‘Inner Excellence’ by Jim Murphy is one of the most impactful books I’ve ever read. Throughout my reading of it, I highlighted every quote that hit me to the core. Here is the list -
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“Yoshitaka changed the course of his life, from one focused on power over others, to one focused on empowering others. Through this shift he gained deep contentment, joy and confidence and lived an extraordinary life”
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“Those destined for greatness must first walk alone in the desert”
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"Life is meant to be a journey connecting with others, growing together, discovering new and amazing things, rather than a game of constant comparison and competition, always trying to fit in or be successful”
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“It’s an extraordinary life and it’s available to all of us, but the cost is high. It takes clear intention and devotion, and the willingness to be vulnerable in order to develop your inner world”
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“If we want to develop confidence and poise under pressure, as well as deep contentment and joy, we need to challenge the assumptions and beliefs we have in our hearts - to see if they are really true”
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“The biggest obstacle we face, in performance and in life, is self-centeredness”
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“In the day-to-day trenches of adult life, there is actually no such thing as atheism. There is no such thing as not worshipping. Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship”
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“Maybe you’re a basketball player about to shoot a free throw with the game on the line, and previously, you would have been completely focused and nailed it. But this time rather than just going through your routine, you think ‘I’ve gotta make this’. That little switch in perspective is the beginning of a lifelong battle. You go from enjoying the moment to having to succeed, your heart on one side and ego on the other”
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“I’m not a mess but a deeply feeling person in a messy world. I explain that now, when someone asks why I cry so often, I say ‘For the same reason I laugh so often – because I’m paying attention.’ I tell them that we can choose to be perfect and admired or to be real and loved. We must decide.” - Glennon Doyle Melton, ‘Love Warrior’
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“Lead With your heart, expand your vision, and be fully present”
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“We become great not by avoiding our fears or even overcoming them, but by facing them and being willing to feel whatever emotion that might come up when we do”
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“Selfless actualization and defined it as achieving the highest calling possible – being your true self as you serve others and live with fulness of life”
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“I know, however, that as you’re reading this, you’re realizing that the greatest possible life is one filled with love, wisdom and courage. Love is fearless, wisdom creates the best long-term decisions and courage does it all with boldness and grace under pressure. These three virtues are the foundation for fulness of life, as well as extraordinary performance”
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“ To play with freedom means to play your sport or instrument or role like you did when you were a kid on the playground, with no concern for people’s opinions or how you compared – playing with unconditional love, not loving it if you well or may get some award”
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“Humility isn’t thinking less of yourself; it’s thinking of yourself less, reducing the self-protection and fear that comes from a self-centered life”
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“In our social-media-directed world, the new normal is a life of comparison. When we’re constantly comparing, we often feel not enough, which causes self protection, which leads to being easily offendable.”
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“The bigger your goals are, the smaller your group of peers becomes. Less and less people will be willing to sacrifice what you’re willing to sacrifice. They won’t have the same discipline or boundaries as you. This does not mean you’re better than them, it just means you need to be careful who you spend your time with, because you’re becoming like the people you spend the most time with”
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“If you cling to your life, you’ll lose it; but if you give up your life for others, you’ll find it.”
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“If you devote your life to a purpose beyond yourself, and commit to raising the level of excellence in your life in order to raise it in others, you’ll gain fullness of life”
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“To be selfless you must develop inner strength to walk by faith, not by sight, to end your reliance on stable circumstances or what others think of you. The more you do this, the more your life becomes a spiritual one of faith and fearlessness, rather than a physical and mental one of fear and scarcity”
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“You don’t have to like someone to love them”
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“Love is fearless. This trade of self-concern for love greatly expands your vision. The most powerful person is the one who has nothing to lose and everything to gain, who has no self to defend and a great purpose to pursue. This is humility”
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“A purpose beyond yourself moves your identity from what you have and what you’ve achieved to serving others; your value increases and your concern for self decreases.”
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“Everyday we wake up with the choice: do we let our natural self-centeredness and ego lead us toward doubts and fears, or do we choose to focus on love, wisdom, and courage?”
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“You can make a lot of money, win trophies, and perhaps have a million followers, but until you confront your ego and the fears that follow, you’ll never bring to the world what you are capable of bringing.”
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“Clinging to your life brings comparison and judgement, tension and separation. Giving up your life brings joy and peace, freedom and connection. To walk in love not fear is to live by faith, not by sight. It’s to live by what’s deeply meaningful and timeless rather than what’s superficial and temporary.”
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“The greatest thing you have is your mindset and single-minded devotion to the purpose for your life. Life is continually throwing challenges at us; to be creative and find solutions, we must have a clear mind, with no need to react nor threats to defend against. The ideas come when we’re fully present, able to see beauty, and not living in a constant state of reaction”
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“Renewing the mind is about continually going back to the Truth with a capital T (e.g. who God is and who you are), as well as capturing your thoughts, keeping the good ones, dismissing the others.”
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“This is one reason prayer before bed is so powerful: it’s letting go of your attachments and letting God take over.”
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“Consider the addiction of pride or needing to be recognized. It’s a hidden addiction that impacts every area of your life, but most people will carry it to their graves, never to get well. The reason is they don’t see it as a problem; this is it’s power”
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“The illness in all 12-step groups is self-centeredness. Working through the steps replaces self-centeredness with a growing moral consciousness and a willingness to engage in self-sacrifice and unselfish constructive action”
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“I surrendered control of my life to a power greater than myself. My life went from a physical and mental one to a spiritual one. I realized what true peacefulness was.”
