Tom Brady - Life is hard - and worth trying (4 Viewers)

[Joe Bryant]

Good words from Brady.

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[bigbottom]

Good words. But he had me until, on the heels of talking about how life is hard he said, if you look at my teammates “it would be impossible to find better examples of men who embody that work ethic, integrity, purpose, determination, and discipline that it takes to be a champion in life.” You guys make a comfortable living playing a game. I’m not saying those guys don’t embody work ethic, integrity, purpose, determination and discipline, but it’s not impossible for me to think of better examples. Many in fact.

 

[Joe Bryant]

Good words. But he had me until, on the heels of talking about how life is hard he said, if you look at my teammates “it would be impossible to find better examples of men who embody that work ethic, integrity, purpose, determination, and discipline that it takes to be a champion in life.” You guys make a comfortable living playing a game. I’m not saying those guys don’t embody work ethic, integrity, purpose, determination and discipline, but it’s not impossible for me to think of better examples. Many in fact.

For sure. That felt way over the top. He probably should have made it something like "examples in his life" or something. But then even that has Tampa Bay players

The main point though I thought was good in embracing a challenge.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

I have to admit that I have a hard time maintaining my equilibrium level of hatred for Tom Brady now that he's out of football.

 

[SWC]

i agree with the sentiment but i will always have more respect for the guys who do this but in less glamorous circumstances like fred and bill at the mill back in the tool room they got up and were in at 330 am because that is when we had to do repairs when the machines were down those guys did that for a lifetime so that they could provide for their families and brothers believe me it was hard hard hard work crawling in under and on top of equipment making parts out of steel that were so big they needed a hoist just to move them brohans let me tell you what when i was a young buck it hit me pretty hard how much those guys gave up for the american dream and they didnt get to do it for millions of dollar contracts or cheering fans or supermodel wives they did it for a mortgage and a car payment and the love of thier families and that my friends is praiseworthy take that to the bank brochachos

 

[-OZ-]

i agree with the sentiment but i will always have more respect for the guys who do this but in less glamorous circumstances like fred and bill at the mill back in the tool room they got up and were in at 330 am because that is when we had to do repairs when the machines were down those guys did that for a lifetime so that they could provide for their families and brothers believe me it was hard hard hard work crawling in under and on top of equipment making parts out of steel that were so big they needed a hoist just to move them brohans let me tell you what when i was a young buck it hit me pretty hard how much those guys gave up for the american dream and they didnt get to do it for millions of dollar contracts or cheering fans or supermodel wives they did it for a mortgage and a car payment and the love of thier families and that my friends is praiseworthy take that to the bank brochachos

One of the best examples.

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[The Duff Man]

I have to admit that I have a hard time maintaining my equilibrium level of hatred for Tom Brady now that he's out of football.

Not me. I watch how people act when they are in the thick of it. It is easy to put on a false face when you want to look good. Who are you when the false face is removed?

Brady is the guy who wouldn’t shake opponents hands when he lost and chose football over family.

Still not has bad as Bill who spent years being a complete C-word to media and now wants to be nice when he needs speaking work. Laughable.

 

[djmich]

Good words. But he had me until, on the heels of talking about how life is hard he said, if you look at my teammates “it would be impossible to find better examples of men who embody that work ethic, integrity, purpose, determination, and discipline that it takes to be a champion in life.” You guys make a comfortable living playing a game. I’m not saying those guys don’t embody work ethic, integrity, purpose, determination and discipline, but it’s not impossible for me to think of better examples. Many in fact.

Impossible is of course hyperbole. But I think the key words here are "to be a champion" and I took that to mean to be among the best in a competitive profession. It might seem as a slight to people working their assess off in more difficult circumstances with less income, hence your reference to "making a comfortable living playing a game", but I think that would be taking the purpose of his quote around being great at something out of context. Thats just how I read it.

 

[bigbottom]

Good words. But he had me until, on the heels of talking about how life is hard he said, if you look at my teammates “it would be impossible to find better examples of men who embody that work ethic, integrity, purpose, determination, and discipline that it takes to be a champion in life.” You guys make a comfortable living playing a game. I’m not saying those guys don’t embody work ethic, integrity, purpose, determination and discipline, but it’s not impossible for me to think of better examples. Many in fact.

Impossible is of course hyperbole. But I think the key words here are "to be a champion" and I took that to mean to be among the best in a competitive profession. It might seem as a slight to people working their assess off in more difficult circumstances with less income, hence your reference to "making a comfortable living playing a game", but I think that would be taking the purpose of his quote around being great at something out of context. Thats just how I read it.

But he didn’t say “to be a champion.” He said “to be a champion in life.”

 

[IvanKaramazov]

I have to admit that I have a hard time maintaining my equilibrium level of hatred for Tom Brady now that he's out of football.

