Date: 10/27/2023

My good buddy, Michael Boswell, is a coach for a local high school football team, where he serves as the mindset coach—how cool is that they even have that position? He asked me to come in and give a pep talk before their game.

It just so happened that they were playing against my alma mater that night.

Honestly, I wasn’t sure what I was going to say to them, and I even found myself feeling a bit nervous. But in the end, I think I did okay.

I shared a story about how I quit baseball my sophomore year because I thought I was better than I actually was. That moment has stuck with me and shaped my work ethic and determination not to quit. I carried a lot of shame around quitting and did it for the wrong reasons, but it also taught me the value of perseverance.

I turned it around for them, though, and told them not to quit. I reminded them that their next season starts now.

I asked how many seniors were on the team, and only four hands slowly raised in the back. I told them they should be up front, leading by example.

It was a great experience, and I really enjoyed speaking with them. They asked some insightful questions—curious about how I work with athletes and about my morning routine. It was clear they were a solid group of kids.

They ended up winning the game and broke the streak! Pretty cool moment. I had a feeling they'd pull it off, especially since I knew my alma mater wasn't exactly having a great season.

The game was fun too. I only made it to the first half, though—unfortunately, I didn’t get any content. That was the only downside. But overall, it was an amazing experience with great kids, and I think it's such a great idea by Boswell to bring people in to talk to the team.