Over the past decade, I have reviewed hundreds of studies and interviewed dozens of elite performers, including athletes, scientists, artists, physicians, educators and businesspeople, and I have found the top indicators of people’s lasting success and satisfaction came down to how they answered these five questions:
- Did they give their pursuit their all?
- Did they live in alignment with their values?
- Were they patient and present?
- Did they embrace their own vulnerability?
- And did they build meaningful and mutually respectful relationships along the way?
To my surprise, no idea has resonated more with Olympic medalists than groundedness — that you can be a good person and reach great heights.
— Brad Stulberg, from “What the Olympics Can Teach Us About Excellence” (NY Times, August 9, 2024). Brad Stulberg is the author of “The Practice of Groundedness: A Transformative Path to Success that Feeds — Not Crushes — Your Soul” and a co-founder of the newsletter The Growth Equation