We watched the super bowl earlier this month and for anyone that watched it, it is safe to say it was not all it was cracked up to be. In “prepping” for the Super Bowl, I did a long run (16 miles) as I was still training to run my 50 miler in Sonoma at that time, I put on a podcast about the GOAT. This GOAT was not Michael Jordon, but another GOAT, Tom Brady. Now, anyone who knows me, knows I CANNOT STAND Tom Brady or the New England Patriots, and before you slam me on social media or in my office, just keep reading. Eric and I are from Indiana, home of The Indianapolis Colts and Peyton Manning during my younger years. We were huge Colts fans, then turned into Bronco fans when Peyton left. But the rivalry between Manning and Brady was top notch. It was fascinating to watch these QBs go at it and orchestrate touchdowns for their respective teams! So, when I say I CANNOT STAND Tom Brady, now you understand. Anyway, I appreciate hard work and true grit mostly because that is how I got where I am today. So, I can appreciate Tom Brady.
Listening to this podcast, I discovered how Brady became the GOAT QB. When he was a kid, he delivered papers (not dissimilar than someone else I know…Eric) and spoke of a paper route he had for a few years. His mom would drive him in the family mini-van around the neighborhood to deliver papers, and Brady would open the sliding door, throw the papers from the van to the front door, sometimes throwing over the van across the street to get the paper to reach the front door. This he believes gave him a start with perfecting his throwing motion and to some degree his accuracy. He continued to work hard and finally as a Freshman in high school tried out for the Football team. He did not make the Varsity team, but he loved football, so he told himself he would just work harder than everyone else and make the varsity team. By the next year, he made the team and by the time he was graduating he was the starting QB. He continued his journey in college at Michigan. While he was there, he manifested his dream, to be the best QB of all time in the NFL. People laughed at him; he was a scrawny kid with some talent. In the year 2000, he was the 199th draft pick, chosen by the New England Patriots. But, he kept making changes, a little less alcohol, a few extra minutes in the gym each day, a little more sleep every night, better food, adding in some supplements, and he noticed that each small change produced better results for him in practice and games. So, he just kept going, not changing everything all at one, but small changes each day or each week until finally, Brady manifested his destiny and become the greatest quarterback of all time.
So, you ask, what did he learn from all of this and what is the most important lesson his 3 genetically gifted children can learn in life? “When you strip away the talent, all you have left is grit” |