{VIDEO} The Path to Success Might Involve Puking…And Steve Weatherford
“To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift”
-Steve Prefontaine
This week’s episode of LCL is insane motivation. We catch up with Steve Weatherford, ten year NFL veteran, and all-around amazing dude. I have the great pleasure of calling him a friend, but he’s also a one-man powerhouse of inspiration.
You’ve probably heard me talk about it plenty of times — but so much of success is contingent upon your mindset. What you think becomes your reality. If you think you’ll fail, then chances are higher that you will, simply because you aren’t going to put in the same effort as if you tell yourself you’re killing it. It’s not cockiness, or arrogance, it’s a necessity. Your mind is everything. Keep it in check.
Steve is a wellspring of advice on bouncing back when you get knocked down, because he’s experienced it quite literally on the field, but also in his life, just like the rest of us. He opens this episode by saying “today is a gift” — and that’s no joke. Your life is a series of today’s. If you consistently drop the ball on making the most out of your time, energy, and passion — you’re failing the game.
However, if you want to live like a champion, you have to think like one.
He tells the story of being the smallest kid in his class, and knowing that if he wanted to show up big on the field, he was going to have to put in the work to grow not just his strength but his willingness to work hard. To that end, he puts me through a grueling stair workout, where all I can think is “mind over matter”. I finish, and immediately puke. You do whatever it takes.
Life is nothing if you’re not willing to show up and kill it, giving it the best you’ve got.
But that’s not the only takeaway from this episode.
Success actually has not so much to do with talent. Yes, that will take your further, and sometimes faster, but how hard you’re willing to work is what sets you apart. You can be a genius, but if you get trapped in thinking what you have to offer doesn’t matter, then you’ll never make a contribution. You can think your idea isn’t as great as others out there, but if you’re willing to do whatever it takes, it might become the best idea many people have ever heard.
It’s all about perspective, your belief in yourself, and your dedication. That last one is what makes champions out of people on the playing field, and empires out of ideas.
I hope you get tons of inspiration from the man and legend Steve Weatherford.
Whatever you’re doing — keep going.
Cheers,
Gerard
