Motivational Author Jim Murphy Talks ‘Inner Excellence’ Book & More with Rich Eisen | Full Interview

This book burst on certainly the National Football League scene out of nowhere, thanks to AJ Brown. Inner Excellence: Train Your Mind for Extraordinary Performance and the Best Possible Life shot up every single chart known to bookselling man. Jim Murphy, the author, is here on the Rich Eisen Show at the top of July. It is good to see you here.

Thank you.

So just walk me through you finding out that AJ Brown was holding your book in his hands On the sideline of an actual game that, by the way, was on Fox with their number one crew and Tom Brady in the booth. Every whole country is watching this game. Were you watching it at the time?

I actually was watching Notre Dame play Penn State, a bowl game that had already happened. I look at my phone and I see all these texts and I'm like, I thought my mom had died because she was— she actually died 4 days later.

Oh no.

So that was January 12th. And there's a lot of answers to prayers because she was suffering. So, and she was 91.

Okay.

But January 12th, she died on the 16th. And so I look at my phone, I think, oh, did mom die? And then the texts say, you need to watch this game, the Eagles-Packers game. And so I turn it on.

From a friend of yours?

Yeah, a bunch of people.

Okay, sure. Saying turn the game on.

Yeah. And then I watched it and I was like, wow. So I saw it the first time, just like the rest of America. I knew he had the book. I just didn't know he was bringing it to every game and reading it before every game and after every drive.

Mm-hmm. I mean, look at that right there. There he is. Just, I've never, by the way, I've never seen anything like this. I've been with the NFL Network 22 years. I've seen countless football games. With Stuart Scott. From back in my day, yes, with Stuart Scott on the ESPN set. I've never seen a player reading a book on the sideline. And, you know, it's clear that multiple times he's been doing this sort of thing, you know. So, but you did know he had the book is what you're saying?

Right, right. And, you know, it's so amazing that, you know, it shows us all that we all have time to read and grow.

Right. And so here he is doing that. And so your phone explodes, right?

That's right.

What happens next for you?

Yeah. And then it was this onslaught of messages and emails and texts and just, I couldn't keep up with them, interview requests. And actually NFL, Good Morning Football. Yeah, Good Morning Football. They wanted a book that night, and I didn't— they said, can you get a book to us tonight in LA? And so there was a little bit of a circus there trying to make that happen.

But yeah, I don't understand. There's something called Barnes& Noble, you know what I mean?

Well, it was only Amazon until April 29th because it was self-published.

So you self-published this book? That's right, yeah. Why?

Well, there's multiple reasons. Initially, this— the book first— the first version came out in 2009, so it's 16 years old. I got the rights to it in 2018 or so, and then I self-published in 2020. I wanted to make a few adjustments, and also the original cover, I had no control over it, and I just wanted to have a little more control over the product.

So, you self-publish it, In 2020.

That's right.

And it is just on Amazon, only on Amazon. That's right.

Yeah.

And then AJ Brown grabs the book, reads it on a sideline, the whole country sees it and everything changes.

Yeah.

That's unbelievable. Do you ever sit back and think about how crazy that is, Jim?

You know, the whole journey has been crazy. Just, you know, my whole life, there's so many times when I'm looking back at my life and I can see how everything led up to this and how God's been training me. And in the time And when things are really tough, you never know, like, okay, this is training for me. That's the hardest time to figure it out. You're just like, this sucks. Right. And so to understand now, looking back, I can see, oh, that, 'cause my dream was to be a major league baseball player. I wanted to have, hit home runs, make millions of dollars. And every guy's gonna wanna be me. And every girl's gonna wanna be with me. And that's gonna be my life. And then I got injured and lost it. And I felt like I lost everything. And so then I got a job coaching with the Texas Rangers and it just didn't work out. I just, I felt like a failure. And I go to the desert and spend 5 years full-time writing and researching this book, and here we are.

So let's just hit a little bit further back then. You're in the Cubs organization, right? What'd you play?

I was an outfielder.

You were an outfielder?

Yeah.

How good were you as a prep star? Were you good?

I was decent.

Okay.

Yeah.

