Too Short for a Blog Post, Too Long for a Tweet 180

Here are a few excerpts from a book I recently read, "Fearless: How an Underdog Becomes a Champion," by Dan Pompei and Doug Pederson.

It really helps me to start each day with some quiet time, reflecting on life, my challenges, and whatever God wants me to hear that day. I’m in my office about 5:30 every morning and sit at my desk and spend thirty minutes alone in my chair with no distractions. I take a couple of deep breaths and put my day in perspective. I grab my prayer book, Jesus Calling. There is a devotional and a scripture on each page. It takes two minutes to read, but the messages are powerful. Then I start journaling. I dive into my Bible a little. I say prayers—whether it be for the team, my family, or a friend or loved one who is struggling with something. I bring all of that to God in the morning. As I’m driving to work, I often wonder how I will accomplish everything that I need to get done that day. This quiet time sets the tone for my day and focuses me, puts me at peace. At the end of the day, I always look up and realize that everything is done that needed to be done.

I’ve been called a career backup. It fits. I’m okay with people saying that about me. Or they can say I was a journeyman. You can call it what you want, because I had a good career. There are starters and there are backups and there are role-players. My role was a backup, to provide support. It was about being a servant and serving others. I understood that and I embraced it.

I have some good memories of Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. We would come out on the first-base dugout side onto the field, and that turf was terrible. They had the old Liberty Bell up in the corner of the stadium. We practiced there every day. In the locker room we would hear cats chasing mice and rats in the ceiling. Coaches would tell you stories about coming in the office in the morning and seeing the animals’ droppings that had fallen through the ceiling. Our meeting rooms were on one side of the concourse and our locker room was on the other side, so you had to cross the concourse. If you weren’t careful, you could get hit with a forklift or service truck ripping through there. You literally had to look both ways and make sure nothing was coming. It was a mess. We had a practice bubble that was about as big as my office. Those are some fond memories, though.

Sometimes when coaches win a Super Bowl, they angle for more power. That’s the last thing I want. Our infrastructure is really good. If I had more power in the organization, it would take me away from coaching. I’m here to coach. Teaching these guys is my passion. It’s hard enough just to coach the team. I want to spend 90 percent of my time on coaching. The other 10 percent, I can help out on personnel. It’s not an ego thing with me and never will be. I’m here to serve and help win another championship. 

What we have accomplished has been rewarding, but it’s not like my life is complete. I heard an interview with Mack Brown that hit home. He won a national championship at Texas, and he put it in perspective. He said winning a championship is a great achievement, but it’s not your life’s journey. Your life’s journey is about continuing to improve. There is something bigger out there. You haven’t accomplished everything there is to accomplish after winning a championship.