In Pursuit of Excellence 5th Edition

Whether you’re an athlete, aspiring coach, or business professional, the ultimate goal remains the same: reaching your potential.

Author Terry Orlick, an internationally acclaimed sport psychologist, has helped hundreds of Olympic and professional athletes maximize their performances and achieve their goals. In this new fifth edition, Orlick provides the most effective strategies and step-by-step plans for you to develop your personal path to excellence.

You’ll learn to focus for excellence while living and enjoying life to the fullest. You’ll gain a more positive outlook, a more focused commitment, better ways of dealing with distractions and pressures, and strategies for overcoming obstacles. You’ll also achieve greater personal and professional satisfaction and discover better ways to work with teammates, respond more effectively to coaching and guidance, and become more positive and self-directed in your thoughts and actions.

Both practical and inspirational, In Pursuit of Excellence is a guide to daily living and motivation as well as a road map to long-term achievement. Read it, use it, and win with it—personally and professionally.

Terry Orlick, PhD, was a professor in the School of Human Kinetics at the University of Ottawa for more than 40 years. He obtained his PhD in the psychology of sport and physical activity from the University of Alberta in 1972. He was one of the world’s leading authorities on the psychology of excellence and quality living and worked with some of the world’s top performers. His research focused on enhancing the quality of life and quality of performance with children and high-level performers in a variety of disciplines.

Orlick worked with thousands of Olympic and professional athletes and coaches; corporate leaders; astronauts; surgeons; top classical musicians; dancers, opera singers, and other performing artists; mission control professionals; and many others engaged in high-stress performance missions.

Former president of the International Society for Mental Training and Excellence, Orlick authored more than 30 highly acclaimed books, published hundreds of articles in a variety of professional journals, and was founder of the Journal of Excellence, Positive Living Skills, and the Zone of Excellence. He held distinguished service awards from numerous Olympic and education associations as well as certificates of merit from governments, universities, sport organizations, and schools for distinguished service to the community. He gave lectures on the pursuit of excellence in virtually every corner of the world.

Terry Orlick lived with his family at Meech Lake, Quebec, until his death in 2021.

“This book is for those who are not satisfied with good enough. I have known Terry for over 20 years, and his insights have provided me with the guidance I need to stay focused on the things that really matter to achieve my goals. I regularly use the strategies he shares in Pursuit of Excellence in my work with coaches around the world, from youth sport to the world’s best Olympic and national team coaches.”

—Wade Gilbert, PhD, Professor, Department of Kinesiology California State University–Fresno