Andy Neary uses the Patriots' dynasty to ask why you resent others' success. He argues resentment comes from low expectations for yourself, not from their wins. Stop comparing down and start building something.
Chapters
If you were 18 years old watching the New England Patriots march to another super bowl victory this past Sunday, you would have now spent one half of your life watching the Patriots play in the super bowl and a third of your life watching them win the Super Bowl. This level of success, the Patriots have maintained, is truly remarkable. They have dominated the sport of football for the past 20 years like nothing we have ever seen before. Yet when you go on social media, you don't see that same kind of respect. The level of anger, hatred and resentment towards the Patriots actually blows my mind. I mean, instead of complaining about another year with the Patriots in the super bowl, shouldn't we be asking why the other 31 teams in the NFL haven't figured out how to play? At the Patriots level, success is nothing more than a shift in mindset. So what are you focused on? Are you focused on other success? Are you finding yourself resenting the success of your peers and your competition? Or are you focused on what you need to do to get better so you can play at their level? Every year the Patriots start the season with the expectation they're going to play in the Super Bowl. So what are your expectations? As Jim Rome famously stated, don't wish things were easier, wish you were better. So this year, as you look to grow and expand personally and professionally, here's my advice. Stop focusing and resenting success others are having and focus on what you need to do to get better so you can achieve greatness. Until next time, bear down, focus on the target and strike out the status quo.
