Excellence Is for Everyone

How Brad Stulberg’s Philosophy Can Transform Your Life, Your Work, and Your Mindset

Sources: Nice News | nicenews.com | February 2026

What if the pursuit of excellence wasn’t reserved for elite athletes, prodigies, or the relentlessly ambitious? What if it was something every single one of us could — and should — strive for? That’s the powerful, research-backed argument at the heart of performance coach and bestselling author Brad Stulberg’s new book, The Way of Excellence.

In a culture obsessed with hustle, optimization, and ranking, Stulberg flips the script. Excellence, he argues, has nothing to do with being number one. It’s about showing up fully, growing intentionally, and living a life that feels genuinely alive.

“Excellence is involved engagement in something worthwhile that aligns with your values and goals.” — Brad Stulberg

Drawing from two in-depth interviews with Stulberg published by Nice News — one exploring his new book, and one diving into lessons from the 2026 Winter Olympics — this post distills his most inspiring ideas into a practical guide for anyone ready to unlock their own version of excellence.

Why Excellence Belongs to All of Us — Not Just the Elite

Stulberg opens The Way of Excellence by clarifying what excellence is not. It isn’t perfectionism. It isn’t obsession. It isn’t something you achieve by outworking everyone around you until you burn out.

For too long, hustle culture has hijacked the idea of excellence and made it feel inaccessible to the average person. Stulberg reclaims it. His definition is refreshingly human: excellence is “involved engagement in something worthwhile” that aligns with who you are and what you value.

Think of it less as a trophy and more as a way of being — a mode of living in which you are fully present in, and growing through, a meaningful pursuit. Research consistently shows that this kind of engaged striving is one of the most powerful predictors of life satisfaction and a sense of meaning.

As Stulberg told Nice News, “so many people are seeking a sense of aliveness. And the pursuit of excellence is a conduit to aliveness.”

The Three Core Needs That Drive a Fulfilling Life

How do you know which pursuits are worth your energy? Stulberg points to decades of psychology research identifying three fundamental human needs that, when met, produce long-term flourishing:

• Autonomy — the freedom to have some control over how you spend your time and energy

• Competence — a clear path toward growth and improvement in the things that matter to you

• Belonging — a sense of connection to something larger than yourself

When evaluating a new goal or opportunity, ask yourself: will this increase or decrease my sense of autonomy, competence, and belonging? If the answer is “increase” across the board, you’re probably onto something worth pursuing.

A simpler litmus test Stulberg recommends: does this align with your core values? Whether those are creativity, integrity, family, health, or wisdom — when your actions match your values, you’re on the path to excellence.

The Olympic Mindset: 6 Lessons Anyone Can Apply

The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina provided a remarkable backdrop for Stulberg’s ideas in action. From Norway’s dominant medal haul to American figure skater Ilia Malinin’s stunning resilience and Italy’s Federica Brignone becoming the oldest Alpine skier to win gold at 34, the Games were a masterclass in the mindsets that separate those who thrive from those who merely survive.

Here are the six lessons Stulberg distilled from the Olympic world — and how you can apply them right now.

1. The Journey Is the Reward — Fall in Love with the Process

Psychologists call it the “arrival fallacy”: the mistaken belief that achieving a big goal will finally make us happy. It won’t. There’s always another mountain.

When medal-winning Olympians are interviewed, they rarely talk about the medal itself. They talk about the years of training, the relationships forged, the person they became along the way. The fulfillment isn’t on the mountaintop — it’s on the sides.

“There is no greater illusion than thinking the accomplishment of some goal will change your life. What will change your life is who you become in the process of going for it.” — Brad Stulberg

2. Caring Is Cool — Risk Failure Loudly and Proudly

Everyone remembers the kid who was too cool to try. In reality, that kid was probably scared. As adults, many of us still hold back — afraid of looking foolish, afraid of failing visibly.

But doing anything meaningful requires caring deeply, risking heartbreak, and stepping into the arena. A huge part of why we admire Olympians is precisely because they care so much. They lay it on the line. You can do the same in your own life — at work, in relationships, in creative pursuits.

3. Confidence Is Quiet — and It’s Built, Not Born

Arrogance is loud and rooted in insecurity. Real confidence is quiet. It doesn’t need to convince anyone of anything — including yourself.

