What truly defines “living your best life”? Forget external markers like wealth or status—renowned performance coach Jim Murphy, former professional baseball player turned world-class instructor, argues it’s about cultivating inner peace, joy, and unwavering resilience. This philosophy underpins his approach called Inner Excellence, a framework that has helped Olympians, business leaders, and even world champion golfers achieve peak performance and well-being.
Murphy emphasizes that many of us are focused on the “wrong game,” chasing societal definitions of success tied to achievement or possessions. These pursuits often leave us feeling empty, even when goals are reached. He illustrates this with a thought experiment: Would you choose a multimillion-dollar house burdened by stress and pressure, or financial simplicity paired with inner contentment? While most desire both, the choice forces a deeper examination of values. Does your ambition stem from aligning with your true self or seeking external validation to quell an internal void?
This isn’t about dismissing ambition altogether. Rather, it’s about clarifying motivations. “When people come to me with big goals, the first thing I ask is, why do you want this?” Murphy says. Identifying this root cause allows for a more fulfilling journey, whether or not the desired outcome is ultimately achieved.
Mastering the Ego: Training Your Mind Like An Athlete
Central to Inner Excellence is mastering the ego—that voice constantly judging, comparing, and fearing rejection. We often operate unknowingly on autopilot, driven by egoic impulses. To counteract this, Murphy advocates daily practices that cultivate non-judgmental awareness and presence. These techniques help individuals achieve a “flow of resonance,” aligning heart, mind, and body in the present moment—a state familiar to elite athletes but attainable for anyone.
This approach emphasizes focusing on process over outcomes. Instead of fixating on winning or specific achievements, Inner Excellence encourages prioritizing practices like:
- Giving your best effort: Focus on the quality of your actions rather than the result.
- Staying present: Cultivate mindfulness and awareness in each moment.
- Practicing gratitude: Shift attention to what you have instead of what you lack.
- Returning to grounding routines: Anchor yourself through habits that promote stability.
These practices shift focus inward, away from external pressures and towards personal agency. “Excellence isn’t about being the best in the world,” Murphy explains, “It’s about being your best—day after day, moment after moment.”
Five Pillars for Everyday Excellence: Cultivating Inner Peace
Here are five core practices anyone can integrate into daily life to cultivate Inner Excellence:
- Detach from Outcomes: Recognize when you cling too tightly to specific results. Realign your energy towards the process itself instead of fixating on the end goal.
- Challenge Your Ego Daily: Confront the discomfort of being judged or feeling vulnerable. Embracing these experiences builds resilience and frees you from ego-driven anxieties.
- Fuel Your Heart: Be mindful of the content you consume—books, podcasts, social media—as it shapes your mindset. Actively choose inputs that align with the person you aspire to be.
- Seek Awe and Wonder: Make time for simple moments of beauty—a work of art, a quiet walk in nature, even observing everyday details like a changing light pattern. Cultivating awe resets perspective and reconnects you to something larger than yourself.
- Integrate Service: Genuine joy arises from love and sacrifice. Find ways to serve others, whether through small acts of kindness or supporting causes you believe in. Release the need for recognition and find fulfillment in giving back.
By practicing these habits, Murphy believes we can move away from “affluenza”—the pervasive obsession with possessions and achievements—and towards a life rooted in presence and compassion. True success, he reminds us, isn’t about external validation but about becoming the best version of ourselves through consistent inner work.
