Audio only
The Way of Excellence
A Guide to True Greatness and Deep Satisfaction in a Chaotic WorldBy Brad StulbergNarrated by Will DamronLength6h 45m
About this audiobook
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
USA TODAY BESTSELLER
NEXT BIG IDEA CLUB MUST READ
The definitive book on excellence: 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 about:
Defining, living, and working in alignment with your values
Cultivating focus and concentration
The power of prioritizing consistency over intensity
Building durable confidence
The connection between mastery and mattering
Developing the courage to care deeply
Designing environments that support excellence
Selecting goals based not just on what you want to achieve, but on who you want to become
Overcoming 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 others
Applying 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.
Audiobook details
Rating★★★★ 4.2 (1.1K)
Includes Goodreads, LibraryThing, Amazon
GenreSelf-Help, Psychology, Business and Economics
Length6 hrs 45 mins
Narrated byWill Damron
FormatAudiobook
Publish dateJan 27, 2026
LanguageEnglish
More from Brad Stulberg
Learning to PrayJames Martin13h 24m4.5 (3.4K)$33 · $0.00
The Dangerous Truth about Today’s MarijuanaLaura Stack CSP, MBA9h 57m4.7 (385)$20 · $0.00
The Gospel according to Spiritualism (Translated)Allan Kardec14h 39m4.6 (3.9K)$5.70 · $0.00
Birdie & HarlowTaylor Wolfe7h 50m4.6 (6.5K)$26 · $0.00
CrossroadsKaleb Dahlgren7h 56m4.6 (4.9K)$26 · $0.00
Life on the BridgeKaelynn Partlow5h 40m4.6 (1.1K)$24 · $0.00
Keep Your Love OnDanny Silk9h 4m4.6 (8.1K)$10 · $0.00
The Tao of Joy Every DayDerek Lin10h 24m4.6 (762)$20 · $0.00
UndividedVicky Beeching9h 2m4.6 (1.3K)$29 · $0.00
HE CAN WHO THINKS HE CAN & OTHER BOOKS ON SUCCESSOrison Swett Marden5h 54m4.6 (1.2K)$1.99 · $0.00
Level UpRob Dial7h 42m4.6 (3.3K)$26 · $0.00
Burn the HaystackJennie Young, PhD9h 30m4.6 (543)$29 · $0.00
ACRES OF DIAMONDS: Our Every-day Opportunities (Wisdom & Empowerment Series) (Annotated)Russell Conwell2h 26m4.6 (1K)$2 · $0.00
Good InsideBecky Kennedy9h 55m4.5 (59.3K)$29 · $0.00
The Lost VoiceGreta Morgan8h 30m4.7 (285)$26 · $0.00
Stripped DownBunnie Xo8h 25m4.5 (32.9K)$26 · $0.00
UnthinkableJamie Raskin15h 8m4.5 (9.3K)$8 · $0.00
Wallace D. Wattles Ultimate Collection Wallace D. Wattles16h 53m4.6 (1.3K)$1 · $0.00
Inquire WithinIn-Q2h 18m4.6 (993)$16 · $0.00
Under His WingsEmily Compagno7h 16m4.6 (848)$22 · $0.00
What to Make of a LifeJim Collins13h 31m4.4 (794)$33 · $0.00
Hour of the HeartIrvin D. Yalom, Benjamin Yalom8h 19m4.6 (2.3K)$26 · $0.00
Braving the TruthRachel Held Evans11h 31m4.7 (359)$29 · $0.00
Level UpRob Dial7h 42m4.6 (3.3K)$26 · $0.00
As a JewSarah Hurwitz8h 36m4.6 (1.2K)$26 · $0.00
Saint Joan (Annotated)George Bernard Shaw6h 20m4.6 (1.2K)$1.20 · $0.00
Burn the HaystackJennie Young, PhD9h 30m4.6 (543)$29 · $0.00
Woman and the New Race (Annotated)Margaret Sanger6h 30m4.6 (1K)$1.99 · $0.00
Good InsideBecky Kennedy9h 55m4.5 (59.3K)$29 · $0.00
The Mis-Education of the NegroCarter Godwin Woodson5h 4m4.5 (29.4K)$1.20 · $0.00
Du Bois: EssaysW.E.B. Du Bois6h 22m4.6 (1.5K)$1 · $0.00
The North American Indian (Illustrated Edition)Edward S. Curtis, Frederick Webb Hodge5h 59m4.6 (1.4K)$2 · $0.00
Valley of the BirdtailAndrew Stobo Sniderman, Douglas Sanderson10h 1m4.6 (2.4K)$29 · $0.00