What was your game? Power? Hit for power?

Yeah, I was, you know, center fielder, so fast and home runs.

Lefty? Righty?

Uh, righty.

Okay.

Yeah.

Do you write— do you write left and throw right?

Well, the funny thing is, uh, I write right— I'm right-handed, but I write left-handed.

You— I literally said that as a joke. I did not mean that that was for real. So you literally write left, throw right?

Yeah, although when I went to the desert, I taught myself to write right-handed, so now I write both.

Wow, now that's inner excellence. Holy crap. Okay, so, um, what happened? How'd you get hurt? What happened?

It was actually my eyes. I, uh, you know, in baseball, obviously you gotta track a moving object.

Sure.

And that goes really fast.

Yeah.

And so it's called dynamic visual acuity, your— the ability of your eyes to work together to track a moving object. And I— my eyes lost that ability to do it well.

No kidding. And then also, like, all of a sudden?

I think it was a subconscious thing, really, 'cause it didn't happen until I got into pro ball. And my dad was really against me becoming rich and famous.

And So you think it was psychological?

I think so.

Why this happened to you? All right. And so then you got into coaching is what you're saying, right?

Yeah. I was driving a truck for FedEx in Seattle and I got asked to coach a high school, all boys school team and the JV at O'Day High School in inner city Seattle and had no interest in coaching. Never even thought about it. And I thought, you know what? Give it a shot. And it was so much fun. We went undefeated. And so from there, I always had a kind of an obsessive personality. And so I was like, okay, I coached these high school kids. Now, how am I gonna coach the Yankees and win the World Series? How do I go from here to there? And so I came up with this elaborate plan. I'm gonna get a master's in phys ed and then get a job teaching and coach the baseball team in high school and then get a job in college and then in the pros. And so went to grad school, actually played football at the University of British Columbia. After 8 years off, started a baseball team there that's now varsity baseball across Canada. And—

Geez, Jim.

Wow. Then I got a job with the Texas Rangers 2 weeks after graduation. So I had this life coach. He said, let's skip the whole high school, college thing. Let's go for a job in pro baseball by getting to know the people that can hire you.

So which part of the organization with the Rangers were you?

So I was an assistant coach with the Savannah Sad Nats. Now the Bananas.

The Bananas?

Yeah.

Are you serious? No kidding. That's so awesome. The Savannah, what did it say?

So the Savannah Sand Gnats was their name. So they were a single-A team for the Texas Rangers at the time.

And they became the Savannah Bananas.

Yeah.

My gosh, what a story. And we're not even halfway through it. Okay, so why did you write Inner Excellence, Jim? What caused you to sit down and put on a piece of paper I didn't do this.

I didn't, I went to the desert to live a life of solitude. I gave away over half my possessions and I just wanted to figure out what to do with my life. And I had, back in the day when we had screensavers on our computers, my screensaver said, those destined for greatness must first walk alone in the desert. And so, I get a call from my teammate in pro baseball, Ricky Scruggs. He said, can you come down to Tucson, Arizona and help me launch a baseball academy? And so, I just, at that time in my life, I was just like, you know what? I'm going to go to Arizona and I'm going to go live a life of solitude and help him out a little bit until I figure out what to do with my life.

How old were you now?

I was in my 30s. You're in your 30s. Yeah.

Okay. Right?

Yeah. And so, I go down there.

No wife, no kids?

Yeah. Never been married. Came close once. Still single.

Okay.

And so, yeah. So, I was not living in a teepee or something. I was in this house.

Okay.

I lived in the baseball academy for a couple months with no shower, showered at the gym. But what kind of epitomizes my time in the desert was, it was my first or second New Year's Eve. I'm in this empty house writing in my journal, and I hear a noise, and I go outside, and I see fireworks. And that's the first time I realized it was December 31st. I didn't know what day it was. And so, it was a lonely time. So, I was there for 2 and a half years. In my time in the desert, I was just, what am I going to do with my life? And I decided to become a personal coach to pro baseball players and teach them how to have peace and confidence under pressure. And my first 2 athletes did amazing. So then I thought, okay, let's put together a little manual for future clients.