Not me. I watch how people act when they are in the thick of it. It is easy to put on a false face when you want to look good. Who are you when the false face is removed?

Brady is the guy who wouldn’t shake opponents hands when he lost and chose football over family.

Still not has bad as Bill who spent years being a complete C-word to media and now wants to be nice when he needs speaking work. Laughable.

I get that, but honestly I am even finding Belichick kind of funny these days, in the same way that I came to like Bill Parcells. I'm sure he's not a nice person in any normal sense of the word, but he has a dark, mean sense of humor that I actually kind of like.

One thing I kind of miss about life as a Bills fan these days is that I don't have anybody to actively hate. I hated Jimmy Johnson and Michael Irvin in the 1990s, and I hated Bradychick up until a year or so ago, but they're not around anymore. I like watching Mahomes, and he seems like a totally fine guy to me. I have no issues with anybody on Miami's roster, aside from the obvious stuff with Tyreek Hill. Hating the Jets feels like hating a little crippled kid. We need a new Bryan Cox-like heel figure.

 

[Joe Bryant]

Loved this line: “To be successful at anything, the truth is you don’t have to be special. You just have to be what most people aren’t: consistent, determined and willing to work for it.”

 

[GroveDiesel]

Loved this line: “To be successful at anything, the truth is you don’t have to be special. You just have to be what most people aren’t: consistent, determined and willing to work for it.”

This is pure nonsense. Plenty of college players are all of those things but still aren’t good enough to be NFL players

Being consistent, determined, and willing to work for things will benefit most people in life more than simply having talent, but in plenty of things in life, if you don’t have talent for something, it will never matter how hard you work.

IMO, it’s one of the crappiest things we do as a nation: tell people that if they just work hard enough they’ll be really successful people and get rich. And if they aren’t rich and “successful” then well, they just didn’t work hard enough. There are tons of other factors in life that play a part, many beyond our control. Encouraging people to find joy in whatever circumstances they find themselves in and to care for people around them is going to benefit way more people than a false promise that if they just work hard enough they’ll be “successful”.

 

[brun]

Loved this line: “To be successful at anything, the truth is you don’t have to be special. You just have to be what most people aren’t: consistent, determined and willing to work for it.”

This is pure nonsense. Plenty of college players are all of those things but still aren’t good enough to be NFL players

Being consistent, determined, and willing to work for things will benefit most people in life more than simply having talent, but in plenty of things in life, if you don’t have talent for something, it will never matter how hard you work.

IMO, it’s one of the crappiest things we do as a nation: tell people that if they just work hard enough they’ll be really successful people and get rich. And if they aren’t rich and “successful” then well, they just didn’t work hard enough. There are tons of other factors in life that play a part, many beyond our control. Encouraging people to find joy in whatever circumstances they find themselves in and to care for people around them is going to benefit way more people than a false promise that if they just work hard enough they’ll be “successful”.

I believe your definition of success matters. My definition is the degree to which I realize my potential. Sometimes you don't know this until later.

 

[GroveDiesel]

Loved this line: “To be successful at anything, the truth is you don’t have to be special. You just have to be what most people aren’t: consistent, determined and willing to work for it.”

This is pure nonsense. Plenty of college players are all of those things but still aren’t good enough to be NFL players

Being consistent, determined, and willing to work for things will benefit most people in life more than simply having talent, but in plenty of things in life, if you don’t have talent for something, it will never matter how hard you work.

IMO, it’s one of the crappiest things we do as a nation: tell people that if they just work hard enough they’ll be really successful people and get rich. And if they aren’t rich and “successful” then well, they just didn’t work hard enough. There are tons of other factors in life that play a part, many beyond our control. Encouraging people to find joy in whatever circumstances they find themselves in and to care for people around them is going to benefit way more people than a false promise that if they just work hard enough they’ll be “successful”.

I believe your definition of success matters. My definition is the degree to which I realize my potential. Sometimes you don't know this until later.

I think that’s fair. I guess I’m just siding with the folks who indicate that something like that carries more weight for them coming from the guy who carved out a nice living working in the tool shop than from an NFL HOFer.

Also, my definition of success covers far more than just career. Brady repeatedly choosing his career over his family isn’t what I would view as success in life.

But then again, Brady’s criteria isn’t necessarily wrong there. One could argue that he hasn’t been any of those things for his family and this his marriage wasn’t a success.

 

[IrishTwinkie]

I once heard something that stuck with me about NFL players. The thought was the guys playing in the NFL were not the best football players. They were the luckiest. Meaning, they managed to make it through all the years playing smaller ball in HS and college without getting injured enough to derail them. It has always kind of stuck with me. I was my daughters college football team (she was in the marching band...). The team plays in the FCS, the type of school that the Alabamas of the world pay millions of bucks to so they can beat them down. I noticed all the linemen, on both sides, were all wearing knee braces. Many on both knees. It wasn't just the linemen either. The thought really hit home then. For Brady to be as successful as he is, he needed a lot of things to break his way. And he should acknowledge that lots of others, with the traits that he describes, didn't get those same breaks.