Lies My Therapist Told MeGreg E. Gifford9h 3m4.6 (503)$29 · $0.00
Disturbed in Their NestsAlephonsion Deng, Judy A. Bernstein11h 22m4.6 (595)$23 · $0.00
No Name in the StreetJames Baldwin5h4.5 (8.5K)$20 · $0.00
Narrative of the Life of Frederick DouglassFrederick Douglass4h 13m4.5 (309.9K)$1.20 · $0.00
Magic SeasonWade Rouse6h 41m4.6 (855)$24 · $0.00
Consent Laid BareChanel Contos7h 11m4.5 (1.7K)$24 · $0.00
The Big RevealSasha Velour6h 15m4.5 (2.1K)$24 · $0.00
Never Split the DifferenceChris Voss, Tahl Raz8h 7m4.4 (277.7K)$26 · $0.00
The Intelligent Investor Rev Ed.Benjamin Graham17h 48m4.3 (191.5K)$40 · $0.00
The Hard Thing About Hard ThingsBen Horowitz7h 57m4.2 (134.3K)$26 · $0.00
Boundaries for LeadersHenry Cloud7h 36m4.3 (3.6K)$26 · $0.00
The Ambuja StoryNarotam Sekhsaria13h 59m4.5 (830)$33 · $0.00
The Secret Door to SuccessFlorence Scovel Shinn2h 25m4.5 (2.1K)$1.20 · $0.00
This Is Going to HurtAdam Kay5h 47m4.4 (444.7K)$24 · $0.00
Big TrustShadé Zahrai, Fayçal Sekkouah8h 36m4.6 (406)$26 · $0.00
The Intelligent Investor Third EditionBenjamin Graham, Jason Zweig20h4.4 (156.6K)$46 · $0.00
Bottle of LiesKatherine Eban14h 25m4.4 (12K)$33 · $0.00
The Antiracist Business BookTrudi Lebrón6h 10m4.6 (275)$17 · $0.00
The FormulaJoshua Robinson, Jonathan Clegg10h 41m4.4 (6.9K)$29 · $0.00
Let Them LeadJohn U. Bacon7h 10m4.5 (1.4K)$24 · $0.00
Secrets of the Millionaire MindT. Harv Eker5h 11m4.4 (301.4K)$24 · $0.00
The Person You Mean to BeDolly Chugh9h 6m4.4 (7.2K)$29 · $0.00
BoundlessNick Kostov, Sean McLain9h 17m4.5 (1.1K)$29 · $0.00
Everyday DharmaSuneel Gupta5h 2m4.5 (761)$20 · $0.00
Let's Talk Mutual FundsMonika Halan7h 5m4.4 (2.4K)$16 · $0.00
Secret PowerDwight Lyman Moody3h 7m4.4 (1.4K)$1.20 · $0.00
The Law of Success in Sixteen LessonsNapoleon Hill2h 39m4.4 (17.2K)$2 · $0.00
You may also like
Above Life's TurmoilJames Allen2h 11m4.2 (871)$1.20 · $0.00
Think and Grow Rich! (The Unabridged Classic by Napoleon Hill) (Annotated)Napoleon Hill12h 3m4.2 (325.2K)$2 · $0.00
Start HereEric Langshur, Nate Klemp PhD7h 31m4.3 (493)$17 · $0.00
The Art of Public Speaking Dale Carnegie9h 4m4.0 (8.8K)Free
The Law of Financial SuccessBeals E. Edward2h 37m4.1 (390)$3.40 · $0.00
Lebenspraxis-Live-Seminar - Mit Kausal-Training Das Leben Verwandeln - Teil 2Unknown Author2h 30m$12 · $0.00
The Collected Works (Annotated)Henry Harrison Brown8h 29m$1.99 · $0.00
The 12 Secrets of Highly Successful WomenGail McMeekin10h 7m3.9 (178)$30 · $0.00
The Way OutJoseph Benner1h 17m4.4 (250)$2 · $0.00
How to Add Ten Years to your Life and to Double Its SatisfactionsS. S. Curry3h 5m2.8 (16)$1 · $0.00
StriveVenus Williams7h 19m3.8 (316)$24 · $0.00
The Art of Making Friends and Winning People OverLaura Sthephane1h 14m$5.30 · $0.00
Improve Your DrawingImad Muratspahic3h 21m$11 · $0.00
Peace, Power & PlentyOrison Swett Marden7h 8m4.2 (22)$1 · $0.00
Mental Toughness: A Step-by-step Guide to Facing Life's Challenges (Essential Strategies to Build Mental Toughness and Thrive Through Adversity)Gregory Hicks1h 8m$3.50 · $0.00
Unbreakable StrengthSara Melo3h 3m$1.80 · $0.00
SOLID MAGMADave Uwaifo2h 6m$11
QualifiedImad Muratspahic3h 39m$12 · $0.00
The Science of Wallace D. Wattles: The Science of Being Well, The Science of Getting Rich & The Science of Being Great - Complete Trilogy (Annotated)Wallace D. Wattles8h 11m$2 · $0.00
How to Talk to AnyoneAlec Moody3h 11m5.0 (6) Only with Ultra