Hey guys,
A few weeks ago, I met a guy who was a famous author for Sports Illustrated. He has spent a lot of time talking to and studying “What Makes the Great ones Great” and wrote an autobiography of Walter Payton. Payton was one of my favorite football players growing up and was one of the greatest of all time so I thought some of the lessons he learned throughout his life might be useful to you both.
The points I found most important are highlighted in this one page document which is attached, so that you can reference them anytime you want and hopefully learn from them as you grow up. I’m going to plan on doing this for you both as I read things that have an impact on me, because as I’m sure you both know (or will figure out soon), it’s often easier for me to express myself through others.
We can all learn a lot from “The Great Ones” and the characteristics they exhibit. Here are 16 Characteristics of True Champions:
How They Think
- It’s Personal. They hate to lose more than they love to win.
- Rubbing Elbows. They understand the value of association.
- Believe. They have faith in a higher power.
- Contagious Enthusiasm. They are positive thinkers… They are enthusiastic… and that enthusiasm rubs off.
How They Prepare
- Hope For the Best, But…They prepare for all possibilities before they step on the field.
- What Off-Season? They are always working towards the next game…
- Visualize Victory. They see victory before the game begins.
- Inner Fire. They use adversity as fuel.
How They Work
- Ice In Their Veins. They are risk-takers and don’t fear making a mistake.
- When All Else Fails. They know how – and when – to adjust their game plan.
- Ultimate Teammate. They will assume whatever role is necessary for the team to win.
How They Live
- Not Just About the Benjamins. They don’t play just for the money.
- Do Unto Others. They know character is defined by how they treat those who cannot help them.
- When No One Is Watching. They are comfortable in the mirror… they live their life with integrity.
- When Everyone Is Watching. They embrace the idea of being a role model.
- Records Are Made to Be Broken. They know their legacy isn’t what they did on the field. They are well-rounded.
P.S. The great ones are also great because they love what they do for a living and they know how to have fun! Don’t ever forget that. Work isn’t work if you are having fun. Walter Payton loved the game and had a lot of fun playing it. The Bears even made a ridiculous music video the year they won the Super Bowl! You guys are gonna love this! Check it out!
The Super Bowl Shuffle (1985). If it doesn’t load, watch it on YouTube.
The One-Page Summary
Here’s that one-page summary, the points from his story that stuck with me most:
Sweetness
Payton did not go out for football until his junior year in high school. He used to jog to and from practice. Once you get soft, once you take success and let it go to your head, you are done.
The recognition will come in due time. It doesn’t matter where you are in the race now; it is where you will end up. Don’t give up because you are not where you want to be. You have to set your goals impossibly high.
Numbers don’t show greatness. It’s how you feel and the desire you bring to the field. You can play well and not put up the numbers or win games. But you need to continue to do it your way and good things will happen. Sometimes you learn more through adversity than through success. Tough times don’t last. Tough people do.
Payton was quick but not fast. That’s why he developed a stutter step to help him break long runs. Opponents didn’t know what he was going to do. They didn’t know if he was going to go straight, come right at them or stop. If you break free and are running down the sideline, the defensive guy who has an angle on you is already calculating in his mind where he’s going to hit you. He knows where you are going to be at a certain time because he’s judging your speed. So when Payton would start his stutter step and change speed, he has to think, and then it gives you that edge and you can go right by him. It is a way of breaking long runs when the other player is faster than you.
The game is about 85% mental. It is difficult to stay consistently motivated when you are losing. That’s when it’s easy to slip, to give in for a moment. What you have to do is look at it as a big task. It is like running ten miles. Every time you complete one mile, you can’t think about how you’ve just completed one mile. You have to think about the new mile you are just starting.
Consistency is the most difficult thing to attain in life. Anyone can be good for a day, or a year. But can you be consistently great? That is so much more difficult. It requires a person to continue to work hard even after they have achieved success. It requires sacrifice, even after sacrifice is no longer required. It requires a hunger in a person that is about more than just making it. It is about staying there.
The nature of the beast is to always want more. It comes to a point where if money is your total motivation, then all you feel you have to do is play up to what you think you are earning, not what the team needs. Fame is what you have taken. Character is what you give.
Payton led by example. It is the best way to teach people. Little things are always caught by people. It’s a lot easier to talk; walking that talk is very, very difficult. Payton didn’t whine about not winning more. He never pouted. He never put himself above the team. He went out and he did his job. He put it on the line. He worked, he did the thing that he was supposed to do and more.
When you’re working with a group and you win, that’s the best feeling in the world, bar none. When you’re on a team, you have other people to pick you up if you’re the one having the off day.
The worst thing in the world that you can say is that damn, I wish I had. That’s a weird feeling. I wish I had. When you say that, it’s too late.
“Someone gave to you. That’s why it’s your job to give back.”
“Act like you’ve been there before.”