Understanding Our Role Models

They serve as our distance mentors because we know they have experienced challenging trials and still achieved greatness. 

April 23, 2020

There's a choice that we have to make as people, as individuals. If you want to be great at something, there's a choice you have to make. We all can be masters at our craft, but you have to make a choice. There are sacrifices that come along with making that decision.

— Kobe Bryant

Today is the NFL Draft, a special event for many young men and their families to garner recognition for fantastic college careers and to celebrate the next step of their journey. Because of the pandemic, many of these players will not be able to chest bump NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in person or walk across a big stage wearing the hat of their new team. However, they’ll still have their moment to share their stories with the audience and thank their loved ones for playing a role in their success to this point. 

The draft weekend is three wonderful days for so many. In a short time, these young men go from leaving home — maybe for the first time — to taking on new challenges. Their hard work and perseverance has paid off, and now they get to bask in the sunshine of their special moment. 

Many of these young men have looked to other athletes for inspiration. On the walls in their childhood rooms, there might be a picture of Michael Jordan flying high for a dunk. Maybe Tom Brady with his hands held high, celebrating another championship. Or Serena Williams triumphant after conquering another Grand Slam. These pictures are all poignant snapshots that capture the person these young individuals aspire to become. 

We all have role models who serve as our distant mentors because we know they have experienced challenging trials and still achieved greatness. But do we understand their journeys? Do we know their definition of hard work? Just looking at a picture of Jordan or Brady is not going to help us if we don't fully comprehend how hard they worked. 

David Goggins, who lost over 100 pounds in three months for the right to audition to become a Navy SEAL, discusses work habits in his excellent book, Can't Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds. Goggins claims that many of us operate at only 40 percent capacity when we believe we are working hard. He states: “If your mind is telling you that you’re done, exhausted, that you possibly cannot go any further, you have only actually 40 percent done.” Goggins is right. Jordan, Brady, Williams, and Bryant never stopped when tired. They instead worked even harder, with more precision, and always took tremendous pride in never being outworked. 

As leaders, teachers, parents, we must convey how much hard work is required to master our craft. We must educate our followers on what it takes — the cost, the commitments, the unending preparation, the willingness to sacrifice for the greater good. It's great to have a picture of Kobe, Serena, Michael, or Tom hanging on your wall, but make sure you understand what it takes to reach their level of hard work.

Otherwise, take the picture down. 

P.S. If you are in search of a book recommendation, our team at The Daily Coach highly recommends Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight. In this candid and riveting memoir, for the first time ever, Nike founder and board chairman Phil Knight shares the inside story of the company’s early days as an intrepid start-up and its evolution into one of the world’s most iconic, game-changing, and profitable brands.

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