Blake Pitzen

Go get what’s yours in the universe!

[Josh Chambers @JoshChambers]

Tom Brady on the value of Truth Tellers in your life:

Athletes today have a lot of people around them who tell them what they WANT to hear, not necessarily what they NEED to hear.

But in reality, you can't get better unless you're getting valuable, honest feedback.

The job of a head coach or leader is to be the person who tells someone without regard for emotional sensitivity, where do they need to get better.

"He has to be the one that says I don't care about what @X says or the blogs say, I care about the team."

Whatever field you're competing it, it's going to be HARD. You can't alway be surrounded by optimists and feel like everything's going to be okay and you did great.

You have to prepare at a GREAT level, and in order to do that, the need for a truth teller, and someone who is going to hold you accountable regardless on how you're feeling that day, is paramount.

via @newheightshow

[Reads with Ravi @readswithravi]

The grind is lonely.

[Lumen @LumenX_]

DON’T JOKE WITH THIS PRAYER:

Dear God, Remove the fear that keeps me small and replace it with faith that reminds me I was made for more.

Amen.

[Greg Berge @GregBerge]

Sean McVay said, “Winning is a habit; let’s make it ours.”

Winning is a lifestyle. It is how you do things.
What habits make winning possible?

Here are the 6 Habits of Winners.

1. Keep Stacking Days
Winners show up every day. It’s not about going all out once in a while but consistency. Small, daily actions compound over time. Whether in the gym, the classroom, or your mindset, showing up EVERY DAY beats sporadic intensity.

2. Focus on the Process, Not Just the Results
Winners don’t obsess over outcomes—they focus on the steps that get them there. The journey is where growth happens. By locking in on the process, they make success inevitable by constantly improving what they can control.

3. Embrace the Struggle
Winners don’t shy away from challenges or discomfort. They know that growth happens in the tough moments. When others quit or back down, winners lean in. They understand that pain and struggle are part of the path to greatness.

4. Adapt and Adjust
Winners are flexible. They don’t stick to a rigid plan when things change - they adapt. Whether it’s a new strategy, an unexpected challenge, or setbacks, winners adjust and keep moving forward.

5. Stay Humble and Hungry
No matter how much success they’ve had, winners never think they’ve “arrived.” They remain humble, knowing there’s always room to improve. And they stay hungry, constantly pushing themselves to improve, no matter how much they’ve already achieved.

6. Mental Toughness
Winners build mental resilience. They don’t let failures define them or allow external pressures to control their mindset. They train their minds as much as their bodies, learning to stay focused, calm, and confident in any situation.

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[Dear Self. @Dearme2_]

No joke, leaving your house and returning home safely 24/7 is something to give God thanks for.

[Josh Chambers @JoshChambers]

Great perspective from @NDFootball Coach Marcus Freeman (@Marcus_Freeman1) on why he feels he must remind his players to choose hard:

"Struggle with what you have."

Everyone starts from a different place. Some people are born on third base. Others have never even seen a triple. But growth isn't determined by where you begin, it's determined by the challenges you're willing to embrace.

When you step onto the field, the court, or into any defining moment, nobody cares where you started. What matters is how you've prepared, how you've responded to adversity, and how you've conditioned yourself for the grinding opportunity in front of you. It's a daily choice.

The hard way is the right way.

Choose hard!

Especially when life makes easy available.

[Zach Brandon @MVP_Mindset]

Tom Brady and Daniel Cormier discuss their shared appreciation for challenge and choosing hard.

"You liked hard. I liked hard. So the harder that shit got, the more I liked it."

The pursuit of meaningful goals is gift-wrapped in discomfort and challenge.

The question isn't whether you'll encounter hard moments. It's whether you'll develop a relationship with them that helps you move forward instead of retreat.

The future you're chasing may require a different relationship with discomfort than the one you have today.

📹: Champion Mindset with Daniel Cormier

[Camus @newstart_2024]

Rock bottom isn’t the end. It’s the moment you finally get your power back.

Jocko Willink on Diary of a CEO:

When the excuses vanish and you admit “this is all because of me,” it hurts like hell… but it’s also liberating. Because if you’re the cause of your problems, you’re also the solution. Extreme ownership gives you control over your fate.

The Stoics understood this deeply. Epictetus taught that it’s not events that disturb us, but our judgment of them. True freedom begins the second you stop blaming externals and take full ownership. Painful? Yes. But it turns you from a victim of circumstance into the master of your destiny.

In a culture that rewards blame and victimhood, this mindset is revolutionary. It transforms suffering into fuel and rock bottom into a launchpad.

What’s one “rock bottom” moment that ultimately became the turning point in your life?

[Reads with Ravi @readswithravi]

“Goals are for people who care about winning once.

Systems are for people who care about winning repeatedly.”

— James Clear

[Reads with Ravi @readswithravi]

Marcus Aurelius wrote this over 1800 years ago:

“Do not disturb yourself by imagining your whole life at once.”

[Sulekha Tripathi @sulekhat95]

INSTEAD OF WATCHING AN HOUR OF NETFLIX TONIGHT.

This 1 hour Stanford lecture by Joel Peterson will teach you more about negotiation and getting what you want than most people learn in years.

Bookmark it and give it an hour, no matter what.

[Reads with Ravi @readswithravi]

I’m in love with this sentence:

“Everyone knew it was impossible, until a fool who didn't know came along and did it.”

[Joe Rogan Podcast News @joeroganhq]

Tom Brady: "A bird sitting on a tree is never afraid of the branch breaking, because its trust is not on the branch but on its own wings. Always believe in yourself."

[Reads with Ravi @readswithravi]

There’s an old Chinese saying that I love:

“The temptation to quit will be greatest just before you are about to succeed.”

[naledii_m @naledii_mm]

God is very intentional. Nothing about your life is random. Not the delays, not the detours, not even the waiting. He knows exactly what He's doing. Please learn to trust him more this year.

[lynk @lynk0x]

POV: After surviving the hardest chapter of your life, you realize that God was always there and He never left you.

[Reads with Ravi @readswithravi]

“If you're serious about changing your life, you'll find a way. If not, you'll find an excuse.”

— Jen Sincero

[Reads with Ravi @readswithravi]

I’m in love with this sentence:

“The strongest version of you is buried under the habits you're afraid to break.”

[Mike Hoffmann @MikeHoffmann]

Luke Falk shared a Mike Leach story that stopped me cold:

Two kids. One rich. One poor.

Every training camp, Coach Leach told his team about these 2 kids.

The rich kid has two choices.

Get soft. Get entitled. Expect everything handed to him because he was handed more.

Or take the resources, the coaching, the opportunities, and compound them into something greater.

The poor kid has two choices too.

Say nobody gave him anything. Blame the world. Make his circumstances the reason he never became what he could have been.

Or outwork everyone in the room.

Luke said the locker room had both. Kids from wealth. Kids from nothing. Kids with every advantage. Kids who scraped for every inch.

Same choice for all of them.

Ownership or victimhood.
Fuel or excuse.

The rich kid can waste the head start or build on it.

The poor kid can drown in the deficit or weaponize it.

Greatness doesn't come from where you start.

It comes from which kid you choose to feed.

Credit to @coachlukefalk for continuing to share golden nuggets about Coach’s legacy