Tonight is one of my favorite nights of the year, the NFL draft! As many of you know, I love football but tonight is special to me for a whole different reason.
The NFL draft is a culmination of all of the hard work that these incredible athletes have put in over the last 18 or so years of their lives – all of the highs, all of the lows, all of the successes, and all of the heartbreak. Everything that they have excelled in or suffered through has brought them to this very special moment.
As young men get drafted you will watch most of them cry tears of joy as they latch onto family members exhaling as they say to themselves “I made it”. It’s a very powerful sight to watch but there is much more behind those tears then what meets the eye.
You can make an argument that all of these guys getting drafted are just naturally gifted and we’re born destined to be in the NFL, and while in some cases that may be true, every single name that gets called tonight has done the right things on the field and in their training sessions to be where they are. Genetic disadvantages are merely excuses for the undetermined to lean on.
Take the case of Julian Edelman or Darren Sproles, both extremely undersized and highly doubted and both forces in the National Football League.
From Darren Sproles to Rob Gronkowski, no matter the genetic advantages or disadvantages, the journey to the NFL started with a huge dream. One would say a dream larger than life, similar to the ones that you may have at this point in your life.
Hold onto those dreams, dream even bigger if you can because as corny as it might sound, the dreamer who is never outworked and refuses to give up will realize their dream, whether that is on or off the field.
Do yourself a favor and tune into the draft tonight, watch these amazing stories unfold and get inspired. Take that new found inspiration and go about your day from school, to practice, to GameChanger with a reckless abandon to realize your dreams!
