Scott Paxson

In 1996, Tom Brady was the 3rd-string QB at Michigan. He was worrying about his playing time, complaining about his lack of reps, and even considered transferring back home to Cal. His coach, Lloyd Carr, told him, "Brady, I want you to stop worrying about what the other players on our team are doing. All you do is focus on the starter, the second guy...don't worry about that. I want you at this program and if you're going to be the best, you got to beat out the best." Tom Brady took the advice to heart and decided to start meeting with Greg Hardin, a sports psychologist, to work on his mindset. Greg told him, “We got to start building this knowledge and we got to create a strategy and a plan (for your mindset).” • He started to change his attitude. • He started to focus on what he could control. • He started to focus even more on how to grow and improve. Greg told Tom, “Just go in there and focus with the two (opportunities) that you got and make them as perfect as you possibly (can).” So that's what Brady did. Tom said, “Through this new attitude, through this new shift that Greg had said to me, you focused on what you can control. Focus on what you're getting, not what anyone else is getting. Whenever you get an opportunity, you take advantage of it, treat it like it's the Super Bowl. You treat it like it's game day, go out there and treat practice like no one else does. I did that every single day.” It wasn't a straight shot to stardom, but slowly he started to improve. Players and coaches started to notice how good those two reps were, and they began to trust him more. His 2 reps turned into 4 and then 8. The next year, Brady had improved so much that he was competing for the starting job which was unthinkable the year before. He wouldn't win the starting job, but he would bring that competitive mindset every day to practice. He said, "I'm going to treat practice like a game and I'm going to gain the respect (of) my teammates every day through my work ethic. I'm going to work hard in the weight room. I'm going to work hard in the film room. I'm going to work hard to be a good student.” Brady would compete for the starting job for the next two years with Drew Henson, but that mindset shift changed everything for him. That mindset is what he then brought to the NFL. Takeaway 1: Focus on What You Can Control It means focusing on your own actions, words, and emotions. You have to eliminate distractions and clutter because there will always be external outcomes or others' opinions that you can't control. Tom might have had only two reps at practice, but he sure made those two reps were executed to perfection. That mindset fostered self-improvement over external validation. Takeaway 2: Prepare and Practice to Your Fullest Tom's opportunities and improvements came because he worked hard, practiced hard, and was prepared. His enthusiasm and energy was contagious to his teammates and coaches. It highlights the importance of tenacity and determination in pursuing your goals, even when the odds seem stacked against you. “We're not victims of this life. We wake up every day with choices to make and you get a choice every day.” - Tom Brady - - - Follow @coachajkings for more posts like this!