An Open Letter to Cam Newton

Hello Cam,

It is easy to kick a man when he is down. That's what I've always been told. It seems just as easy to wish a successful man to fail. That's just part of human nature, I guess.

I've heard people say for many years that everybody loves a winner, but I know that's just not true. The truth is, everybody loves a winner, so long as they are just like them. 

Being a bit different than the crowd puts you in a position to face the slings and arrows of critics who wish you didn't stick out like a sore thumb so much. That's part of human nature, too.

While there are people who don't entirely agree with your lifestyle (don't count me among them, by the way), that doesn't mean you can't be different.  What kind of world would we have where there was only one flavor of ice cream? Or one kind of pizza? One kind of music?   BORRRRINNGGG...!!!!

Variety is the spice of life. That's the fact, Jack.  It's seasoning that makes food taste better, and we can add as little or as much as we like. It all depends on our taste.

Guys like you are seasoning. You make football, and sports as a whole, much more fun to watch. Less predictable. More enjoyable. Like it or not, agree with it or not, that's the main reason people tune in. Sports represent the ultimate reality show. 

Like Forrest Gump's box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get. You never see the same thing twice.  We're drawn to it like moths to a flame. Even if we get burned from time to time, the attraction is there. We get a chance to behold and bask in its glow.

I'm not going to jump on the bandwagon of folks that criticize you for your so-called "antics." Neither am I going to bash you for being a "sore loser," as some are doing.

Courage isn't required to bash someone for walking away when he's dealing with feelings of anguish in the immediate aftermath of a setback. It takes no guts to second guess someone who has trouble facing the cameras when most critics will never have their failures displayed so publicly.

Some of us remember what it feels like to fail, to get back up after falling down when our hearts ache with the heaviness of defeat. So this note isn't to rub salt in your wounds. You have enough people doing that to you already.

This note is to encourage you, to let you know that your best days are still ahead of you. As the late Phil Rizzuto once said, "Even in defeat, the seeds of future greatness can be sown." 

You may have trouble seeing that now when your heart is clouded with pain but let me remind you it was just two years ago your opponent was confronted with the same feelings of frustration you are experiencing now. 

Did you notice they found a way to rise from the ashes of that failure?  I did. Others did. I trust you will do the same.

So hold your head up, Cameron Newton. There are people in your life who love and respect you. There are still fans who admire you, who remain in your corner, who support you now more than ever, at the time you need it most.

And now that you're a new daddy, I can share this advice with you: 

When my son was little we watched many films together, shared many father/son moments. One of my favorites was The Lion King, where the wise baboon Rafiki shared some profound wisdom with a still grieving Simba over the pain of his past:

Long story short, you are a past and FUTURE champion who is feeling pain from a setback. Learn from it, and use that pain you now feel...to push you and your team to your prize.

Enjoy your offseason, spend as much precious time as possible with your new baby boy (I assume you will teach him how to dab before he's 2...smile), and come back stronger than ever.

Let this moment be a stepping stone to your next triumph. When you get to the mountaintop you'll be able to enjoy the view...and best of all you'll appreciate every step of the way.

Take care, be safe, enjoy your family...and we'll see you again in the fall...

#KeepPounding

Success Isn't Built In a Day

"For He says, precept upon precept, precept upon precept, rule upon rule, rule upon rule, here a little, there a little." - Isaiah 28:10 AMP

"Success is the progressive realization of a worthy goal or ideal." - Earl Nightingale

A far back as I can remember I've been into physical fitness. I enjoy working out, stretching, using weights to stay strong and flexible. (It doesn't hurt that people think I'm younger than I really am; that's an added bonus)

I've done aerobics, tae bo, pilates, even strength training, as well as long distance walking and jogging too (as I get older it becomes more occasional that it used to be, but it is what it is...oh, well).

I stay with it because I like the effect it has on my body; it keeps me fit. When I don't do it or slack off for a while I know it should be done, so I get back to it as soon as I can.

But it's not the results I go for, it's the process. Every day in every way, I'm getting better and better, so the saying goes, and that's how I feel when I exercise. 

I don't panic when I look in the mirror, or hide my eyes when I step on the scale (I don't pay much attention, to be honest). I just work out, stay consistent, and let the results take care of themselves.

I recently discovered a parallel that exists between building one's body, building one's business, or making any changes in their life.

For example,  I see people get all fired up about starting a business. They want to quit their job, ride off into the sunset with their families in tow and sing a song of new found freedom.

But what happens to many of them?  They take a few lumps, have a setback here and there, stumble a bit more than they expected. Then suddenly the dream they had in their heart looks impossible, out of reach. They're tempted to quit, and some yield to that temptation:

"It might work for others, but it just doesn't work for me..." 

"Maybe I'm just not cut out for living that kind of life..."

"Maybe what I had wasn't so bad after all..."

Little by little, such thoughts take hold in their minds and they talk themselves out of any thought they had of changing their lives.

WHY..??? I think I know...

They think success is all or nothing, hit or miss, a one shot deal. It's not. Success is a process. It doesn't happen overnight. Part of the process involves doing things that produce the results we seek over time. Day by day. Little by little.

Unfortunately, many people get hung up on results. In their minds they aren't successful unless they get immediate results every time. They feel like failure is a missed opportunity. They don't realize they can learn valuable lessons that can serve them well if they just stay on course.

This is why they get discouraged when results don't come as easily or quickly as they expected. They get discouraged. They quit. They don't want to struggle. They don't realize the struggle can help them grow. It's part of the process. It helps them learn to appreciate the results they get. But they'll never learn that lesson if they give up the fight so soon.  

Success is not about what you attain, but who you become. It's an inside-out process, contrary to the belief of many that once they get "stuff," they'll set aside time to work on themselves, to get better. Life rarely works that way.

Dr. Eric Thomas says it best, "Don't let your talent take you where your character can't keep you." I couldn't agree more. We have as examples many stories we read today of former superstar athletes who made millions of dollars during their playing careers, only to be left with nothing once the cheering stopped. 

They thought their contracts would provide an endless "gravy train" that would fund a lavish lifestyle from now to forever. When they found out otherwise, it was too late. All their money was gone.

Whether through poor planning (or no planning), bad investment, business or personal decisions, they went broke financially, as well as emotionally, mentally, and socially. Their bank accounts grew but their hearts and minds did not. They failed to keep up.

That may seem extreme, and appear to have nothing to do with building oneself but I assure you it has everything to do with what I'm saying. Don't make the mistake they made. Don't look at life as an "all or nothing" proposition. Don't leave success to chance, or see it as a "hit the big Lotto/Powerball jackpot," once in a lifetime opportunity.  

There's an old saying that holds true, "Rome wasn't built in a day." The same applies to success in every area of your life. Building anything successfully takes time. It doesn't happen overnight. Besides if it did you wouldn't appreciate all that made it possible. 

Enjoy the ride, enjoy the process. Allow daily, consistent activity to build your foundation from the inside out. Become successful on the inside before you experience it on the outside.  

If you can do that, you'll be able to stand prosperity...and be able to stand tall, too.

That's all for now, gotta run.  Until next time, remember...

Keep it simple...  See ya!