 

[Van Dyman]

i agree with the sentiment but i will always have more respect for the guys who do this but in less glamorous circumstances like fred and bill at the mill back in the tool room they got up and were in at 330 am because that is when we had to do repairs when the machines were down those guys did that for a lifetime so that they could provide for their families and brothers believe me it was hard hard hard work crawling in under and on top of equipment making parts out of steel that were so big they needed a hoist just to move them brohans let me tell you what when i was a young buck it hit me pretty hard how much those guys gave up for the american dream and they didnt get to do it for millions of dollar contracts or cheering fans or supermodel wives they did it for a mortgage and a car payment and the love of thier families and that my friends is praiseworthy take that to the bank brochachos

One of the best examples.

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

youtu.be

So glad I'm not the only one who remembers that. Last school year I woke up my youngest every morning saying "time to make the donuts!".

 

[Bossman]

I have to admit that I have a hard time maintaining my equilibrium level of hatred for Tom Brady now that he's out of football.

but, ... those footballs were 0.5 psi less than what was recommended.
9.5 psi instead of 10 psi. Do you not understand how huge of an advantage that is?
Imagine how many rings Dak Prescott would have if his balls were at 9.5 psi.
... and don't get me started on Belicheat.

 

[MTskibum]

Loved this line: “To be successful at anything, the truth is you don’t have to be special. You just have to be what most people aren’t: consistent, determined and willing to work for it.”

I am with GroveDiesel. I find that line to be BS from someone like Brady.

This sounds like something that rich people tell poor people. You are poor just because you didn't work hard enough in life.... Yet they are out there working 6-10's working on an asphalt road crew in the Texas desert in the summer.

 

[bigbottom]

Loved this line: “To be successful at anything, the truth is you don’t have to be special. You just have to be what most people aren’t: consistent, determined and willing to work for it.”

I am with GroveDiesel. I find that line to be BS from someone like Brady.

This sounds like something that rich people tell poor people. You are poor just because you didn't work hard enough in life.... Yet they are out there working 6-10's working on an asphalt road crew in the Texas desert in the summer.

As noted above, depends on how you define success. The guy on the road crew may indeed be a success. Not sure Tom Brady would see it that way though.

 

[Joe Bryant]

Loved this line: “To be successful at anything, the truth is you don’t have to be special. You just have to be what most people aren’t: consistent, determined and willing to work for it.”

I am with GroveDiesel. I find that line to be BS from someone like Brady.

This sounds like something that rich people tell poor people. You are poor just because you didn't work hard enough in life.... Yet they are out there working 6-10's working on an asphalt road crew in the Texas desert in the summer.

On a scale of 1 (not at all) to 10 (crucial) how important would you say being consistent, determined and willing to work for it are important to success at the reasonable thing you're trying to do?

Assuming of course you're physically and mentally capable of being successful at that thing. I can be as consistent and determined and work hard harder than anyone, but if my goal is to be a NFL linebacker, it's not happening at my age and size.

 

[KarmaPolice]

I once heard something that stuck with me about NFL players. The thought was the guys playing in the NFL were not the best football players. They were the luckiest. Meaning, they managed to make it through all the years playing smaller ball in HS and college without getting injured enough to derail them. It has always kind of stuck with me. I was my daughters college football team (she was in the marching band...). The team plays in the FCS, the type of school that the Alabamas of the world pay millions of bucks to so they can beat them down. I noticed all the linemen, on both sides, were all wearing knee braces. Many on both knees. It wasn't just the linemen either. The thought really hit home then. For Brady to be as successful as he is, he needed a lot of things to break his way. And he should acknowledge that lots of others, with the traits that he describes, didn't get those same breaks.

Exactly. Avoiding injuries, difference in coaching, parents, on, and on. There are so many variables out of peoples control that IMO have as big of an outcome if not more than Brady's narrative. It's not as sexy to talk about that stuff since by definition it's out of our control.

 

[MTskibum]

Loved this line: “To be successful at anything, the truth is you don’t have to be special. You just have to be what most people aren’t: consistent, determined and willing to work for it.”

I am with GroveDiesel. I find that line to be BS from someone like Brady.

This sounds like something that rich people tell poor people. You are poor just because you didn't work hard enough in life.... Yet they are out there working 6-10's working on an asphalt road crew in the Texas desert in the summer.

On a scale of 1 (not at all) to 10 (crucial) how important would you say being consistent, determined and willing to work for it are important to success at the reasonable thing you're trying to do?

