9 Core Principles for Excellence in a Chaotic World

The Book is Out Into the World

Launching a book is always a rollercoaster. It’s only been compounded by a massive winter storm, way more demand than we could have anticipated, selling out across retailers on launch day, incredible live events, and a huge price drop!

It’s been amazing to see all of you supporting it in ways big and small. Thank you.

The big news is that The Way of Excellence is back in stock at Amazon and still on sale for 23% off as of writing this! If you’ve been thinking about getting a copy and haven’t yet, now is the time: ​get the deal here​ before it expires and we run out again.

It is also back in stock at bookshop.org and Barnes and Noble.

The early feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. I promise you’ll find the book valuable and practical—not to mention an easy and enjoyable read.

For today’s newsletter, I wanted to share some of my favorite ideas and passages from the book.

If you want to live an excellent life, get comfortable saying:

There is no greater illusion than thinking the accomplishment of some goal will change your inner life. What will change your inner life is the person you become in the process of going for it. Yes, set big goals, try to win, and strive for big peaks. But remember that you spend 99.99 percent of your time on the mountain’s sides. And it’s the climb, not the arrival, that shapes you.

If you want to live an excellent life, get comfortable saying:

Caring is cool. You are not going to be the best anything—including the best version of yourself—with the attitude of nonchalance. There are things worth giving a damn about, and you should choose to give a damn about them.

If you want to live an excellent life, get comfortable saying:

Arrogance is loud. It comes from insecurity. It needs to hem and haw to convince everyone it belongs. Confidence is quiet. It comes from evidence. It doesn’t require a parade. Give yourself the evidence. Then trust your training.

If you want to live an excellent life, get comfortable saying:

People overrate intensity and underrate consistency. Anyone can crush themselves and have a heroic day, week, or maybe even a heroic month. But that’s not the goal. The goal is to build a heroic body of work. Show up. Pound the stone. The goal isn’t to look like a badass on the internet. The goal is to become a badass in real life. That requires figuring out a sustainable rhythm.

If you want to live an excellent life, get comfortable saying:

True discipline is not a chest-thumping, hype-speech-giving, or performative acts of toughness. True discipline is being the kind of person who shows up and does what you need to do. It’s as simple (and as hard) as that.

If you want to live an excellent life, get comfortable saying:

The actual secret to greatness: Pick your thing. Pick a good system for your thing. Surround yourself with good people who support you in doing your thing. Do your thing for a decade. Make adjustments and refinements along the way. Stay on the path. (And when you fall off, simply get back on).

If you want to live an excellent life, get comfortable saying:

Curiosity, a drive for self-discovery, is the ultimate performance enhancer. When you undertake big challenges, tell yourself brave new world: I don’t know how this is going to unfold, but it’s sure going to be interesting to find out.

(And then let it rip... and find out.)

If you want to live an excellent life, get comfortable saying:

There is no substitute for showing up. No secret. No supplement. No hack. You don’t need world-class motivation. What you need is to show up, get started, and give yourself a chance.

If you want to live an excellent life, get comfortable saying:

Excellence is not a destination; it is a process of becoming. The things that you work on—and the way in which you work on them—also work on you. The real reward isn’t a bigger deadlift, a faster mile, or a sturdier table. The real reward is that you become a better version of yourself.

There is so much more where this came from. If you found these principles resonant, get The Way of Excellence today while it’s still 23% off! ​Get the deal here​.