You Don’t Need To Burn Out To Succeed — Here’s A Better Way

In a world that often glorifies relentless hustle, Steve Magness offers a refreshingly balanced perspective on achieving excellence. 

A renowned performance coach, bestselling author, and Olympic-level running expert, Magness shares his insights on how fulfillment and excellence can work hand in hand on a recent episode of the mindbodygreen podcast. 

His new book, Win the Inside Game: How to Move from Surviving to Thriving, and Free Yourself Up to Perform, lays out a powerful framework for sustainable success in an increasingly overwhelming world.

Magness argues that the path to excellence we've been sold is fundamentally flawed. Instead of focusing solely on achievements, sacrifices, and external validation, he shows how to balance ambition with inner peace, connection, and meaning. Drawing on his vast experience, Magness provides a three-part framework to help readers align their values, actions, and relationships to achieve true success.

At the heart of Magness’ philosophy is a rejection of the "win-at-all-costs" mindset. “We often think that to be excellent, we need to sacrifice everything else,” he explains. But the truth is, fulfillment and excellence work off each other. “The more fulfilled we are—and the more secure we are in who we are and why we’re pursuing something—the more it boosts our journey toward excellence.”

Magness draws on the teachings of Adam Smith, the father of modern capitalism, to drive home his point. Smith warned that pursuing achievements without balancing them with contentment leads to misery. Magness echoes this sentiment, emphasizing that while striving for greatness is essential, it must coexist with a sense of inner tranquility. 

Magness introduces a simple yet profound framework for achieving this balance: Be, Do, Belong. It’s a guide to aligning your identity, actions, and relationships with your values.

Be: Understand who you are at your core, beyond societal expectations or external validation. Clarity of identity is key to resilience. Without it, Magness says, “you’ll be fragile, constantly projecting an image of yourself instead of being true to who you are.”

Do: Pursue your goals with intention and nuance. Magness cautions against tying your entire identity to a single pursuit. For example, being solely defined as "a writer" or "a runner" creates a fragile sense of self. Instead, embrace the complexity of your life and see how your pursuits fit into a broader picture.

Magness stresses the importance of diversifying your life’s sources of meaning. Whether it’s picking up a hobby, cultivating relationships, or finding spiritual grounding, these seemingly small acts can enhance resilience and creativity. 

He shares a powerful anecdote about a world-class runner whose performance improved after taking up knitting. By stepping away from her sport for brief moments, she was able to recharge and return stronger.

One of the most compelling insights from Magness is how top performers rewire their relationship with stress. While we often assume elite athletes are fearless and unshakable, the truth is they experience the same doubts and panic as the rest of us.

“I remember sitting in front of some of the best marathoners in the world and asking them, ‘Does the thought ever cross your mind to just duck into a porta-potty mid-race and not come out?’” Magness recalls. “Every hand went up.” Even athletes at the highest level fantasize about quitting. What sets them apart is how they interpret those feelings.

Instead of seeing stress as a sign of impending failure, they learn to frame it as a challenge—something to rise to, rather than something to escape. “That exposure allows you to have the opportunities to learn to navigate it,” he explains. It’s similar to exposure therapy in psychology: each time you face a high-pressure moment and push through, your brain learns that you're capable of handling more than you thought.

Magness points to research showing that our performance hinges not just on the presence of stress, but on how we appraise it. Do we view the stressor as a threat to our identity and self-worth—or as an opportunity to grow? Those who make that mental shift are the ones who bounce back from setbacks, adapt quickly, and sustain performance over the long term.

Magness emphasizes that genuine connection and belonging are not just nice-to-haves—they’re fundamental to resilience. 

Magness highlights a striking study: when participants were placed in an fMRI machine and exposed to something they were terrified of—like a snake or spider—the fear centers of their brains lit up. But when they simply held the hand of someone they loved, those fear responses were cut in half.

Magness’ insights remind us that excellence isn’t about grinding ourselves into the ground. It’s about finding meaning, building resilience, and embracing connection.