Assuming of course you're physically and mentally capable of being successful at that thing. I can be as consistent and determined and work hard harder than anyone, but if my goal is to be a NFL linebacker, it's not happening at my age and size.

Most people work for someone else, and when you do that it seems politics, friendships, and luck matters more. My next promotion is 100% dependent on someone that likes me getting promoted ahead of me at this point.

I see many hard working experts that are even stuck below me in the corporate totem pole.

This is not just in the corporate world either. I was a concrete foreman in my 20's and was pretty decent at that. If I would have been lucky enough to have parents that could have funded me starting my own concrete company my life could have turned out completely different, and under that path I probably would have more success.

Alot of life comes to luck.

 

[Joe Bryant]

Loved this line: “To be successful at anything, the truth is you don’t have to be special. You just have to be what most people aren’t: consistent, determined and willing to work for it.”

I am with GroveDiesel. I find that line to be BS from someone like Brady.

This sounds like something that rich people tell poor people. You are poor just because you didn't work hard enough in life.... Yet they are out there working 6-10's working on an asphalt road crew in the Texas desert in the summer.

On a scale of 1 (not at all) to 10 (crucial) how important would you say being consistent, determined and willing to work for it are important to success at the reasonable thing you're trying to do?

Assuming of course you're physically and mentally capable of being successful at that thing. I can be as consistent and determined and work hard harder than anyone, but if my goal is to be a NFL linebacker, it's not happening at my age and size.

Most people work for someone else, and when you do that it seems politics, friendships, and luck matters more. My next promotion is 100% dependent on someone that likes me getting promoted ahead of me at this point.

I see many hard working experts that are even stuck below me in the corporate totem pole.

This is not just in the corporate world either. I was a concrete foreman in my 20's and was pretty decent at that. If I would have been lucky enough to have parents that could have funded me starting my own concrete company my life could have turned out completely different, and under that path I probably would have more success.

Alot of life comes to luck.

Absolutely. Lots of factors in play. Including of course, luck,

But I think it's a good question. On a scale of 1 (not at all) to 10 (crucial) how important would you say being consistent, determined and willing to work for it are important to success at the reasonable thing you're trying to do?

 

[massraider]

Being consistent, determined, and willing to work for things will benefit most people in life more than simply having talent, but in plenty of things in life, if you don’t have talent for something, it will never matter how hard you work.

IMO, it’s one of the crappiest things we do as a nation: tell people that if they just work hard enough they’ll be really successful people and get rich. And if they aren’t rich and “successful” then well, they just didn’t work hard enough. There are tons of other factors in life that play a part, many beyond our control. Encouraging people to find joy in whatever circumstances they find themselves in and to care for people around them is going to benefit way more people than a false promise that if they just work hard enough they’ll be “successful”.

Scott Galloway on following your passion

I heard him say once that if you aren't getting signals early in your career that you are really good, pivot early. In any career.

 

[bigbottom]

Loved this line: “To be successful at anything, the truth is you don’t have to be special. You just have to be what most people aren’t: consistent, determined and willing to work for it.”

I am with GroveDiesel. I find that line to be BS from someone like Brady.

This sounds like something that rich people tell poor people. You are poor just because you didn't work hard enough in life.... Yet they are out there working 6-10's working on an asphalt road crew in the Texas desert in the summer.

On a scale of 1 (not at all) to 10 (crucial) how important would you say being consistent, determined and willing to work for it are important to success at the reasonable thing you're trying to do?

Assuming of course you're physically and mentally capable of being successful at that thing. I can be as consistent and determined and work hard harder than anyone, but if my goal is to be a NFL linebacker, it's not happening at my age and size.

Most people work for someone else, and when you do that it seems politics, friendships, and luck matters more. My next promotion is 100% dependent on someone that likes me getting promoted ahead of me at this point.

I see many hard working experts that are even stuck below me in the corporate totem pole.

This is not just in the corporate world either. I was a concrete foreman in my 20's and was pretty decent at that. If I would have been lucky enough to have parents that could have funded me starting my own concrete company my life could have turned out completely different, and under that path I probably would have more success.

Alot of life comes to luck.

Absolutely. Lots of factors in play. Including of course, luck,

But I think it's a good question. On a scale of 1 (not at all) to 10 (crucial) how important would you say being consistent, determined and willing to work for it are important to success at the reasonable thing you're trying to do?

I’d say it’s 9-10. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t other factors at play though.

 

[massraider]

This is not just in the corporate world either.

It's everywhere. And it makes sense: people want to do business with people they like.

 

[McBokonon]

Rise and grind, baby. Rise and grind.

 

[DA RAIDERS]

I have to admit that I have a hard time maintaining my equilibrium level of hatred for Tom Brady now that he's out of football.

