BJJ Mental Models Ep. 383: The Way of Excellence in BJJ, feat. Brad Stulberg
32 snips
Mar 30, 2026 
Brad Stulberg, author and performance researcher focused on human flourishing and mastery. He breaks down excellence as caring, curiosity, and consistency. He contrasts performative versus real pursuit, explains plateaus as part of growth, and offers ways to reframe nerves, manage trade-offs, and build momentum through steady practice.
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Excellence Is A Two Way Relationship
- Excellence is an ongoing process of involved engagement where the goal also shapes your character.
- Brad Stulberg defines excellence as caring deeply about a worthwhile project that aligns with your values, making the pursuit bi-directional.
Play The Long Game Not The Win
- Shift goals from obsessing over wins to putting yourself in a position to win repeatedly.
- Stulberg recommends the 48-hour rule: process a big result or loss briefly, then return to the craft for learning and recovery.
Care Curiosity And Consistency
- Give a damn, stay curious, and prioritize consistency as the core pillars for progress.
- Stulberg calls these the three C's: caring (avoid self-handicapping), curiosity (reframe fear), and consistency (favor steady effort).
