The Passion Paradox

A Guide to Going All In, Finding Success, and Discovering the Benefits of an Unbalanced Life
by Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness | Rodale Books © 2019 · 192 pages

Brad Stulberg writes, coaches, and speaks on health and human performance. Steve Magness coaches some of the world’s top distance runners and has propelled numerous athletes to Olympic trials, world championship teams, and the Olympics. This is the second book they’ve written together. We featured the first one Peak Performance. When this book came out, Brad reached out to let me know I might enjoy it. I immediately got it, immediately read it and, well, here we are. He was right. I loved it. Big Ideas we explore include the fact that passion needs to be handled with care, the "fit mind-set" (vs. the mastery mind-set), two kinds of passion (obsessive vs. harmonious), the mastery mindset (secret sauce #1) and self-awareness (secret sauce #2).


Passion, when approached the right way, is an ongoing practice. A practice that leads to not only a wonderful experience of working, but also a wonderful experience of living.
Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness

“This book began as an intimate exploration to better understand how we, Brad and Steve, could live with passion in a constructive, healthy, and sustainable way. We scoured the literature, reading texts from biology, psychology, anthropology, and philosophy; interviewed cutting-edge researchers from across disciplines all over the world; met with and studied not only individuals whose passion built them up, but also those whose passion broke them down; and looked deep inside ourselves, discovering the good, the bad, and the ugly about our own respective relationships with passion.

Perhaps you have an idea of where you fall on the passion spectrum. Maybe you have an inkling of a career path or business idea you want to pursue, but you have doubts or fears. Or perhaps you’re contemplating going all-in on an idea, whether that means starting a company or training to become an elite athlete. Maybe you’re already following your passion but you’re feeling the beginning of burnout, or you’re neglecting other aspects of your life, such as your friends, family, or just experiencing joy outside your chosen pursuit. Or maybe you’re feeling all out of a passion that once fueled you. No matter where you are in the passion process, this book will help get you on track. You’ll learn how to manage your relationship with passion and cultivate the kind of passion that lights you up rather than burns you out or sets your life on fire.”

~ Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness from The Passion Paradox

Brad Stulberg writes, coaches, and speaks on health and human performance.

Steve Magness coaches some of the world’s top distance runners and has propelled numerous athletes to Olympic trials, world championship teams, and the Olympics.

This is the second book they’ve written together.

We featured the first one Peak Performance. I created a Note and one of my PhilosophersNotes TV episodes on it. And… When this book came out, Brad reached out to let me know I might enjoy it. I immediately got it, immediately read it and, well, here we are.

He was right.

I loved their take on Peak Performance (remember the importance of training recovery!) and I also loved their take on The Passion Paradox. (Get a copy of the book here.)

As always, the book is packed with Big Ideas. I’m excited to share a few of my favorites so let’s jump straight in!

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About the authors

Authors

Brad Stulberg

Researcher, writer, speaker, and coach on health and the science of human performance.
Authors

Steve Magness

Performance coach, author, and lecturer.