how we can indeed pursue excellence without overdoing it. I love his work and will always read his books!
November 10, 2025
Author and podcaster, Brad Stulberg, has written an easy to understand, yet challenging book on how to strive (and achieve) excellence in what you do.
While many write and tell you to ignore your emotions, Sulberg adopts a healthier approach in saying we should actually let our emotions guide us to excellence. This includes thinking through all potential outcomes and seeing how it makes us feel. As someone that has helped recovery groups, that is a key point that we try to hit home with those struggling with addiction. “If you continue down this path, what are the possible outcomes and how do they make you feel?” It is great seeing this applied in the positive side towards how we strive for excellence.
Another point that struck me early on in this book was falling into the trap of our short-term feelings are off and do not align with our morals, values, and long-term goals.
These points are developed early on in this book, but the lasting effect is woven throughout the rest of the book and to me, were key thoughts.
The second half of the book focuses on our mindsets, habits and practices. One of the key points that struck me in the second half was the challenge to be the best at getting better. Words to live by.
Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for providing an ARC for an unbiased review.
While many write and tell you to ignore your emotions, Sulberg adopts a healthier approach in saying we should actually let our emotions guide us to excellence. This includes thinking through all potential outcomes and seeing how it makes us feel. As someone that has helped recovery groups, that is a key point that we try to hit home with those struggling with addiction. “If you continue down this path, what are the possible outcomes and how do they make you feel?” It is great seeing this applied in the positive side towards how we strive for excellence.
Another point that struck me early on in this book was falling into the trap of our short-term feelings are off and do not align with our morals, values, and long-term goals.
These points are developed early on in this book, but the lasting effect is woven throughout the rest of the book and to me, were key thoughts.
The second half of the book focuses on our mindsets, habits and practices. One of the key points that struck me in the second half was the challenge to be the best at getting better. Words to live by.
Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for providing an ARC for an unbiased review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I received an advanced copy of this book through Net Galley. I really appreciated this book and feel that it is one that is helping me get 2026 onto a good start. I really appreciated how the author laid out the introduction where he said that first section is more theory while the second section is the practical advice. The author then said — I dont care where you start which I appreciated. The first section on theory of excellence was better than I expected and felt it was just enough scholarly research with practical examples.
The second section is amazing and I have too many highlights / passages. They are short sections that allow the reader to pick and choose the topics most of interest to them.
I also appreciated how the practical examples didnt just focus on sports. Yes there are some examples, but I feel often times we over index on those examples which are great but not practical for folks in non-athletic pursuits
I am going to buy the physical copy and keep it on my shelf to reference when I am in the lulls of daily life and figure out how to rekindle the mindsets to continue to do excellent work.
The second section is amazing and I have too many highlights / passages. They are short sections that allow the reader to pick and choose the topics most of interest to them.
I also appreciated how the practical examples didnt just focus on sports. Yes there are some examples, but I feel often times we over index on those examples which are great but not practical for folks in non-athletic pursuits
I am going to buy the physical copy and keep it on my shelf to reference when I am in the lulls of daily life and figure out how to rekindle the mindsets to continue to do excellent work.
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July 30, 2025Note to self: You pre-ordered this. Do not purchase another copy!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews