Brad Stulberg has a list of accomplishments that would make most authors drip with envy. Hundreds of thousands of books sold. A regular column in Outside Magazine. Contributions to publications like The New York Times, Sports Illustrated and Wired. A blue checkmark on Twitter and tens of thousands of followers. A lot of Brad’s message is about avoiding the trappings of chasing external validation - yet, he remains acutely aware of the necessity of playing the status game in order to create the opportunity to do the work that he loves and spread the message that he cares about. Check out the full conversation with Brad to learn how to chase lofty goals without burning out, how to properly balance chasing status with focusing on the internal process, and how to mitigate the damage of burning the candle at both ends when it’s necessary.

Check out more from Brad and The Growth Equation here:

• Website: www.thegrowtheq.com
• Podcast: The Growth Equation Podcast
• Twitter: @bstulberg
• Amazon: Peak Performance | The Passion Paradox

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Show Notes:

• [01:05] What’s the deal with burnout? Is this a millennial thing or what?
• [06:13] What are the costs of the performative culture of social media? What are the differences between online environments that encourage performative behavior and “real life” environments that encourage performative behavior? Is this type of performing a net positive for certain personality types?
• [16:00] When are external signals of your social status the actual limiting factor in achieving your goals? And, why are humans wired to endlessly strive for “more” and “better” rather than being content?
• [24:41] Most people understand that they should “focus on the process,” but having an environment in which you can focus on the process is often dependent on achieving some level of external success.
• [29:10] The marketplace of ideas related to performance and self-development is full of opinions that aren’t actually helpful for people because extreme views sell. How do you get attention for your ideas in a noisy marketplace without becoming the thing you hate in order to get attention?
• [42:00] How do you decide when it’s appropriate to burn the candle at both ends working or to “see God” in a workout? And, when it’s time to go to extremes, how do you minimize the long-term consequences to yourself?
• [51:15] More about The Growth Equation and Brad and Steve’s weekly newsletter and podcast.

Links and Resources Mentioned

• The Last Dance (TV series)
• Michael Jordan
• Dennis Rodman
• Grant Hill
• Kim Jong-un
• The Arrival Fallacy
• Jocko Willink
• Whole Foods Market
• Tony Robbins
• Barack Obama
• Phil Jackson
• “Mistakes Were Made (but Not by Me)” by Carol Tavris & Elliot Aronson
• Lance Armstrong
• Joe Rogan
• David Foster Wallace