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
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)$0.99 · $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
EssaysGeorge Orwell26h 38m4.5 (8.4K)$4 · $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 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
Barbarians at the GateBryan Burrough, John Helyar3h 3m4.4 (52.7K)$18 · $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
The Art of Public Speaking Dale Carnegie9h 4m4.0 (8.8K)Free
The Power of the OtherHenry Cloud5h 52m4.2 (3.5K)$24 · $0.00
The Body Fat SolutionTom Venuto10h 5m4.2 (1.4K)$26
Good AuthorityJonathan Raymond4h 23m4.3 (1.8K)$20
The Millionaire Maker LectureJ. Earl Shoaff52m4.7 (421)$4 · $0.00
Battling the Big ThreeDoc Orman MD, Dan Johnston, Liv Montgomery, Dawn Jones, Cara Lane15h 51m3.6 (61)$40
Strengthen your self-esteem: Get a higher self-confidence through hypnosisMichael Bauer50m$35 · $0.00
The Joy Compass written for Women and MenRonja Sakata7h 23m$19 · $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
Why Logic Always Fails YouSteve Pavlina37m4.1 (21)$4 · $0.00
Manifesting: Manifest Your Own Destiny With Just Pen and Paper (Discover the Missing Keys to Rewire Your Brain and Finally Get What You Desire)Leonard Williams1h 14m$3.50 · $0.00
Will is Power (Translated)Martin Gibass2h 34m$2.90 · $0.00
The Acne SolutionKian M. Hart4h 10m$3.50 · $0.00
140 Positive Affirmations and MantrasAdrian Tanase1h 48m$5 · $0.00
The 12 Secrets of Highly Successful WomenGail McMeekin10h 7m3.9 (178)$30 · $0.00
Slim and HealthyPatricia Römpke37m$9 · $0.00
Think Positive (And See The Results In Your Internet Business)Allan Varnes2h 17m$2.30
StriveVenus Williams7h 19m3.8 (316)$24 · $0.00