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“I never prayed to make a putt. I always prayed I’d react well if I missed” - Chi Chi Rodriguez, Hall of Fame golfer
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“ You don’t direct the soul, you feed it, then the soul directs you.” - Dallas Willard. PhD, Director of Philosophy, University of Southern California
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“The direct route to a life of deep contentment, joy and confidence is to desire most what is most powerful and stable. So, what’s most powerful and stable? Unconditional love. It’s always present, always fearless, and never fails. It has strict boundaries and utmost respect for God, self and others.”
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“Whenever you’re not feeling positive or confident, act as if you are. Stand tall, look up, and remember all things are possible to those who believe. Your beliefs are constantly being reinforced or created every day of your life, based on what you repeatedly think and feel, especially, what you feel.”
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“If you want to live with peace and confidence independent of your life circumstances, and perform your best in each of those areas, you need to simplify your life. You need to sort out your heart. If you had to choose only one thing to devote your life to , what would it be?”
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“Go outside (ideally shoes and socks off), put your arms in a big Y (like a funnel), and imagine all the abundance of the universe flowing into you as you receive it with gratitude and joy. (Note: I generally say the Lord’s Prayer when doing this, but you might say or visualize whatever fills you with positive energy.)”
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“You are far more powerful than you think you are. Get out of your head. Stop analyzing and judging. Your conscious mind doesn’t know what’s possible in your life”
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“Stress is a choice. You are not stressed because of your situation, you’re stressed because of what you think about your situation. When you hurry, you choose stress. You choose not to believe that everything is working out for your good, that God hasn’t got you, that you need to try and control things that you cannot.”
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“Without gratitude, wisdom is not possible, at least not wisdom that understands the deep truth of who you are and what’s possible in your life.”
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“To raise the level of excellence in your life is to raise the level of love, wisdom and courage in your life – to be wholehearted and have integrity (be complete).”
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“When you’re wholehearted, you yearn to be a worthy opponent, someone who is worthy of their sufferings, someone who courageously faces all of life’s challenges with honor and integrity”
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“When you’re able to let go of ego and attachments, all things are possible. You can live the truth. Adversity becomes your helper, you free up to receive abundance.”
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“Don’t be the ignorant child who wants to keep making mud pies in the slum because he can’t imagine the holiday at sea. The whole candy store is waiting for you. Believe and receive”
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“Mastery is the endless pursuit of self-awareness, self-discipline and personal growth, where winning and achieving are only by-products. Each day has the same importance as the day before, with the same questions being asked of you: Will you be present and grateful today in each moment, and see what that moment has to teach you? Are you going to be true to yourself when the world around you is trying to make you like everyone else? Can you drop your attachment to your ego and listen and learn?”
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“The greatest obstacle to mastery is the ego. The ego is attached to the five ingredients of the affluenza virus: possessions, achievements, looks, money and status. Mastery gives the feeling of control, ironically by giving up trying to control things. The ego, however, is controlled by results. Mastery has freedom and ego has tension and anxiety. Mastery has few needs, while the ego is very needy.”
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“George St. Pierre, mixed martial artist world champion, would pray for his opponent before every match, thanking God for the person who made it possible for him to compete. The value in loving your opponent is that it is generally the most powerful way to create a positive, fearless energy that gives you the freedom to take risks, to fail, and to be the best you can be – especially against the best opponents, under the most pressure.”
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“Those who are most successful are those who would rather be wholehearted and their true selves than get a trophy or corner office”
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“No matter what business you’re in, the ability to still your mind and imagine your future is paramount. Everything happens twice: first in your mind and then in your life”
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“It’s an interesting paradox: on the hand, extraordinary performances come with incredible feelings, but on the other hand, developing those moments requires discipline and control of your feelings and emotions. Understanding the interplay of heightened awareness, confidence, relaxed intensity, and performing to succeed (but not being fixated on success) takes a lot of work. It takes commitment to learn about yourself. It’s not easy, but it’s well worth it.”
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“The trick with routines is to use them to help get the feeling of resonance, but whenever you are interrupted or cannot stick to your routine, tell yourself, ‘This is how it’s supposed to be today.’ Accept this interruption as if you chose it.”
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“Share your heart, not your ego”
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“Leadership is really about understanding human behavior and what drives people to sacrifice themselves for something greater. The best leaders see what’s possible for the group and empower the group members to reach that level.”
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“Peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best of which you are capable.”
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“If you want to be great, you need to visualize greatness and then work every day to develop your beliefs about what’s possible, your ability to focus and be fully present, and your freedom to play like a kid.”
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“The best possible life was pursued by being their true selves and serving others”
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“To be your true self is to overcome your natural self-centeredness and the limits its imposes”
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“We all have a deep need to be a part of something greater than ourselves, beyond profits and losses, winning and losing. Many of us go through life and never connect with that need, constantly trying to fill that longing with more wins, more money, more promotions. Tension and anxiety ensue, because we never have true freedom in performance when we’re dependent on the outcome to fill our deep needs”
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“If you can combine love, wisdom and courage with your vocation, it’s possible to reach a state of resonance so compelling that you would give your life for it.”
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“It takes courage to surrender your life, but in doing so you’ll connect with your true self and experience the sacred moments of resonance”
I hope some of these quotes hit home with you as much as they did for me. Thank y’all for the love and support. I cannot recommend this book enough. Thank you Jim Murphy for writing ‘Inner Excellence’ and changing my life for the better.