Uncommon Excellence

#20 The Art of Running (Part 1)

Episode Summary

“What’s crucial is whether your work reaches the standard you set — not what others expect.” In this solo episode of Uncommon Excellence, I dive into the philosophy of Haruki Murakami and what it means to create, endure, and grow for yourself. Through quotes pulled from What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, we explore the mindset of mastery — the kind that doesn’t seek approval, applause, or quick wins. Just quiet, relentless improvement. I talk about what I’ve learned from long-distance effort, and why “pain is inevitable, suffering is optional” might be the truest advice for any creator. This is about setting a bar so high only you would know if you missed — and then having the courage to meet it.

Episode Notes

What I learned from What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami

In this solo episode of Uncommon Excellence, I dive into the philosophy of Haruki Murakami and what it means to create, endure, and grow for yourself.

Through quotes pulled from What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, we explore the mindset of mastery — the kind that doesn’t seek approval, applause, or quick wins. Just quiet, relentless improvement.

I talk about why I’m committed to going all-in on this podcast, what I’ve learned from long-distance effort, and why “pain is inevitable, suffering is optional” might be the truest advice for any creator.

This is about setting a bar so high only you would know if you missed — and then having the courage to meet it.