In this brief motivational talk delivered on the team’s final day in Phoenix, the speaker introduces the “yes‑and” mindset as a tool for turning setbacks into future opportunities. He recounts the story of Kurt Warner, as depicted in the film American Underdog, highlighting Warner’s unconventional journey from stocking shelves in Iowa to playing arena football, where the rapid‑release demands forced him to develop a new quarterback style. That adaptation later revolutionized the NFL, illustrating how an unexpected detour became a competitive advantage. The speaker urges the listeners to view their own current frustrations or “irrelevant” tasks as potential setups for future success, prompting them to ask themselves what today’s challenges might be preparing them for. The talk concludes with an enthusiastic call to embrace the “yes‑and” attitude throughout the day and the upcoming transition to Columbus.
Chapters
Good morning, everyone. Here is your moment of yes for today. What is today, the 21st? I think Friday the 21st. It's our last day in Phoenix. Actually, we have a scrimmage this morning, then we fly out to Columbus later today. So from the desert to the Midwest, from the heat to the cold, here we go. So we took the players the other night to see the Kurt Warner movie, American Underdog. And if you get a chance, I highly recommend it. A well-done movie, but more importantly, just a great story. And talking to the players, so many good nuggets, so many good nuggets, life nuggets to take from it. I could do a couple just on his story alone, but one part of it stood out to me in the yes, and realm. realm, which is, you know, he was, uh, out of college, uh, no prospects, uh, stocking shelves in Iowa. And, uh, you know, that's kind of going nowhere when, uh, the arena football, uh, kind of came about and he became an arena football quarterback, I think for 3 seasons. And they show in the movie that he struggled at first in arena football because you had to get the ball out So quickly. You had like 3 seconds. Snap, boom, boom, boom. And then you got to release the ball or you're getting sacked. And he struggled at first. Not a super quick, not a super athletic guy. He struggled at first. And then once he adjusted and found that rhythm, he had such a great arm. He just tore up, you know, he just tore up the league. And then once he comes to the NFL, he ends up taking that same mentality and And that same release the ball really quickly and get it out. And what ended up happening, not only did he quarterback the most prolific offense in the game, he changed the way that the quarterback position is played because it became the standard about how quickly you needed to get the ball out. It was safer for quarterbacks, much more efficient. That's the way that the game is played now. Yeah. From that position. And why did that happen? Because at the lowest part in his life, he took an opportunity that seemed so far away from his dream, and it forced him to play the game differently because the game was different. And everyone else was going the conventional route, right? Right from the college to the pros, from the college game to the pro game. It was so similar. He, by having to take this crazy path over here, playing a sport that made him change the way that he played, by the time he got his opportunity in the NFL, it was that setback which became his setup, right? It was the thing that didn't make sense at the time that ended up becoming the differentiator when he made it to the NFL. So again, huge yes-and opportunity. By taking something that felt irrelevant or was changing him for the negative and actually changed him for the positive. So what in your life today do you feel like, ah man, I shouldn't have to do this, or why am I doing it this way, or I shouldn't have to be going about my journey this way? Yeah. Yes, and. Yes, and. Yes, and. Who knows how it's preparing you for that future opportunity? Yeah. That's your yes, and for today, everybody. Have an awesome day.
