The First Rule of Mastery

Michael Gervais, PhD, is one of the world's top high-performance psychologists. His clients include world record holders, Olympians, internationally acclaimed artists and musicians, MVPs from every major sport, and Fortune 100 CEOs. He is also the founder of Finding Mastery, a high-performance psychology consulting agency, the host of the Finding Mastery podcast, and the cocreator of the Performance Science Institute at the University of Southern California.

Kevin Lake is the Chief Creative Officer at Finding Mastery. He has collaborated with some of the world's leading performers. He produced Gleason, a feature documentary film that was short-listed for an Academy Award. He created and produced Playing It Forward in partnership with Robert Downey Jr. and Susan Downey. For seven years, he led the film division of Mel Gibson's Icon Productions.

Connect with Michael Gervais on Twitter and Instagram.

Named one of the Top 23 Productivity Books of 2023 by The Next Big Idea Club

"...Gervais's ability to intertwine theory with actionable strategies make this a worthy addition to collections. Will appeal to a broad, general readership." - Library Journal

Advance Praise for The First Rule of Mastery:

"I love Mike Gervais-his insights, his straight talk, and his pitch-perfect advice! Mike draws on the latest research and his own practices and principles to explain why we care so much about what other people think of us and what to do about it." - Angela Duckworth, bestselling author, Grit; cofounder, The Character Lab

"Whether our pursuit of being our best is in business, in parenting, or in sports, Michael Gervais's The First Rule of Mastery helps us place attention on those elements within our control rather than wasting focus and energy on those that are not." - Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft

"With each page, Michael Gervais gently guides us toward a liberating realization: our worth is not defined by the judgments and opinions of others, but by our own self-awareness, passion, and commitment to our craft." - Misty Copeland, principal dancer, American Ballet Theatre

"The First Rule of Mastery eloquently and convincingly shares modern insights and timeless wisdom to free us from the fear of other people's opinions (FOPO)." - Brady Brewer, Executive Vice President, Starbucks Corporation

"This book is an indispensable road map to self-mastery for us all." - Kerri Walsh Jennings, five-time Olympian and four-time medalist

"I so wish I had read this book earlier in my life. This is absolutely a game changer for anyone looking to become their very best self. . . ." - Julie Foudy, two-time FIFA Women's World Cup champion; two-time Olympic gold medalist