"I'll have to get me one of those sometime," Martin said.
"You'll love 'em," Coach Ken responded. "The Training Camp chefs have certainly perfected them over the years. Took a while but they got it right."
"So how you doing, Martin?" Coach asked as he got up from this chair.
"To be honest, not very good, Coach. I'm not used to being injured and I'm not dealing with it very well. I got to get back on the field."
"You will," Coach Ken reassured him as he approached Martin.
"No, you don't understand—I've got to get on the field now," he said. "I thought a lot about what you said and my answer to your question is Yes. I'm willing to pay the price. That's why I have to get better. After all, how I can I strive for greatness and work my tail off if I'm not on the field?"
Coach Ken shook his head and smiled as he put his large hand on Martin's shoulder. "You remind me a lot of the way I used to think. I thought that being great meant that I needed to get stronger, quicker, and faster. And while those things were certainly part of becoming a great football player, I have learned that this is not where greatness begins.
You see, striving for greatness doesn't start on the field. It starts right here, in your head. You win here first," he said, pointing to his forehead. "Then you win on the field."
"You sound like Gus," Martin said.
"Well, I'll take that as a compliment," Coach answered. "Gus and I have had many conversations about this over the years and he's been a wonderful student, friend, and teacher. He's more than an athletic trainer, you know. Everyone thinks he just deals with injuries and tapes ankles, but the guy could inspire a rock to move if the rock would listen. And the same things I have shared with Gus I want to share with you. Here, take this," Coach Ken said as he handed Martin a playbook.
Martin sighed and thought to himself, Not another playbook. His head hurt from memorizing the offense. He had never seen so many formations and different running plays. Plus he had to memorize the special teams playbook, the team rules and regulations playbook. Another playbook was the last thing he was interested in.
Coach Ken, sensing Martin's uneasiness, said, "Now, I know another playbook is the last thing you want to see, but this playbook is different. This playbook is like no other playbook you have ever seen. When I first got into coaching I made it my goal to help players become better. Since I had a lot of connections from my playing days I traveled around the country and met with a lot of people who were considered the best in their field of expertise. I met with coaches, athletes, CEOs, sales people, musicians, artists, actors, teachers, bankers, and doctors. You name it, I met with them. I wanted to know what made the best better than everyone else so I could help my players be their best. You know what I found, Martin?"
"What?" Martin asked without a clue where Coach Ken was going with this.
"I found that the best of the best all shared similar characteristics, principles, and habits. It didn't matter if they played football or the violin or they worked with numbers, a sledgehammer, or a scalpel—when I asked them how they approached their work and asked them to tell me about their routine and asked them why and how they had become the best, they would all say many of the same things. I honestly was a little disappointed at first. Like most people I was expecting a magic formula or some sort of secret recipe. I was hoping to hear something I haven't heard before. But that didn't happen. Instead I received a valuable insight that there is a pattern to greatness that cuts across all ages, races, genders, and professions. There is a formula for success no matter what kind of work you do. There are things that the best do that others don't and things that they do better than everyone else. There is a way that the best of the best approach their life and work and craft that differentiates them from others. And this formula is predictable and simple to understand. But it's a process, and more than anything it requires someone who is willing to pay the price, which is why I needed to get that commitment from you."
Martin nodded as he looked at the playbook Coach had given him. On the cover it read:
"Yep, it's all in there," Coach added. "Everything I learned, all the wisdom that was shared with me, all the strategies, ideas, and principles that woke me up at 3:00 in the morning are in this playbook. Over the years I've shared a copy of it with anyone who was willing to listen, learn, and do the work. Of course, I've tweaked it, refined it, and improved it, but the core ideas, strategies, and principles have remained. And now I'll share it with you—if you are ready. You have to be ready, because once you start down this road, your life will never be the same. As I told you before, greatness is a life mission."
"I'm ready," Martin answered, knowing that he liked what he heard so far. If there was a formula for success, he wanted to know it.
"Oh, and one more thing," Coach said, as he rested his fist under his chin. "I have to be straight up with you. I can't promise that this playbook will help you make the team. It's a process, after all, and it doesn't happen overnight. But I can promise you that if you commit to the principles I share with you and apply them to football or the work you do beyond football, you will rise to the top of your game in any initiative you pursue. So, you still up for this?" coach asked, shrugging his shoulders and tightening his face. "If you don't want to go through with this, I completely understand."
Martin took a deep breath and paused for a long moment as he weighed the options. He certainly didn't want to work construction like his dad had done when he was a young boy. And the job he was offered by his college football coach's friend wasn't appealing. Football was his only option. There was nothing else he wanted to do. He decided to go for broke or fail trying. Being average wasn't an option for Martin Jones. He didn't know what the future held, but he did know that he wanted to be the best. "Yes, let's open the playbook," he said as he turned the cover to the first page.