Not me. I watch how people act when they are in the thick of it. It is easy to put on a false face when you want to look good. Who are you when the false face is removed?

Brady is the guy who wouldn’t shake opponents hands when he lost and chose football over family.

Still not has bad as Bill who spent years being a complete C-word to media and now wants to be nice when he needs speaking work. Laughable.

And the tuck rule

 

[MTskibum]

Absolutely. Lots of factors in play. Including of course, luck,

But I think it's a good question. On a scale of 1 (not at all) to 10 (crucial) how important would you say being consistent, determined and willing to work for it are important to success at the reasonable thing you're trying to do?

There are many, many people that are consistent, determined, and willing to work. Those are the easy things to find in people, the luck factor is the tricky thing. Whether that luck is having superior genetics that let you have extreme muscle memory or by being born wealthy. Those are what is difficult to get.

Edit: I am not bitter at all either. I do consider myself lucky that I am successful. I do see many people that lack that luck factor though.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

I have to admit that I have a hard time maintaining my equilibrium level of hatred for Tom Brady now that he's out of football.

but, ... those footballs were 0.5 psi less than what was recommended.
9.5 psi instead of 10 psi. Do you not understand how huge of an advantage that is?
Imagine how many rings Dak Prescott would have if his balls were at 9.5 psi.
... and don't get me started on Belicheat.

Don't make me start hating you guys again.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

I once heard something that stuck with me about NFL players. The thought was the guys playing in the NFL were not the best football players. They were the luckiest. Meaning, they managed to make it through all the years playing smaller ball in HS and college without getting injured enough to derail them. It has always kind of stuck with me. I was my daughters college football team (she was in the marching band...). The team plays in the FCS, the type of school that the Alabamas of the world pay millions of bucks to so they can beat them down. I noticed all the linemen, on both sides, were all wearing knee braces. Many on both knees. It wasn't just the linemen either. The thought really hit home then. For Brady to be as successful as he is, he needed a lot of things to break his way. And he should acknowledge that lots of others, with the traits that he describes, didn't get those same breaks.

Exactly. Avoiding injuries, difference in coaching, parents, on, and on. There are so many variables out of peoples control that IMO have as big of an outcome if not more than Brady's narrative. It's not as sexy to talk about that stuff since by definition it's out of our control.

That's the thing: luck is out of your control, by definition. Hard work, consistency, etc. put you in a position to take advantage of lucky breaks. Lazy people, unreliable people, etc. aren't going to profit as much from the exact same luck.

For example, I am at the point where my wife and I can retire on schedule if the stock market just performs more or less normally (no big crashes) over the next few years. We don't need a lot of luck at this point, but we need a little in the sense that we need to avoid any unusual pitfalls. So yeah, luck is going to play a roll in our retirement plans. But if we hadn't spent the last 30 years following the boring plan of dollar-cost-averaging into the S&P 500 every month, we wouldn't be in a position to benefit today even if we got lucky. Your individual decisions matter. A lot, if we're talking about decisions you made when you were in your 20s and 30s.

 

[bigbottom]

Absolutely. Lots of factors in play. Including of course, luck,

But I think it's a good question. On a scale of 1 (not at all) to 10 (crucial) how important would you say being consistent, determined and willing to work for it are important to success at the reasonable thing you're trying to do?

There are many, many people that are consistent, determined, and willing to work. Those are the easy things to find in people, the luck factor is the tricky thing. Whether that luck is having superior genetics that let you have extreme muscle memory or by being born wealthy. Those are what is difficult to get.

Edit: I am not bitter at all either. I do consider myself lucky that I am successful. I do see many people that lack that luck factor though.

I think folks might be looking at the question differently. Let me ask it a different way. If you are not committed, you are not determined, and you are not willing to work hard, what are the chances that you will achieve success at your chosen endeavor?

 

[MTskibum]

Absolutely. Lots of factors in play. Including of course, luck,

But I think it's a good question. On a scale of 1 (not at all) to 10 (crucial) how important would you say being consistent, determined and willing to work for it are important to success at the reasonable thing you're trying to do?

There are many, many people that are consistent, determined, and willing to work. Those are the easy things to find in people, the luck factor is the tricky thing. Whether that luck is having superior genetics that let you have extreme muscle memory or by being born wealthy. Those are what is difficult to get.

Edit: I am not bitter at all either. I do consider myself lucky that I am successful. I do see many people that lack that luck factor though.

I think folks might be looking at the question differently. Let me ask it a different way. If you are not committed, you are not determined, and you are not willing to work hard, what are the chances that you will achieve success at your chosen endeavor?

I agree, that is how most people are looking at the question, i am stating that they should look at it the other way.

There are way more people that are determined, committed, and work hard that are not successful than people who actually do end up successful. The main factor for success is genetics and parental wealth.

How many people on here(or on the other hundreds of forums) post away their work day not working hard while there are single moms working 50 hours a week and struggling to get by.

 

[Dr_Zaius]

I don't know, I think it comes down to where you set the bar of success. If you need to own multiple homes and retire early to travel, working hard and being dedicated are not going to get most people there. If it's having a steady job that's not miserable, a roof over your head and a little extra money to take a trip once or twice a year, I think working hard and being dependable is probably enough for the vast majority of people.

The interesting thing about "steady job that's not miserable" is it's definitely in the eye of the beholder. Two of my kids spend a summer cleaning the local schools with the janitorial crew, and they both reported that the janitorial staff seemed perfectly content with their jobs. It's a good school district, so I suspect their pay is at least decent, but I'm sure many outsiders would still consider their jobs miserable.

 

[Dr_Zaius]

Also, I really like the point that @GroveDiesel made upthread. We've swung the pendulum too far on the "you can do it" scale. We realized how terrible and destructive it was to tell people that they'd never amount to anything because of their race, sex, or whatever, but then switched to telling them they could be a top performer in whatever field they wanted if they had enough grit. One of my daughter's good friends fell for this and spent a miserable year in college majoring in computer science, which she just didn't have the natural ability to ever excel at. Fortunately she realized this before she completely failed out, and she's finishing up in a major that she's much better suited for.

 

[Mitchie]

One of my daughter's good friends fell for this and spent a miserable year in college majoring in computer science, which she just didn't have the natural ability to ever excel at. Fortunately she realized this before she completely failed out, and she's finishing up in a major that she's much better suited for.

To be fair stuff like this has always happened. I was good at Math so started college as a Math major before realizing there's whole different level of intelligence to excel at that type of math.

 

[bigbottom]

Absolutely. Lots of factors in play. Including of course, luck,

But I think it's a good question. On a scale of 1 (not at all) to 10 (crucial) how important would you say being consistent, determined and willing to work for it are important to success at the reasonable thing you're trying to do?

There are many, many people that are consistent, determined, and willing to work. Those are the easy things to find in people, the luck factor is the tricky thing. Whether that luck is having superior genetics that let you have extreme muscle memory or by being born wealthy. Those are what is difficult to get.

Edit: I am not bitter at all either. I do consider myself lucky that I am successful. I do see many people that lack that luck factor though.

I think folks might be looking at the question differently. Let me ask it a different way. If you are not committed, you are not determined, and you are not willing to work hard, what are the chances that you will achieve success at your chosen endeavor?

I agree, that is how most people are looking at the question, i am stating that they should look at it the other way.

There are way more people that are determined, committed, and work hard that are not successful than people who actually do end up successful. The main factor for success is genetics and parental wealth.

How many people on here(or on the other hundreds of forums) post away their work day not working hard while there are single moms working 50 hours a week and struggling to get by.

I think you may be looking at success through too narrow a prism (e.g., wealth).

That said, I think you and everyone in this thread are making really good and valid points. Ultimately, commitment, determination and hard work are critical components in achieving success in a particular endeavor, but they certainly aren’t the only components and do not guarantee success by any stretch of the imagination.

And that is where Tom Brady missed the mark - his use of the word “just.”

To be successful at anything, the truth is you don’t have to be special. You just have to be what most people aren’t: consistent, determined and willing to work for it.

 

[Mitchie]

Absolutely. Lots of factors in play. Including of course, luck,

But I think it's a good question. On a scale of 1 (not at all) to 10 (crucial) how important would you say being consistent, determined and willing to work for it are important to success at the reasonable thing you're trying to do?

There are many, many people that are consistent, determined, and willing to work. Those are the easy things to find in people, the luck factor is the tricky thing. Whether that luck is having superior genetics that let you have extreme muscle memory or by being born wealthy. Those are what is difficult to get.

Edit: I am not bitter at all either. I do consider myself lucky that I am successful. I do see many people that lack that luck factor though.

I think folks might be looking at the question differently. Let me ask it a different way. If you are not committed, you are not determined, and you are not willing to work hard, what are the chances that you will achieve success at your chosen endeavor?

I agree, that is how most people are looking at the question, i am stating that they should look at it the other way.

There are way more people that are determined, committed, and work hard that are not successful than people who actually do end up successful. The main factor for success is genetics and parental wealth.

How many people on here(or on the other hundreds of forums) post away their work day not working hard while there are single moms working 50 hours a week and struggling to get by.

I think you may be looking at success through too narrow a prism (e.g., wealth).

That said, I think you and everyone in this thread are making really good good and valid points. Ultimately, commitment, determination and hard work are critical components in achieving success in a particular endeavor, but they certainly aren’t the only components and do not guarantee success by any stretch of the imagination.

And that is where Tom Brady missed the mark - his use of the word “just.”

