Tom Brady – G.O.A.T. – Prove Them Wrong - WHAT The Hell Do These People Know?

"I don't defend myself from people that doubt me. I let my actions speak for me."

Tom Brady — G.O.A.T.

Tom Brady was the 199th pick in the 2000 NFL Draft. Six teams passed on him in the sixth round. He went to a combine where scouts wrote that he had a "poor build," "very poor mobility," and "can't drive the ball downfield." The assessment was almost completely wrong.

Brady went on to win seven Super Bowls with three different coaching staffs, set virtually every significant passing record in NFL history, and retire as the greatest quarterback - and arguably the greatest team-sport athlete - who ever lived. Every single doubter was wrong. Every single one.

He never needed to defend himself from the doubt. He let his actions speak. That is the formula: do not waste energy on the people who don't believe in you. Channel it into the work. Make the argument impossible to deny.

ATTITUDE & TOTAL OWNERSHIP

Somebody told Tom Brady in college that he had a bad attitude. His response: he was right. But the attitude was directed at the right things - the mental part, the competitive stamina, the leadership. By 2003 he started to become what he would become. A process. Built by people who supported him, and by being open to learning. Curious about everything. Committed to his very best.

Travis Kelce: when you lose, the fingerpointing starts. "It wasn't my fault. The defense. The coach. The refs." That helps for about five seconds. It doesn't change outcomes. The ones who grow up take it all on themselves. "I got to do better." Not as punishment - as a spark. Attack yourself. Because once you dissect it and commit to being more prepared, more accountable, you'll feel better about the next opportunity.

Every brick you put in a wall is an excuse that blocks your path. Every brick you put in the road is an opportunity to travel that road to success.

Jocko Willink - Navy SEAL commander, author of Extreme Ownership - has the same answer, forged on the battlefield: "GOOD." Didn't get promoted? Good. Mission got cancelled? Good. Got injured? Good. Got tapped out? Good. If you can say the word good, it means you're still alive. Still breathing. Still got some fight left in you. Get up. Dust off. Reload. Recalibrate. Re-engage. Go out on the attack.

Total Ownership means never blaming any other person or any other thing. Get control of your ego. Don't hide your delicate pride from the truth. Take ownership of your mistakes, your shortfalls, your problems - and then take ownership of the solutions. When a team takes ownership of its problems, the problems get solved. That is true on the battlefield, in business, and in life.