Sure.

And from my master's paper, I got that job with the Texas Rangers by getting to know the people that could hire me. So I was doing my master's paper on how to build a championship team. So, I interviewed 39 Major League Baseball managers and GMs and other coaches. And so, I had that experience of doing these interviews. And so, I thought, you know what, I'm going to call up a sports psychologist and ask him, how can a Major League Baseball player in Game 7 of the World Series, bottom of the 9th, 2 outs, bases loaded, full count, down by 1, how can that guy have peace and confidence in that sort of pressure? And similarly, how can an Olympic athlete train for 4 years for an event that may last less than a minute? and have peace and confidence was so much out of their control. And it just brought more questions than it did answers. So I called another psychologist and another and another, and I spent 5 years full-time writing and researching that question, and that became the book Inner Excellence.

Well, I mean, do you have a general sense of why athletes can focus on that sort of thing and pass along that instruction to people?

I know that there's a whole book on it, but Yeah, and I think, you know, what would be helpful is maybe if we talk about the, uh, little golf tournament you got coming up next week.

Let's do it. Okay, let's, let's drill down on that. How do I find my inner excellence when I'm at the American Century Championship?

So tell me about why are you going over there?

I was invited.

Okay, so you go to— you're a very busy guy. Um, everything you're invited to?

Um, no, I, I, I'm— I— it's, it's a prestigious event.

Um, so you want to look good, that's why you want to be with these famous people. You're already with a lot of famous people. You are famous.

It's a prestigious event, um, that is, um, a unique setting from— I did it 21 years ago, and I kind of want to go back and experience it now that my life's different.

By the way, I'm not saying you're up, but I'm looking at that picture in the background behind you. Yes, sorry to change the subject, we'll get back to this.

Sure.

And I'm thinking about you being a, a sprinter And that's really cool. And not only that, but congrats on having, um, beating your, your, the first time 20 years ago. This year you beat that time.

I— God bless you. Yes, but 20 years ago I did it in dress shoes. This time I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm— the gap's getting smaller. I need to find my interactions because, I mean, no, no, no, I could have just— this is not an ego thing to go to, to go to this tournament. It's really cool. There's a bunch of people who I know, right? They've been guests on the show. It's something that I, you know, I never take 4 days out of my, my, my life to just do something and just hang out. Like, I'm going to hang out, meet people, have some fun, and hopefully, you know, play some decent golf.

Okay. So I was just kidding about the ego.

Sure.

So, um, you wanna have fun and it's kind of an event that you did a while back and, and you wanted to—

I didn't do very well in it.

Correct.

Yeah. And that might have been the 21-year hiatus. I might have left, uh, a few divots on the course 21 years ago.

So, um, some feelings weren't great from that.

That's correct.

You know, when, you know, maybe chunk a chip or miss a, you know, easy putt or whatever, negative, some negative feelings.

That is correct, yes, sir.

And so maybe that contributed to not going back for a while.

That's correct.

And so you don't want to repeat that again?

I do not, no, sir.

And so kind of what's, what would you say is the main reason you're going?

Um, just, just because. I mean, again, it's a great event. Everybody tells me it's awesome.

And you like golf?

I do. I, God, I love playing it. I wish I was better at it.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay. So you really just want to go have a great experience?

That is 100%. Yes.

Okay.

Yes.

So you can totally do that. You can, if that's what you want most, you can completely do that.

How do I do this?

Well, first of all, you got to make sure you understand what you want most. And we just got to that part. You want to, you want to have a great experience.

That's correct.

And so, um, how do you want to feel when you're out there?

Oh, Chris, I had no idea I was going down this road right here. I know, but I think you really need to explore this part, uh, you know, deep down to kind of unlock your game. So how do I want to feel when I'm out there? Yeah, calm. I want to get out of my skull.

You want to feel calm and—

I want to feel calm and—

And when you're on your— like, yeah, when you're with your kids.

Yes, sir.

What is it that— what does that feel like?

It depends, Jim. It depends.

Well, are they listening to me, Jim?

Jim, are they listening to me or are they not listening to me?

That was, that was a bit of a broad question.

