The HARDEST Decision of My Life... For Now

I’ve been playing football my entire life. I love everything about football, the bonds you make, the skills learned, and just hitting people hard to be completely honest. I knew from a very young age I wanted to play at the highest level I possible and based off my stats in high school I could potentially make it further than most.

Thanks to my high school coaching staff and God himself, I did get to further my career to the collegiate level. My hard work finally is paying off! My dream is manifesting into reality! I’m at a great university doing what I love.

Now that should be the end of the story right? Nope, wrong!

My Dad always told me that when you think you know where your life is headed, God smiles and hits you with a mean curve ball. Those words could not be more appropriate for my situation.

My freshman year went all as planned—better, even. I was playing, playing great, and as a freshman! Things just kept getting better as time went on. It wasn’t until the end of my sophomore year when I was hit with the meanest curve ball of my life.

I got invited to a idea pitch competition. The winner gets a monetary prize and the chance to pitch in front of wealthy investors. Now of all people I understand how you feel reading this... how is that a bad thing? Did you lose?

Well, I won this competition and had a great idea. So great I had many potential investors tell me they would help me as long as I could get a working prototype made.

Sweet, right? Again no, not really.

After this competition I was so happy for winning, but it’s the off-season so it’s grind time! It’s time to prepare for camp, to continue my success on the field. My junior season will be a great one.

After a summer full of working out and working on my business, it was finally camp time! From day 1 of camp I knew I would have a great season again but something just didn’t seem right. Hitting the snot out of the person across from me just didn’t feel the same.

At this point I just didn’t think much of the lack of excitement.

Fast forward several games into the season and I wasn’t having fun anymore. I dreaded going to practice. All wanted to do was further my business. That same feeling I got from hitting someone, I now got telling someone how my product could help many people.

But football is all I know.

What will my family say? My friends?

Many sleepless nights followed me. Tossing and turning. I knew my heart wasn’t on the field anymore, that wasn’t the problem. My peers, coaches, and families reaction to my choice was.

What do I do?

Just keep playing I told myself, but practice got worse. I found myself drifting off during it thinking of ways to get my brand out and who I could interview to get good feedback. Then quickly snapped back into it from being told “Defense be ready!! Next play.”

It wasn’t until a speaker came into one of my entrepreneurship classes; he was an alumnus. A CEO of three multimillion dollar companies, doing what he loves, with who he loves, and oh yeah, making tons of money.

Now his story was a little different than mine, being that he didn’t play sports and he got a job straight out of college as a marketer at a good company. He was making money, enough to have everything him, his wife, and two kids wanted. The life!

Except he wasn’t happy with this life.

As he told the class how he went to bed upset he had to go to work the next morning, I felt as if he were talking only to me.

He said it wasn't until he heard someone say, “Why spend all your time and energy on something or someone you can’t stand doing?” that he finally had the balls to quit his job and find his passion. Whatever that may be, the money will come after.

Let that sink it for a minute.

It was only then after hearing these words that I knew what I had to do.