The Way of Excellence is a New York Times Bestseller

But it's only the beginning...

Wow. Thank you. I can’t believe it.

This one belongs to every single reader.

The book received nearly no legacy media attention. It wasn’t reliant on influencers. The homies drove its success—and y’all are the homies. The athletes and artists and coaches and entrepreneurs and doctors and nurses and teachers and creatives and craftworkers and leaders who read this newsletter every week.

This substack often feels like a last bastion of thoughtfulness and respect on the internet. I mean it wholeheartedly: there is absolutely no way I could have done this without you. The pre-order campaign. The launch week support (even amidst winter storms and stock issues). The comments. The sharing. All of it.

There’s a phrase in the book:

​The secret to greatness:
Pick a thing.
Pick a good system for your thing.
Surround yourself with people who support you in doing your thing.
Do your thing for a decade.​

I sold my first book a decade ago. I’ve written almost every day since. I’ve been working with a great team the entire time. I’ve cultivated my readership carefully and with intention. I chose quality over quantity. I kept showing up, trying to do good work, and trying to be decent (though imperfect) person in a chaotic, beautiful, and increasingly heartbreaking world.

It gives me hope that this book carries a message that can break through. That we long for more caring and contribution and effort and striving and laying it on the line. That there are more people out there looking for a book like this, and—thanks to all of you reading and sharing—they may find it.

The entire mission with this book was to reclaim real, genuine, heartfelt excellence as a personal and cultural aspiration, and to help readers orient around their lives around it. It’s only the beginning, but we’re off to a strong start.

The book has already received rave reviews across all platforms. It’s being read everywhere from NBA locker rooms to executive suites to artist’s workshops to the Olympics. The number one piece of feedback: The Way of Excellence has given me words and a plan for something I know deeply to be true. ​

A list is a piece of paper. What gives it meaning is what went into it and the effect it’s having. Robert Pirsig wrote that the only Zen on the tops of the mountains is the Zen you bring up there with you. There’s a lot of Zen on the top of this mountain.

After a decade of writing I hit the NYT bestseller list. It felt great. We ordered Thai noodles. I had a glass of wine. Next morning I was back to work—writing is still ridiculously hard. I coach 8-U basketball tonight. It’s the best. The top of the mountain is narrow. I did my best to enjoy the view. But all the life is on the sides.

— Brad

P.s., if you haven’t gotten a copy or would like to grab some extras for friends, family, and colleagues, the book is back in stock everywhere!

Order from Amazon here. Order from Bookshop here. Order from B&N here.