Champions Don't Have an Off Switch

Happy Monday.

I wanted to express my sincere gratitude. On Friday, we passed 1,000 organic subscribers of the Optimistic Outlook newsletter.

That doesn’t happen without you reading and sharing it with others. I don’t know how much of an impact this newsletter has had on your life, but I know it’s made something out of me writing, creating, and recording it every weekend. For that, I am thankful.

As Jim Rohn said, “The ultimate reason for setting goals is to entice you to become the person it takes to achieve them.”

Here’s to the next 1,000 lives we impact with the Optimistic Outlook.

Champions Don’t Have an Off Switch

Champions lack what everyone else has: an off switch.

A few years ago, I read a story about the late Kobe Bryant. After a long flight, he landed in Los Angeles at 2:30 a.m. His trainer assumed they’d start later that morning, but at 4:00 a.m. Kobe texted, “You ready to go?” While others slept, Kobe was already on the court, chasing mastery in an empty gym.

That’s the mindset of a champion. They don’t wait for the right conditions or perfect balance. They move toward their goals even when the world says, “Rest.”

After Alabama won the national championship in 2018, a reporter asked Nick Saban how long he would celebrate. Without hesitation, he said, “About 48 hours.” Then he added, “Because when you’re competing against someone, and they’re working while you’re celebrating, you’ll get passed up.”

That’s the tradeoff. The downside is that balance often disappears. It’s not that Kobe, Saban, or any other champion doesn’t value balance; it’s that they understand what they’re trying to achieve requires a level of obsession most people aren’t willing to sustain.

You probably value balance. And that’s completely fine. I try to find a balance between work, family, hobbies, and health as well. But you can’t expect to be a champion and also expect comfort.

There’s a cost to greatness. The cost is that the light switch can’t be turned off. And while there’s nothing wrong with wanting balance, don’t expect extraordinary results if you keep turning it off.

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