Nathan White

[Frank Michael Smith @frankmikesmith]

We’re only 7 games into the season and the NFL has dished out $13 Million in fines. The most frustrating being TD cellys…

Stop the fines so we can bring these iconic moments back (A Thread):

[Billy Oppenheimer @bpoppenheimer]

After his second year at Michigan, Tom Brady wanted to transfer.

He wasn't playing in games, and he was so low on the depth chart that he only got 2 reps in practice.

Brady met with his coach to express his frustration, “The other quarterbacks get all the reps.”

Coach replied,

“Brady, I want you to stop worrying about what all the other players on our team are doing. All you do is worry about what the starter is doing, what the second guy is doing, what everyone else is doing. You don't worry about what you're doing.”

Coach reminded him, “You came here to be the best. If you're going to be the best, you have to beat out the best.”

And then he recommended that Brady start meeting with Greg Harden, a sports psychologist who worked in Michigan's athletic department.

Brady went to Harden's office and whined, “I'm never going to get my chance. They're only giving me 2 reps.”

Harden simply replied, “Just go out there and focus on doing the best you can with those 2 reps. Make them as perfect as you possibly can.”

“So that's what I did,” Brady said. “They'd put me in for those 2 reps, man, I'd sprint out there like it was Super Bowl 39. 'Let's go boys! Here we go! What play we got?'”

“And I started to do really well with those 2 reps. Because I brought enthusiasm, I brought energy.”

Soon, it went from getting 2 reps to getting 4 reps. Then from 4 to 10, “and before you knew it,” Brady said, with this new mindset that Greg instilled in me—to focus on what you can control, to focus on what you're getting, not what anyone else is getting, to treat every rep like it's the Super Bowl—eventually, I became the starter.”

Takeaway 1:

Greg Harden telling Brady to just focus on being great during his 2 reps reminded me of a piece of advice from the entrepreneur Mark Cuban.

“People come to me all the time and tell me they're stuck,” Cuban explained. “They're stuck in a job they don't like. They're stuck working for a boss they don't like. They're stuck on a team they don't like.”

“I just tell them, 'Be great.'”

“The reality of life is that you can't just always quit your job. You can't just always go to your boss and say, 'Give me the promotion, or I'm out of here.'” You can't just always go to your coach and say, 'Give me more reps, or I'm transferring.'

“So when you're stuck, you've gotta find it within yourself to say, 'Ok, this is where I am. And if I'm going to be here, I'm going to be great.'

Because if you're great at your job, typically other people and companies find out, so it creates opportunities.”

Takeaway 2:

I've written before about “lead measures”—the actions and behaviors that predictably drive success.

The core characteristic of a lead measure, the authors of The 4 Disciplines of Execution (4DX) write, is that “a lead measure is influenceable; it can be directly influenced by you.”

To achieve your goals, they recommend (echoing what the Michigan Coach told Brady), apply a disproportionate energy to the things that are in your control.

Starting at Michigan and for the rest of his career, that’s what Brady did, that’s what drove his success.

In his first media call after he was selected by the New England Patriots with the 199th pick in the 2000 draft, Brady was asked: “Are you aware that [along with starting quarterback, Drew Bledsoe] there’s another quarterback here that they drafted last year?”

Brady said he was aware of that. “And I know he’s a heck of a player,” Brady said. “But I’ve always really concerned myself just with the things I can control. I don’t put a lot of thinking into the other guys because I know I’m not at my best when I’m not just thinking about playing as well as I possibly can.”

- - -

“I never once in my life ever said I wanted to be the best of all time. Ever. I wanted to be the best I could be, period. I learned that in college. It didn’t matter what the other guys were doing. It mattered what I was doing.” — Tom Brady

Follow @bpoppenheimer for more content like this!

[Space City Sports @LiveSCS]

WE WANT HIGHLIGHTS

[Oklahoma Space Captain @WGTD_Tracer]

Alright, actual hot take this time:
Cody Johnson has fallen off since his 2019 album
None of his new music is even close to being as good as his first 4 albums

[Houston Astros @astros]

I guess we’ll never know 🤷‍♂️

[Rookie Watch @RookieWatxh]

Zay Flowers was a 3-star recruit and received just ONE Power 5 offer from Boston College.

Before last season, he was offered multiple six-figure NIL deals to transfer out of Boston.

Flowers chose the route of loyalty and stuck with the school that believed in him first. 

Now, Flowers is on the cusp of potentially being the first Boston College WR selected in the 1st round of the NFL Draft in program history.

INSPIRATIONAL 🔥

[Dave Portnoy @stoolpresidente]

Still can’t believe we traded the Merchant of Death straight up for Britney Griner.

[Ty Hudson @TyHudson83]

Every kid in across this nation of ours needs to hear to this

[fank @dfank_BU]

oh wow here’s aaron judge’s 62nd home run like you’ve never seen it before wow

[Riley 🏎️ ⊃∪∩⪽ 🍉 @rileyanntoine]

This is for all the “I don’t see Shuri beating Namór in Black Panther” weirdos:

[໊ @wandasattorney]

I don’t wanna hear anyone complaining ab The Marvels having musical elements when Brie Larson gave us THIS https://t.co/gv0IYvLJFh

[Jake Paul @jakepaul]

Biden accomplishments

1. Highest gas prices
2. Worst inflation
3. Plummeting crypto prices
4. Highest rent prices ever
5. Created new incomprehensible language

If you’re reading this and voted for Biden and you still don’t regret it then you are the American problem.

[Chris McCammon @Chris_mccammon]

Should have permission to throw shit back like a baseball

[Mary @johnnyhellodepp]

Reminder that these tapes have been public for two years yet Warner Bros decided to fire Johnny and keep Amber Heard in Aquaman 2.

#JusticeForJohnnyDepp

[Arnold Schwarzenegger @Schwarzenegger]

I love the Russian people. That is why I have to tell you the truth. Please watch and share.

[Barstool Sports @barstoolsports]

Some things man….

[Cool Hand Luke @Lucas_DanielM]

This is why men don’t open up to y’all smh

[Rachel @rachel_pate]

Can houses go on Black Friday sale???

[Amy @AmyyElizabethA]

This is actually me right now😭
Today I found out I got my internship and I’m guaranteed to graduate in August!!!

[Nathan White @Nathan_White40]

@AmyyElizabethA @Tswizzlyy Lmao yall foolin. Me & Mr. Gerald about to be rollin on the craps table!