"Inner Excellence" author Jim Murphy's magical Philly moment
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Jim Murphy and his book "Inner Excellence." Photos: Courtesy of Jen Brown and Jim Murphy
Author Jim Murphy became an overnight celebrity in Philadelphia after Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown created a stir reading his book on the sidelines last Sunday.
The big picture: The viral moment vaulted Murphy's book "Inner Excellence" to the top of Amazon's bestseller list. Murphy tells Axios he went from averaging five book sales a day to more than 10,000.
What they're saying: Murphy, a mental skills coach, tells Axios the gift came when he needed it most — as he'd been struggling to accept his 91-year-old mother entering hospice care.
- "I was just talking to God about that. What do you know a couple hours later? Everything changed," Murphy says.
The intrigue: The author, a devout Christian who has written another book about spirituality, says it felt like a divine nod he's experienced multiple times in his life.
Flashback: A few months after publishing "Inner Excellence," Murphy was on the verge of a breakdown. He was $90,000 in debt and had $100 left in his wallet.
- He called a friend for advice. Help someone in need, his friend said.
Murphy donated his remaining funds to someone on the street, who he later ran into at a Starbucks. They had used some of the money to buy Murphy a box of chocolates, a bracelet and a card.
- "Thank you so much for caring for me. Love, Zoe," the card read.
- That's when Murphy remembered a friend's story about zoe, a Greek word meaning "fullness of life" that appears throughout the Bible.
Soon after, people started discovering the wisdom in his book, and Murphy became an in-demand motivational coach for high-profile athletes and entrepreneurs, such as pro golfers Henrik Stenson and Hunter Mahan and Yum! Brands CEO David Novak.
What's ahead: Since Sunday's viral moment, Murphy says, he has talked to Brown over the phone and plans to attend Sunday's Birds-Rams playoff game to support the star wideout.
- Murphy also hopes to team up with Brown on future child literacy initiatives in Philly.
His advice for strivers: "If you want to be the best you can be, you have to be willing to look foolish, you have to be willing to fail," says Murphy. "To be able to live in that unknown, that's the life of 'Inner Excellence.'"