I was about to say, I mean, you talk about uncontrollables. Good Lord.

I mean, I mean, the greatest moments. The greatest moments.

Oh, it feels—

Best dad ever.

It's, it's awesome. It's great to spend time with them and experience life with them and give them life lessons.

What's the feeling that you get?

A warm and Fuzzy.

Okay, warm and fuzzy. So getting more of that would be good?

Yes.

Okay, you want to have more of that.

Are you telling me to start drinking now? Is that what you're trying to say? No?

Was the drinking— is that what caused the, uh— No, it did not. No.

Yeah, it's just operator error. I am taking lessons to make sure that I'm feeling comfortable, uh, and I, I've, I've improved vastly in just like 3 weeks, so I'm happy about that.

The goal that you have, you wanna have a great experience, does not depend on where the ball goes.

Okay.

It depends on what you want most. And like, if you set your mind to it and do what— here's 4 goals that you can think of. So these are every athlete that I work with has these 4 daily goals.

Fantastic.

One is just gonna give your best of whatever you have.

Okay.

And, you know, it may be meaning hitting some balls into the woods, into the water, whatever.

Okay.

It's in Tahoe, right?

Yes, it is.

Yeah, so it's— beauty. You're in the middle of beauty. So one, you're gonna give the best that you have, whatever you have that day, and you're not gonna give it— not— so what happens to people, they get frustrated because they're trying to give what they don't have. That happens a lot. Like J.J. Spaun, you asked him about it and he said, you know, you're not a pro, don't go out there expecting to, you know, birdie, birdie, birdie.

Right.

You know, give yourself a break, you're an amateur, right? And so if you have to realize, I think, that Whenever you show up to work or go to the golf course, you're going to feel somewhere between terrible and amazing. And sometimes you're only going to have 30 or 40% of your best, whatever you're doing, whether you're an athlete or a star TV host.

Thank you, sir.

And when you only have 30 or 40%, it's important to understand that I'm just going to give the best of what I have today, which is not a lot. And that Gives you peace. Say, look, I'm not— when you understand that I don't have a lot, I'm going to give the best of what I have. And then 2 is to be present. There's no fear in the present moment. 3 is to be grateful. Gratitude is directly linked to inner peace and inner strength. And then 4 is focus on your routines and only what you can control. You said you're taking some lessons.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

And so—

So let me— walk me through that just quickly once again here. So the gratitude part I've got down. 'Cause I am grateful to be at this event, seriously. Like it is, it's a one of a kind and it is something I'm grateful to be in a position to do and be able to do. And, you know, have this great crew and have this great setup where I can just tap out for 4 days. I am very, I am grateful. So gratitude, check that. What are the other 3 again?

So the first one is to give up.

So level set that I, if I only have 30, 40% of what I can do, level set. Pretty much.

Yeah. You're just going to give the best of that.

Okay. Done.

Yeah.

Okay. What else can I do?

You don't, you don't have, it's not like you have to go, uh, you know, hit this ball straight or you have to do this or that. It's going to give your best. Get my best. And understanding sometimes when you give your best, it's not going to be good. The result is not going to be good. And so if you're frustrated when you're, when you give your best and it wasn't good, that's a, um, it's kind of a misappropriation of the situation. You didn't really understand what's happening here. Trying to control what you can't control.

Got it. So, focus my energies into the gratitude part of it and then being present.

Number 2 is to be present. Yeah. And so, you can think of when you're present, at the highest level, there's a sense of connection to beauty and freedom, joy, anything is possible. So, this is what I think of when I think fully engaged heart, mind, and body, unattached to the results of what I'm trying to do, fully present.

Okay.

And you could think of it as, as say when your kids are 2, 3, 4 years old and you're playing with them.

Yes.

Right? It's this, you know, you're not thinking about, you know, you're not self-conscious, you're not worried about anything else. You're just having fun, right?

Sure.

And so that's what it's like when you're fully present and working on that every day is something that you can do.

And then the 4th one you mentioned, give it your best, gratitude, being present. And the 4th one is?

Focus on your routines and only what you can control.

