November 25, 2025
7 Principles of Inner Excellence to Stay Calm Under Fire | Jim Murphy
The Knowledge ProjectAbout this episode
Top Performance Coach Jim Murphy reveals how to eliminate fear, master pressure, and unlock elite performance. Jim spent 5 years writing Inner Excellence, the mental toughness manual that shot from obscurity to #1 New York Times bestseller overnight when star athlete A.J. Brown was caught reading it on the sidelines of a NFL playoff game. A personal coach to professional baseball players and Olympic athletes, he teaches how extraordinary performance and a meaningful life follow the exact same path. ----- Approximate Chapters: (00:00) Introduction (01:01) The Three Elements of Inner Excellence (04:36) Before Fame (05:42) Discovery: When A.J. Brown Read ‘Inner Excellence’ on TV (12:01) Powering Your Life With Clean Fuel vs. Dirty Fuel (16:26) Ad Break (22:34) Why You Avoid Life by Keeping 'Busy' (25:39) Purpose in Life and How He Found Religion (31:09) The Interaction of Ego, Self-Centeredness, and Self-Confidence (33:59) How to Navigate Failure and Learn From It (41:43) Dealing With Comparison in the Modern World (47:34) Discovering Your Inner Excellence (51:25) Does Success Equal Happiness? (55:00) Feeling Guilt or FOMO About Life Choices (01:01:21) Changing Your Focus to Get Through Challenging Goals (01:05:40) Choices Are Hard to Act On, Rules Are Not (01:10:40) Daily Mantras for Success (01:12:15) Is the Best Possible Life Driven by Ambition or Love? (01:14:52) Why Do We Train Our Bodies but Don’t Train Our Minds? (01:15:38) What Is Success for You? ----- Upgrade: Get a hand edited transcripts and ad free experiences along with my thoughts and reflections at the end of every conversation. Learn more @ fs.blog/membership ------ Newsletter: The Brain Food newsletter delivers actionable insights and thoughtful ideas every Sunday. It takes 5 minutes to read, and it’s completely free. Learn more and sign up at fs.blog/newsletter ------ Follow Shane Parrish: X: https://x.com/shaneparrish Insta: https://www.instagram.com/farnamstreet/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shane-parrish-050a2183/ ------ Thank you to the sponsors for this episode: Basecamp: Stop struggling, start making progress. Get somewhere with Basecamp. Sign up free at http://basecamp.com/knowledgeproject reMarkable: Get your paper tablet at https://www.reMarkable.com today Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices