Love him or hate him, Tom Brady is a winner. Regardless of "Deflategate" or "Spygate" you can't blame the man for using every possible strategy to win. Now you might be thinking to yourself "Jeff, are you telling me to cheat?" No, I am not telling you to cheat, but there's nothing wrong with pushing the envelope and limitations set by others. Better yet, define your own rules! Tom Brady may have been accused of cheating in the past, but there is no getting around that he is still an amazing athlete that blocks out the media, and shows what he can do on the field. People could take what Brady does on and off the field and apply it to their businesses.
At the beginning of last season, Brady had been written off as past his prime. He had a horrible beginning to the season and the obituaries began to show up. People, thinking his career was over, would send him actual condolence emails! He would respond to those emails by saying, "Nobody died or anything, it was just a loss." Now, that's something you can respect! Controversies or not, he still led his team to the Super Bowl and won it all -- and once again became a champion. How's that for thinking big and acting bigger? Here's what you can learn from Brady, and how you can apply it to your business.
Nobody Died
Say it with me: "NOBODY DIED!" When you misspell a word on social media for everyone to see, nobody died. When you forget to attach that very important business proposal in an email to a potential client, nobody died! When you forget your wife's birthday... NOBODY DIED! Don't quote me on that last one. Joking aside, how true is that statement? Now, can you make the same mistake multiple times? Probably not. My team and I use that phrase all the time, not because we're mistake-riddled, but instead we use it as a way of saying, "we have a plan" or "we will recover." Own your mistakes -- that's maybe the most important part when you do make a mistake. Don't point fingers, take charge and admit your wrongdoing. That's the part I care about the most. When someone from my teams owns up to a mistake, I tell them, "Get smarter! Nobody died." This lets your team get past their mistake, first by not dwelling on it, and them from learning from that mistake. I guarantee they will not make the mistake again.
Passion can override obstacles, but...
Passion is a powerful motivator and can even fuel your momentum, but passion alone cannot override facts. Tom Brady has a passion for football, that much is obvious, otherwise why do it? Like me, I'm sure he enjoys the challenge! I've bought and sold over 250 companies. I make a good living, you could say, but I don't care about the money. It's the challenges of starting something new and putting everything you have into a business that gets me excited! That's where my passion lies. I don't care who you are -- you can be the best speaker in the world, the best passer in the NFL or the best sweet talker ever. That doesn't get you into the National Speakers Association Hall of Fame. It won't get you a Super Bowl. And it doesn't guarantee you a happy life with a happy wife. The things that I have been successful at today came because of the passion I brought and the hard work I put into it. Without passion you'll never have the conviction needed to deliver on your promise to think and act big. While passion is the first part of the equation, it must be combined with talent, smarts and a little bit of luck!
Haters Gonna Hate. Let Them
It's all about the attitude. I refuse to conform to business as usual and will always have that fighting spirit. I had to fight and claw my way from a place only a few know as merely a dot on a map: Sioux Falls, South Dakota. I changed and adapted to my surroundings while putting the haters to shame, much like Tom Brady has done. When I first started speaking, everyone told me that I wasn't going to get anywhere -- that I was too bold, too brash, and yes, even too conceited. While I believe you must have a healthy sense of awareness, you must tune out the excessive noise from the haters, put them to shame and work harder to achieve your goals. Think big and act bigger is an attitude and anyone is capable of having that proverbial chip on his or her shoulder. Why? Because we can!
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
At the beginning of last season, Brady had been written off as past his prime. He had a horrible beginning to the season and the obituaries began to show up. People, thinking his career was over, would send him actual condolence emails! He would respond to those emails by saying, "Nobody died or anything, it was just a loss." Now, that's something you can respect! Controversies or not, he still led his team to the Super Bowl and won it all -- and once again became a champion. How's that for thinking big and acting bigger? Here's what you can learn from Brady, and how you can apply it to your business.
Nobody Died
Say it with me: "NOBODY DIED!" When you misspell a word on social media for everyone to see, nobody died. When you forget to attach that very important business proposal in an email to a potential client, nobody died! When you forget your wife's birthday... NOBODY DIED! Don't quote me on that last one. Joking aside, how true is that statement? Now, can you make the same mistake multiple times? Probably not. My team and I use that phrase all the time, not because we're mistake-riddled, but instead we use it as a way of saying, "we have a plan" or "we will recover." Own your mistakes -- that's maybe the most important part when you do make a mistake. Don't point fingers, take charge and admit your wrongdoing. That's the part I care about the most. When someone from my teams owns up to a mistake, I tell them, "Get smarter! Nobody died." This lets your team get past their mistake, first by not dwelling on it, and them from learning from that mistake. I guarantee they will not make the mistake again.
Passion can override obstacles, but...
Passion is a powerful motivator and can even fuel your momentum, but passion alone cannot override facts. Tom Brady has a passion for football, that much is obvious, otherwise why do it? Like me, I'm sure he enjoys the challenge! I've bought and sold over 250 companies. I make a good living, you could say, but I don't care about the money. It's the challenges of starting something new and putting everything you have into a business that gets me excited! That's where my passion lies. I don't care who you are -- you can be the best speaker in the world, the best passer in the NFL or the best sweet talker ever. That doesn't get you into the National Speakers Association Hall of Fame. It won't get you a Super Bowl. And it doesn't guarantee you a happy life with a happy wife. The things that I have been successful at today came because of the passion I brought and the hard work I put into it. Without passion you'll never have the conviction needed to deliver on your promise to think and act big. While passion is the first part of the equation, it must be combined with talent, smarts and a little bit of luck!
Haters Gonna Hate. Let Them
It's all about the attitude. I refuse to conform to business as usual and will always have that fighting spirit. I had to fight and claw my way from a place only a few know as merely a dot on a map: Sioux Falls, South Dakota. I changed and adapted to my surroundings while putting the haters to shame, much like Tom Brady has done. When I first started speaking, everyone told me that I wasn't going to get anywhere -- that I was too bold, too brash, and yes, even too conceited. While I believe you must have a healthy sense of awareness, you must tune out the excessive noise from the haters, put them to shame and work harder to achieve your goals. Think big and act bigger is an attitude and anyone is capable of having that proverbial chip on his or her shoulder. Why? Because we can!
-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
