Brad Stulberg on Beating Burnout and Finding Balance with Groundedness

Muscle for Life with Mike Matthews

Have you ever tried to make a big change in your life, and instead of easing into it and slowly building up the necessary behaviors and habits, you dove headfirst towards the goal and went all-out? This is common and it often leads to disaster.

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with having big goals, wanting to do things “right,” or giving something your best effort. However, trying to outperform and constantly chasing end goals is a recipe for burnout and never really feeling fulfilled.

So, how do we find balance?

Well, in this interview, I’m chatting with Brad Stulberg about a different approach—one he calls “groundedness” and which he has written about in his newest book, The Practice of Groundedness. Brad explains this concept in-depth in the interview, but “groundedness” is a way to harness your motivation and energy and help you become more process-oriented instead of end-goal driven, which can lead to improved well-being and outcomes.

In case you’re not familiar with Brad, he’s a researcher, writer, and coach on well-being and what it takes to succeed. As an author, he’s been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, New Yorker, Sports Illustrated, and more. He helps executives, entrepreneurs, and athletes work on their mental game, improve their overall well-being, and achieve excellence.

He’s also the coauthor of Peak Performance, a book I did a Book Club episode on in 2017. In our chat, Brad and I talk about . . .

• How to create an "internal dashboard" so you can stop chasing end results and outcomes
• How to discover and define your core values so you can enjoy the process more
• The role your environment plays in helping or hurting your groundedness practice
• Role-modeling behavior to loved ones rather than trying to convince others to change a behavior with you
• The power of acceptance and why it matters for lasting change
• Why patience actually gets you to your goals faster
• How to foster community and why it’s important for success
• And more . . .

So if you want to build confidence, find more balance in your life, be happier, avoid burnout, and learn how to realize excellence and more sustainable success, you’re going to love this podcast!

Timestamps:

0:00 - New Pulse flavor Strawberry Margarita is out now! Go to buylegion.com/pulse and use coupon code MUSCLE to save 20% or get double reward points!

5:39 - What is “groundedness”?

6:31 - Is the idea to tie it into some sense of purpose?

12:21 - What are your thoughts on finding core values? How did you figure out those things for yourself?

15:10 - What are some of the common barriers to groundedness?

19:41 - Do you have any advice on dealing with relationships that don’t support your core values?

23:38 - Why do you believe in no cell phones in the bedroom?

28:16 - How can people be more accepting of their own faults and problems?

44:17 - What does a positive community look like and how have you created that in your life?

55:07 - Where can people find you and your work?

Mentioned on the show:

New Pulse flavor Strawberry Margarita is out now! Try Pulse risk-free today! Go to buylegion.com/pulse and use coupon code MUSCLE to save 20% or get double reward points!

The Practice of Groundedness: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08PXVXGSM/?tag=mflweb-20

Brad’s website: www.bradstulberg.com

Brad’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/BStulberg