Jim Murphy is a mental performance coach for some of the most accomplished professional athletes in the world. Formerly a professional baseball player, he now focuses on helping others. You may have heard of him if you were watching the Philadelphia Eagles’ playoff run last season, and star wide receiver AJ Brown was reading Jim’s book Inner Excellence on the sideline between offensive series.

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The Learning Leader Show

  • The first 11 days of 2025, Inner Excellence (originally published 16 years ago) sold about 25 copies… What happened on January 12? AJ Brown was shown on TV reading it in between offensive series. It then sold 200,000 copies in 20 days.
  • Fear Lives in the Future – “There’s no fear when you’re present. Fear is a future thing.” Most anxiety comes from worrying about events that haven’t happened and likely won’t happen.
  • Give the best of what you have today. Be present.
  • Heart, will, spirit = the deepest part of you
  • When we’re at our best, there’s no thought of self.
  • The Heart’s Five Deep Needs – Worth, love/acceptance, integrity, purpose beyond yourself, and growth. “When you’re pursuing these things, then you can really have a sense of fearlessness more often.”
  • Selflessness Equals Fearlessness – “When you’re completely selfless, then you’re fearless. It’s the ‘what’s gonna happen to me’ that creates the fear.” Elite performance happens when there’s no self-consciousness.
  • BFF Framework: Belief, Freedom, Focus – Inner Excellence revolves around expanding what you believe is possible, developing freedom to play like a kid, and maintaining present-moment focus.
  • Process Over Results – “We never talk about results… It’s about getting better every day.” Focus on daily improvement in specific skills rather than outcomes you can’t fully control.
  • Dick Vermiel’s coaching style – Coach the person first. Then the sport (or the thing you’re doing). The same is true for any leadership role. People won’t care what you think unless they know you actually care about them.
  • 4 Daily Goals
    • Give the best of what you have today
    • Be present. Fear is a future thing.
    • Be grateful
    • Focus on what you can control
  • Anxiety is a mind with too many thoughts and concerns. Need to face our fears.
  • 3 Key Areas:
    • Belief – expand what you think is possible.
    • Freedom – play like a kid (let it rip).
    • Focus – Be fully present
  • Status vs amazing experiences. Love is the most powerful force in the universe. Joy comes from love. Love can come from weaknesses.
  • Ego – Always comparing, creates a fear of screwing up
  • Rory McIlroy – Didn’t care if he made the cut at the US Open. Played free and made a few birdies at the end of the second round and made the cut.
  • Jim’s Dedication: “My father, Donald C. Murphy. The one who greatly influenced me to think deeply about what to love and what to let go of. I love you. See you soon.” His dad worked on the Apollo 11 mission. The first lunar landing.
  • Grade yourself on presence. 4 daily goals. Rate them 1-10. Anxiety is a sign that someone isn’t present.
  • Jim has always struggled with being self-centered.
  • Be non-judgmental. Share unconditional love.
  • Ricky Scruggs – Former teammate and roommate in pro baseball. He invited me to the desert in 2003. Led me to take the risk to leave the safety of family and friends to pursue a meaningful life.
  • What about for those people who say your stuff is “woo-woo?”  “I get paid to help people perform better. And that’s what happens when you work with me.”
  • “My whole life, I obsessed about being a superstar, being rich and famous. What I now realize is what I’ve always wanted was to feel fully alive. I’ve realized since that what I always really wanted was to feel fully alive. That’s what Inner Excellence is about. Pursuing a full life and letting everything else be added. We’re created for relationships.”
  • Among Jim’s strengths is that he listens and doesn’t judge. That’s what many people want. “I have this one client, a pro athlete. He said, ‘Jim, I smoke, I gamble, I drink. I do all these things, but I don’t think you do all those things. Do you think we can work together?’ I said, ‘If you don’t judge me for not doing those things, I won’t judge you for doing those things.’ We became great friends.”
  • Resonance Key #3 – Love Your Opponent. “The opponent is not the enemy– they’re our partner in the dance.” – Phil Jackson
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Resources:

More Learning:

Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon

Episode 216: Jim Collins — How To Go From Good To Great

Episode #300: AJ & Keith Hawk – How To Instill Work Ethic & Curiosity In Your Children

Episode #303: General Stanley McChrystal – The New Definition Of Leadership

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