To be successful at anything, the truth is you don’t have to be special. You just have to be what most people aren’t: consistent, determined and willing to work for it.

Yep and the word anything also should have been left out or changed to many things

 

[Psychopav]

Good words. But he had me until, on the heels of talking about how life is hard he said, if you look at my teammates “it would be impossible to find better examples of men who embody that work ethic, integrity, purpose, determination, and discipline that it takes to be a champion in life.” You guys make a comfortable living playing a game. I’m not saying those guys don’t embody work ethic, integrity, purpose, determination and discipline, but it’s not impossible for me to think of better examples. Many in fact.

For sure. That felt way over the top. He probably should have made it something like "examples in his life" or something. But then even that has Tampa Bay players

The main point though I thought was good in embracing a challenge.

Yeah, somehow I think Aaron Hernandez's family might object, if they saw any part of that Netflix roast.

 

[Joe Bryant]

Absolutely. Lots of factors in play. Including of course, luck,

But I think it's a good question. On a scale of 1 (not at all) to 10 (crucial) how important would you say being consistent, determined and willing to work for it are important to success at the reasonable thing you're trying to do?

There are many, many people that are consistent, determined, and willing to work. Those are the easy things to find in people, the luck factor is the tricky thing. Whether that luck is having superior genetics that let you have extreme muscle memory or by being born wealthy. Those are what is difficult to get.

Edit: I am not bitter at all either. I do consider myself lucky that I am successful. I do see many people that lack that luck factor though.

Agreed. Luck is for sure a factor and I think we all understand that.

I was interested in your quote that you called BS on Brady saying one has "to be what most people aren’t: consistent, determined and willing to work for it.”

That's why I asked how important you think it is, if at all. I'd say it's about an 8 on a scale of 1-10.

What number would you say it is?

 

[Psychopav]

We were lucky enough to have Jeffrey Katzenberg speak at one of our corporate events a couple years ago. One of his pearls of wisdom was that throughout his career, he strove to consistently beat expectations. It didn't have to be by a lot, it could just be by a little, but the cumulative effect of all that expectation beating is akin to a built in progression that takes very little extra effort but has very strong long term effects. It struck me as both true on the face and also including an inherent high set bar. If you're always striving to beat expectation vs. doing the minimum it takes to get by, you leave yourself a lot of buffer when you inevitably occasionally fall short.

 

[Joe Bryant]

Agreed on the definition of "success" being way more than financial.

 

[Joe Bryant]

We were lucky enough to have Jeffrey Katzenberg speak at one of our corporate events a couple years ago. One of his pearls of wisdom was that throughout his career, he strove to consistently beat expectations. It didn't have to be by a lot, it could just be by a little, but the cumulative effect of all that expectation beating is akin to a built in progression that takes very little extra effort but has very strong long term effects. It struck me as both true on the face and also including an inherent high set bar. If you're always striving to beat expectation vs. doing the minimum it takes to get by, you leave yourself a lot of buffer when you inevitably occasionally fall short.

Absolutely. That's a great way to look at it.

I'd also say that some practical ways to actually do that is by being consistent, determined and willing to work for it.

 

[MTskibum]

Absolutely. Lots of factors in play. Including of course, luck,

But I think it's a good question. On a scale of 1 (not at all) to 10 (crucial) how important would you say being consistent, determined and willing to work for it are important to success at the reasonable thing you're trying to do?

There are many, many people that are consistent, determined, and willing to work. Those are the easy things to find in people, the luck factor is the tricky thing. Whether that luck is having superior genetics that let you have extreme muscle memory or by being born wealthy. Those are what is difficult to get.

Edit: I am not bitter at all either. I do consider myself lucky that I am successful. I do see many people that lack that luck factor though.

Agreed. Luck is for sure a factor and I think we all understand that.

I was interested in your quote that you called BS on Brady saying one has "to be what most people aren’t: consistent, determined and willing to work for it.”

That's why I asked how important you think it is, if at all. I'd say it's about an 8 on a scale of 1-10.

What number would you say it is?

There are tons of hard working, dedicated people that have not got their version of success. I would say it is a much smaller factor in success, maybe 2 or 3.

Of course if you don't put in any hard work your chance of success is almost 0.

 

[TripItUp]

To me the ideal message should be, make the most of your opportunities regardless of your talent/aptitude/dreams etc.

A lot of people fail in life because they've chased unrealistic dreams. Where I live in Southern California, the region is littered with the show business/professional athletics failures and it's kind of sad.

"Don't put a cap on your success, do the best that you can but don't be unrealistic" is a much more meaningful message IMHO.


Just look at our higher education, we have more attorneys than we need, too many liberal arts majors but corporate America has to outsource information technology roles or leverage work visas because American kids are chasing unrealistic dreams because they saw an inspirational message from a pro athlete or actor.

