Are you looking for the difference between greatness and mediocrity? Are you hoping to pare down to its essence the secret of success? One man, NFL offensive lineman Taitusi “Deuce” Lutui of the Arizona Cardinals, looked inward prior to the 2010 season and discovered his key shortcoming: a weak internal commitment to be his best. Lutui conducted an honest appraisal of himself and found a pronounced gap between his potential and his performance. He recognized that he was coasting through his career and concluded that he’d been content with being an average NFL player with fair-to-middling output. No more! The rededicated and improved Lutui is a new man on the field and off, and has played the best football of his career to start this season.
His road to redemption began in the late summer. Lutui held out and missed most of training camp because he was overweight and unmotivated and didn’t want to put forth the effort to improve unless his compensation increased. He reported amidst a torrent of criticism from fans, coaches, teammates and the media. Lutui was also reeling from the recent death of his father.
Serendipitous circumstances soon connected him with an advisor who opened his eyes to reality: Lutui was underachieving and was wasting his plentiful potential. Lutui was a good man, with a good heart, and was well known in the community for his many charitable deeds, especially his support of Scouting for Boys. He received his Eagle Scout award in high school and in his many speeches often stressed the importance of the Boy Scout motto “Be Prepared.” Lutui admits he wasn’t preparing himself for ultimate success; so he changed.
Discussions with the advisor revealed that Lutui had a fear of standing out in a proverbial crowd. He had a fear of being “too good.” This is a symptom of a “fear of success.” In essence, Lutui was trying to blend in, by being mediocre. He was muting his special talents because he didn’t fully believe he deserved to be better than his peers. A man of greatness is susceptible to the slings and arrows and jealousies of a critic unable and unwilling to pursue greatness for himself. Lutui thought he could avoid undue attention if he stayed “average.” But his harshest critic, himself, recognized that he was doing a huge disservice to his teammates, his team, his fans, his family, and his Creator by failing to do his best.
He vowed to be his best, no matter what. He imprinted the letters “T.B.O.L.I.T.N.F.L.” on his locker and on his car and in his soul as a sign of his commitment to become “The Best Offensive Lineman in the NFL.” Are you willing to make the same promise to become your best? Move beyond a fear of failure and live a life of greatness. Lutui is - now it’s your turn.
From October 2010, http://raising-a-man.tumblr.com
His road to redemption began in the late summer. Lutui held out and missed most of training camp because he was overweight and unmotivated and didn’t want to put forth the effort to improve unless his compensation increased. He reported amidst a torrent of criticism from fans, coaches, teammates and the media. Lutui was also reeling from the recent death of his father.
Serendipitous circumstances soon connected him with an advisor who opened his eyes to reality: Lutui was underachieving and was wasting his plentiful potential. Lutui was a good man, with a good heart, and was well known in the community for his many charitable deeds, especially his support of Scouting for Boys. He received his Eagle Scout award in high school and in his many speeches often stressed the importance of the Boy Scout motto “Be Prepared.” Lutui admits he wasn’t preparing himself for ultimate success; so he changed.
Discussions with the advisor revealed that Lutui had a fear of standing out in a proverbial crowd. He had a fear of being “too good.” This is a symptom of a “fear of success.” In essence, Lutui was trying to blend in, by being mediocre. He was muting his special talents because he didn’t fully believe he deserved to be better than his peers. A man of greatness is susceptible to the slings and arrows and jealousies of a critic unable and unwilling to pursue greatness for himself. Lutui thought he could avoid undue attention if he stayed “average.” But his harshest critic, himself, recognized that he was doing a huge disservice to his teammates, his team, his fans, his family, and his Creator by failing to do his best.
He vowed to be his best, no matter what. He imprinted the letters “T.B.O.L.I.T.N.F.L.” on his locker and on his car and in his soul as a sign of his commitment to become “The Best Offensive Lineman in the NFL.” Are you willing to make the same promise to become your best? Move beyond a fear of failure and live a life of greatness. Lutui is - now it’s your turn.
From October 2010, http://raising-a-man.tumblr.com
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