I’m a big football fan. Every Sunday you can catch me watching 7 hours of commercial free football action with Scott Hanson on the NFL Redzone channel. I coach flag football and even consult with other coaches under my flag football with Coach D brand. It’s a large part of who I am and I’m into it for sure. Football is a game of copycats. Everyone knows it. It’s not a secret. I see Jalen Hurts be successful with the toosh-push on 4th and 1, I’m going to add it to my playbook and when the time comes, I’m going to try the same play. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't, but most of the time, what we see others do shows us not only what's possible, but it gives us a starting point, or even a complete framework on how to be successful. I love it. Coaches grab my playbooks so they can mix and match and customize their own playbook, but they aren’t starting from scratch. Life is the same way. We don't have to start from scratch. Everywhere we go, we can simply mix and match, match and mirror the ones who have been successful. And then, yes, of course, we customize and we build based on what works. Life is a game of copycats. Why would I start from scratch when I can look at the blueprints from a life that I admire? There are two scenarios here: I can either go through life, chipping away at it, trying to build something, laying a framework, and then tearing it down and then laying another foundation and tearing it down. Or I could simply look at a house that I love, a life that I aspire to, a career, a North Star, and at every checkpoint, look at what was built ahead of me, and I can model after it. We don't have to be afraid or feel bad about being a copycat. It's what successful people have been doing for centuries. We find out what the best are doing, and we replicate, we fine-tune, we adjust, we learn along the way. And then we lay the framework and the foundation for others behind us. When you watch a football game and you see some of those incredible plays, some of those incredible drives or strategies, know that it's usually the mastermind of the coach who's looked at other successful teams and drives and strategies and replicated and copied, and adjusted to make it their own. You may not be a football fan like I am, but it’s the same in any arena. Life is finite and we don't have much time to waste. So identify your North Star, and then at every checkpoint, find a playbook or the framework, or the house, or the life, or the path that's already been carved, that's already been built, and copycat, replicate, adjust, and make it your own. Step by step, you'll accelerate, not only your growth overall, but your speed to that star. Remember, you have the power to shape your destiny, so go out there and make it happen. KEEP GOING!