 

[Joe Bryant]

To me the ideal message should be, make the most of your opportunities regardless of your talent/aptitude etc.

A lot of people fail in life because they've chased unrealistic dreams, where I live in Southern California is littered with them-show business, professional athletics etc.

Don't put a cap on your success, do the best that you can but don't be unrealistic is a much more meaningful message IMHO.

Yes. Managing "realistic" expectations is one of the trickiest things in life I think. Dreaming big enough but not unrealistic. And being content without "settling" is a balance.

 

[bigbottom]

Absolutely. Lots of factors in play. Including of course, luck,

But I think it's a good question. On a scale of 1 (not at all) to 10 (crucial) how important would you say being consistent, determined and willing to work for it are important to success at the reasonable thing you're trying to do?

There are many, many people that are consistent, determined, and willing to work. Those are the easy things to find in people, the luck factor is the tricky thing. Whether that luck is having superior genetics that let you have extreme muscle memory or by being born wealthy. Those are what is difficult to get.

Edit: I am not bitter at all either. I do consider myself lucky that I am successful. I do see many people that lack that luck factor though.

Agreed. Luck is for sure a factor and I think we all understand that.

I was interested in your quote that you called BS on Brady saying one has "to be what most people aren’t: consistent, determined and willing to work for it.”

That's why I asked how important you think it is, if at all. I'd say it's about an 8 on a scale of 1-10.

What number would you say it is?

There are tons of hard working, dedicated people that have not got their version of success. I would say it is a much smaller factor in success, maybe 2 or 3.

Of course if you don't put in any hard work your chance of success is almost 0.

The bolded is why my answer to Joe’s question is 9-10.

 

[bigbottom]

To me the ideal message should be, make the most of your opportunities regardless of your talent/aptitude/dreams etc.

A lot of people fail in life because they've chased unrealistic dreams. Where I live in Southern California, the region is littered with the show business/professional athletics failures and it's kind of sad.

"Don't put a cap on your success, do the best that you can but don't be unrealistic" is a much more meaningful message IMHO.


Just look at our higher education, we have more attorneys than we need, too many liberal arts majors but corporate America has to outsource information technology roles or leverage work visas because American kids are chasing unrealistic dreams because they saw an inspirational message from a pro athlete or actor.

On the show business front, I don’t remember where I heard it or who said it, but it was something along the lines of one of the biggest impediments to “making it” in show biz is having a Plan B.

 

[Joe Bryant]

To me the ideal message should be, make the most of your opportunities regardless of your talent/aptitude/dreams etc.

A lot of people fail in life because they've chased unrealistic dreams. Where I live in Southern California, the region is littered with the show business/professional athletics failures and it's kind of sad.

"Don't put a cap on your success, do the best that you can but don't be unrealistic" is a much more meaningful message IMHO.


Just look at our higher education, we have more attorneys than we need, too many liberal arts majors but corporate America has to outsource information technology roles or leverage work visas because American kids are chasing unrealistic dreams because they saw an inspirational message from a pro athlete or actor.

On the show business front, I don’t remember where I heard it or who said it, but it was something along the lines of one of the biggest impediments to “making it” in show biz is having a Plan B.

I think there is absolutely merit to the "Burn the boats, we're not going back" mentality.

It's a whole different thread probably, but planning to fail is one of my big worries with a prenuptial agreement.

 

[Terminalxylem]

Absolutely. Lots of factors in play. Including of course, luck,

But I think it's a good question. On a scale of 1 (not at all) to 10 (crucial) how important would you say being consistent, determined and willing to work for it are important to success at the reasonable thing you're trying to do?

There are many, many people that are consistent, determined, and willing to work. Those are the easy things to find in people, the luck factor is the tricky thing. Whether that luck is having superior genetics that let you have extreme muscle memory or by being born wealthy. Those are what is difficult to get.

Edit: I am not bitter at all either. I do consider myself lucky that I am successful. I do see many people that lack that luck factor though.

I think folks might be looking at the question differently. Let me ask it a different way. If you are not committed, you are not determined, and you are not willing to work hard, what are the chances that you will achieve success at your chosen endeavor?

I agree, that is how most people are looking at the question, i am stating that they should look at it the other way.

There are way more people that are determined, committed, and work hard that are not successful than people who actually do end up successful. The main factor for success is genetics and parental wealth.

How many people on here(or on the other hundreds of forums) post away their work day not working hard while there are single moms working 50 hours a week and struggling to get by.

I don’t think genetics matter much for most of us, beyond whatever role genes play in intelligence and debilitating diseases of youth. I also don’t think wealth plays a huge role, once you exceed poverty level.

I believe the biggest factor is opportunity, which is probably 90% luck, 10% effort imo.