And this is, and this is what— this is, uh, I guess universal for everybody else. Anybody who's listening, anybody who's watching, whatever they're doing in their lives.

That's right.

This is how you can find your inner excellence.

Right. And we also talked about— do we got time to talk about the ego?

Go ahead.

So, um, I was kind of joking with you about the ego earlier, about your chair higher than mine.

Somewhat joking, Jim. It's okay though. It's okay. Go on.

Um, well, I guess part of, if we do have a somewhat, it's because you're very successful and human nature is if I'm very successful, then I am somebody because of that. And so, when I, the way I define the ego is the part of your mind that we all have that's always threatened, always comparing and never satisfied. And, you know, who really taught me a lot about the ego just through reading his stuff was Phil Jackson. You know, he said, the opponent is not the enemy, they're our partner in the dance. And when he was a player, he was very ego-driven. And then he learned about, you know, how to take that and harness it. And so, I have this— I think the ego is one of the biggest challenges that we face. The 3 big challenges that we face in performance and in life really are over-analysis and negative thinking or judgmental thinking, like labeling ourselves, circumstances, or others as bad, giving a negative judgment, and self-consciousness, concern for self. So, these are the 3 big obstacles that we face. And there's this exercise that I can give you that you could work on in Tahoe. We all have an ego. We all have that part of our mind that's always threatened, like concerned about failing and how am I going to look?

Yes.

Because our greatest need is for unconditional love. The deepest human need is for love and connection.

Yes.

And our greatest fear is not having that, this rejection. And so, when you went like 21 years ago, there could have been a sense of rejection, failure, rejection. I don't feel good about myself. And it's not just the shot. The shot has no meaning. The shot only has meaning that you give to it. And so, you wanna hear this tool that you can use? Sure.

We got about 2 minutes. Do you think we got that?

Yes, yes. It's called the alternate target. So, what we do is we, We pick a target, um, that's out of bounds on the tee box or—

Well, that's not a problem for me, Jim. I mean, you got me to low there.

And you can't tell anybody.

Okay.

So we want to get rid of the fear of failure and the fear of what are people thinking of me. So are you going to have a practice round when you get there?

Yes, sir.

Yeah. So you can do that in the practice round and try it.

Which is what, what am I thinking? Like, I'm going to hit this out of bounds.

So say in the tee box, you're going to pick a spot way in a tree in the woods. You're going to pick a specific spot. So you're just going to hit a big hook. You can't tell anyone.

Okay.

Um, or in the water, wherever it is, you can't tell anyone. And so this is going to work on, on the part of your mind that's concerned, what do people think about me? And the part of your mind that, that's afraid of failure.

So soiling yourself publicly helps you, um—

See, that's, that's the natural— the common thing is, is if I do this terrible thing, this is— if I hit the ball out into the woods, this is terrible. I'm going to be embarrassed. This is horrible.

But you get through it. If you do it.

Well, why is it bad? I mean, just think there was a Masters tournament where there's a playoff between Louis Oosthuizen and Bubba Watson a few years ago. And Bubba hits the ball into the woods. His tee shot goes in the woods, right? And so that's bad, right? No one wants to hit in the woods. This is a terrible thing, right?

Yes, right.

You would think. But here we have a guy who has some social anxiety and now he's in this little cubbyhole of the woods. And he's also a trick shot artist. He's really good at these sorts of shots. And it fits perfect into, you know, he hits one of the greatest shots in Masters history and he wins. And so, the things that we think are bad, like your circumstance, why is it bad? It's usually 'cause we just don't want it and our ego is afraid of what people will think. I see.

Jim Murphy, you gotta read the rest of this book here. I feel like we just got a few pages in the last 20 minutes. Inner Excellence: Train Your Mind for Extraordinary Results. performance and the best possible life. Congratulations on, um, on everything that's gone on for you, man. You've been on quite the journey, and you're— you still have ways to go, it seems. So thanks for being here.

Thanks so much for having me.

Come back anytime. You got it. Jim Murphy right here, Inner Excellence. Catch the Rich Eisen Show live weekdays from 12 to 3 PM Eastern on Roku Sports Channel in the US.