Category: Sports

Life is as easy or as hard as you make it.

If you follow the laws of success, you are guaranteed to succeed. If you follow the laws of failure, you are guaranteed to fail.

Playing in the NFL, you realize that everyone has different backgrounds and upbringings, but we all followed the same laws of success to get there. Everyone is resilient, has a strong desire, determination, and work ethic. We then learned how to be professionals.

All of these things were enforced as well. You get fined if you’re late for meetings, expected to know all the plays and study on your own, catch every ball, make every tackle, and do your assignment, all while being a good teammate. If you don’t, you don’t last long.

Every person I’ve seen follow the laws of failure has failed. I’ve seen guys with great potential in football and beyond not reach their full potential because they chose to follow the laws of failure. Some broke actual laws and went to prison. Some chose not to take school seriously and flunked out or weren’t eligible to play sports. Some did drugs and weren’t able to pass drug tests or limited their physical ability.

We often blame others for our failures or think God isn’t on our side, but if you think of any “failure” that you faced in your life, I bet you can pinpoint what it was that caused you to fail. The same goes for all the successful moments in our lives. You can probably pinpoint all the things you did to succeed.

Whenever I gain weight and get out of shape, I’m never confused as to why. I know exactly why. I also know what it takes to lose weight and get in shape, so I’m never too concerned.

Sometimes we get into negative situations and don’t know how we got there. We must find out to learn from our mistakes and make sure they don’t happen again. Sometimes we even have successful moments and don’t know how it happened. That’s bad because we don’t know how to do it again.

Learn the steps and tasks it took to succeed in that area, and do it again. Learn from others’ mistakes as well as learn from others’ success.

No matter what your biggest dream is, dream even bigger. In fact, have multiple big dreams.

One of my most significant dreams and goals was to play sports professionally, whether it was football, basketball, or track. And that dream did come true. And honestly, it wasn’t difficult. I simply had to make the choices necessary to reach my desired destination. This makes me wonder what I could achieve if I dream even bigger.

Sometimes, I think that when I was striving to achieve my goal of playing a professional sport, I had tunnel vision to a fault. And honestly, it wasn’t entirely my fault. When you have a natural talent for something, people often try to pigeonhole you. They may have good intentions, but their support is often limited to what they think is best for you. For me, and many athletes, that was football.

When you excel at football, society makes life easier for you. It becomes easier to progress in school, gain acceptance into college, and even face consequences for mistakes. They confine you within this artificial world. That’s why many players struggle with identity issues when they’re done playing football and have no idea what to do in life afterwards.

I never had that problem. Football was always just a sport I loved to play, nothing more, nothing less. I didn’t invest my entire identity in it, and it wasn’t the foundation of my life. God was and still is. That’s why I didn’t have a mental challenge transitioning to other things after football.

I had God before football, during, and after. I’m grateful that I attended Sunday school and Wednesday Bible study during my childhood. It helped shape me.

There are numerous other dreams I had (and still have) in life that were put aside for football. I wish I had pursued them at an earlier age. But, as I mentioned, I was often confined to a box, focused solely on sports.

Some kids, like myself, manage to break free from that box and find their own path. I always had wisdom and academic intelligence. However, some children are the opposite. They get trapped in that box and are simply pushed along, often lacking other qualities such as academic intelligence or the right morals and values. So, once football or whichever dream they were pursuing is over, they feel lost. They don’t have the tools to pursue their other dreams and goals. Even worse, they were never shown that they could have other dreams and goals.

Therefore, I ask you, what is one dream or goal that you have always had but have been hesitant to pursue? What steps can you take today to move closer to realizing that dream or goal?

The first NFL team I signed with was the Buffalo Bills.

I joined the team in the middle of fall camp. After signing, I went straight to offensive meetings. I remember we were installing another part of the offensive playbook. I had no idea what was going on, so I just sat there, pretending as if I did.

The running back saw me over there looking confused and leaned over, saying, “This probably looks like Greek to you right now. No worries, we’ll learn it.” Less than two weeks later, I was the starting running back for our third preseason game, knowing all the installed plays from the playbook.

There may be times in life where things seem challenging to learn or grasp at first, but with practice and repetition, you can learn anything. Just from my experience learning many football playbooks, I have gained the confidence and skill to learn just about anything. That’s how I was able to teach myself Spanish, along with many other things I’ve learned over the years.

I don’t get discouraged at the beginning when I don’t know much; I embrace the process and practice daily. I know that eventually, I will master whatever it is that I’m trying to master, the same way I did with the 14 playbooks I learned in an 8-year span.

So if you have a skill, subject, or concept that you’re having a hard time grasping, give it time and effort, and you’ll get there. Start with the end in mind and know that anything is possible.

When we think about what makes a great football player or basketball player, or any sport for that matter, we often associate greatness with physical ability and skill. Some parents even spend hours and years training their children to excel in a particular sport.

However, there are individuals who may be considered great at their sport without the accomplishments or accolades to back it up. As Jadakiss questioned in his song “Why,” “Why is a brother up north better than Jordan that ain’t get that break?” The truth is, there are numerous valuable skills that athletes need to possess to truly excel in their respective sports. Unfortunately, these intangible qualities often get overlooked.

Character, coachability, accountability, self-respect, respect for others, time management, anger management, academic intelligence, and more are all essential traits that are just as, if not more, valuable than physical abilities.

Merely excelling in dribbling, shooting, and passing doesn’t automatically make someone NBA caliber. This principle applies not only to sports but also to life in general. Regardless of what you do, ensure that you possess all the characteristics necessary to be great at it. Embrace all the intangible qualities, not just the superficial ones.

If you believe you are better than a player who gets more playing time or smarter than your employer, take a moment to reflect. Consider why and how that person ended up in the position they are in. Perhaps they possess certain intangible qualities that you have overlooked but could greatly benefit from acquiring.

Remember, true greatness extends beyond physical abilities. It encompasses a wide range of intangible qualities. By nurturing and developing these traits, you can enhance your overall performance and reach new heights in whatever you pursue.