The Way of Excellence: A Guide to True Greatness and Deep Satisfaction in a Chaotic World

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 about:

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.