Brad Stulberg

Much like it is hard to merely exist in today’s food environment without it making you physically unhealthy, it is hard to merely exist in today’s attention environment without it making you mentally unhealthy.

We've all felt it: You achieve a huge goal—a promotion, marathon PR, major award—and instead of lasting fulfillment, you're left empty. On this weeks Excellence, Actually podcast: Why it happens, and how to chase goals without falling into the Achievement Trap.

There is no greater trap than thinking the achievement of some goal will fulfill you. What will fulfill you is the person you become along the way. If the idea resonates, then this week’s episode of “excellence, actually” is for you. Listen wherever you get your pods.

This is advice I find myself coming back to again and again: 1. It is probably in your nature to strive and push hard. There is no reason (or need) to work against your nature. Attempting to force that drive always backfires. What you've got to do is learn how to harness and…

Not sure there’s a better love song than “Vampires” by Jason Isbell. Perfect doesn’t exist but this is close.

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

The best play their asses off and compete fiercely and train harder than any gym bro on social media could ever imagine. The best also know the importance of rest.

The podium lasts a minute, the training a decade. Our work is to dig where our feet are and learn how to find satisfaction and fulfillment in the process.

Burnout is everywhere. So we talk about doing less, avoiding overload, and finding balance. But in all our worry about burning out, we’ve lost sight of something essential: Yes, you can burn out from doing too much. But there’s another kind of burnout—zombie burnout—and it…

Yes. Writing is not a second thing that happens after thinking. The act of writing is an act of thinking. Writing *is* thinking. Students, academics, and anyone else who outsources their writing to LLMs will find their screens full of words and their minds emptied of thought.

In a study that followed both elite and non-elite swimmers, researchers found that each group felt the same level of nerves before a race. The difference? Elites interpreted their nerves as readiness—their nervous systems getting into gear. Non-elites interpreted the exact…

Nail the basics. They are simple not sexy. They are hard not easy. But they work. People spend so much time focusing on the penthouse, the "hacks," instead of the foundation. This is true in sport, work, health, relationships, you name it. Resist the urge. Master the basics.

I’ve interviewed hundreds of people who are experts in their field and the best at what they do. Olympians, authors, entrepreneurs. When I ask the question: How often do things go according to plan? Overwhelmingly, the answer I get is 85-95% of the time. Not a single person has…

Glad my post on Scottie Scheffler's presser resonated with so many of you. I built out some further thoughts that you can read here: open.substack.com/pub/bradstulbe…

The older you get, the more comfortable you become being who you really are. This is a gift. You learn what’s worth stressing over and what to let go. You start to own your seat. A guide for midlife: 1. The world is crazy. The best way to stay grounded is to find people &…

Doing hard things that align with your values and the person you want to become is one of the most satisfying and underrated things there is. It builds discipline, self-respect, self-confidence, and the ability to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. A life without any…

Over 100 people sent me the Scottie Scheffler story yesterday. People are sensationalizing his comments. But what we actually saw is someone who is the best in the world showing that he’s still human, and articulating it in a direct way. More here: thegrowtheq.com/the-biggest-tr…

The number one golfer in the world just called winning major championships “not fulfilling.” Countless people have sent it to me and asked for my take. Here’s what I keep coming back to: There is no greater trap than thinking that the accomplishment of some goal will fulfill…

Glad to see some of my posts on health and longevity are resonating. There really is SO much noise out there. If you want to focus on the big rocks that actually make a difference, I put together a guide. It's a one-stop shop. Grab it for free here: thegrowtheq.kit.com/05f94bf716

People focus a whole lot on peak performance. But over the long-haul, what you do on your not-so-great days probably matters more. This is called raising the floor. It's a worthwhile concept. It is absolutely key to becoming better over time. Keep showing up.