Every Olympian Stulberg interviewed told him the same thing: the way to gain confidence is by doing the work to earn it. Show up consistently. Put in the reps. When you’re standing at the start line, you’ll know whether you’ve prepared — and that knowledge is all the confidence you need.

4. Consistency Beats Intensity Every Time

Anyone can have a heroic day. The goal is to build a heroic body of work over time. That requires consistency over intensity.

American bobsledder Kaillie Humphries — who earned bronze at her fifth Olympic Games at age 40 — shared her secret with Stulberg: “The bigger the goal, the smaller the steps. I take a four-year training cycle and break it down into years, quarters, months, weeks, and then days. So the key to winning a medal is executing my workout today.”

Set a big goal. Break it into its smallest meaningful parts. Then forget the big goal and focus entirely on the daily work. The results take care of themselves.

5. Mental Toughness Isn’t About Feeling Good — It’s About Showing Up Anyway

Studies show that elite Olympians feel the same anxiety and nerves as everyone else. The difference is that they’ve learned to take those feelings along for the ride rather than letting them hit the brakes.

British figure skater Lilah Fear told Stulberg: “Of course I feel nerves before stepping on the ice. If I didn’t, something would be wrong.”

Mental toughness is a skill you build by repeatedly choosing to act despite discomfort. Every time you sit with anxiety and step forward anyway, you’re growing your capacity. Researchers call this self-efficacy — and decades of evidence show it’s one of the strongest predictors of success and resilience.

Here are some everyday ways to practice it:

• Stay composed during difficult conversations

• Begin meaningful work even when you don’t feel like it

• Train for a physical challenge (marathon, powerlifting, etc.)

• Support others during hard times, even when you’re struggling too

• Let go of the need to have everything go according to plan

6. Excellence Is a Process of Becoming — Not a Finish Line

The real reward of pursuing excellence isn’t a bigger deadlift, a faster mile, or a promotion. It’s who you become in the pursuit. You become more capable, more resilient, more alive.

“The world doesn’t need more mediocrity or going through the motions. The world needs more people putting themselves out there, giving it their all, and pursuing their own versions of excellence.” — Brad Stulberg

3 Practical Tools to Start Your Excellence Journey Today

Stulberg’s work is rich with actionable frameworks. Here are three you can implement immediately.

Know Your Chronotype

Almost everyone who achieves excellence relies on routines — but there is no single magic routine. The key is understanding your chronotype: your body’s natural rhythm of energy and rest throughout the day.

When you align your most demanding work with your peak energy windows, you get the best out of yourself without fighting your own biology. Start by taking a chronotype quiz (available at sleepdoctor.com) and redesigning your schedule around what you discover.

Follow the 48-Hour Rule

After a major win or a painful loss, give yourself 48 hours to fully celebrate or grieve — then return to the work. The work is the best medicine. It keeps you from getting addicted to external validation after success and falling into despair after failure.

The exact timeframe is flexible. If you need a week to celebrate something huge, take it. If you need four days to process a disappointment, that’s fine. The point is to set a limit, honor it, and then come back.

Embrace “Brave New World”

When fear and uncertainty show up — and they always do — Stulberg recommends a simple but powerful mindset shift: instead of catastrophizing, tell yourself “brave new world.”

It’s a reframe that transforms dread into curiosity. Rather than asking “what if this goes wrong?” you’re asking “let’s find out what this is about.” Fear will always be present when you push your edges. Curiosity is the only thing more powerful.

The Bottom Line: Your Excellence Is Waiting

Brad Stulberg’s message is both simple and profound: excellence is not a status for the genetically blessed or the obsessively driven. It’s a way of living that anyone can choose — one engaged, values-aligned pursuit at a time.

Whether you’re a parent, an athlete, a creative, a professional, or someone simply trying to show up more fully in your life, the path to excellence is open to you. It doesn’t require perfection. It requires presence, consistency, and the willingness to care deeply about something worth caring about.

Start today. Not with a heroic grand gesture — but with the next small, intentional step.

“Excellence is for everyone.” — Brad Stulberg

Sources & Further Reading

“Excellence Is for Everyone”: Author Brad Stulberg’s New Book Is a Blueprint for Being a Better You — Nice News

An Excellence Expert Shares 6 Lessons We Can All Learn From the Olympic Mindset — Nice News

The Way of Excellence by Brad Stulberg — Available on Amazon

Published by Nice News | nicenews.com | Curated February 2026