Robert Audley

Educator | Author | Counselor | Coach | Parent

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To Kids: Learn From Tom Brady

Everything you need to know in life is right in the classroom. Every single day, right there. The person sitting next to you has life strategies to borrow, try on and decide if it works.

Everything you need to know in life is right in the classroom. Every single day, right there. The person sitting next to you has life strategies to borrow, try on and decide if it works.

How can I do what he is doing with far less challenges? Classrooms, work, families are people that we can all learn from. Learn how to make our life better. Create the life we want.

Tom Brady can teach you something! Ya, really! I get it, love em or hate em. But, step back from all that and look at it differently for a couple minutes. We can learn something from everybody. We can create our life, the way we want it by paying attention to others.

I am not a big football or Brady fan. I am neutral about both. In light of that, it’s hard to miss Tom Brady. There is no lukewarm response to Tom Brady. Successful, considered best Quarterback ever, wealthy, good-looking, great looking family, struggled to get a chance in football, 6th round NFL pick, cheater, tabloid couple, spy-gate, deflate-gate, never won a championship without cheating…on and on. We have heard it all…AND…here it the best part…he has heard it all too…and he keeps going.

He has heard it all! Why do I think that is so important? It is extremely important because one of the BIGGEST reasons we do not move forward to create the life we want is fear of what others think of us!

Say it again…people hold themselves back from creating the life they want for one very common reason…fear of social rejection. An over emphasis of what others think of them. That stops us in our track almost every single time.

tom brady as a role model

AND here is how Tom Brady can help you…

We have a successful, well known football player getting slammed, deserved or not, and he keeps going. Social rejection at its finest! There is something to learn here…

The question is: How do you create the life you want when others do not believe you can do it? How do you stay motivated when people say you cheated? How do you create your life when people are saying a lot of hateful stuff ?

First Lesson...Brady allowed people in when challenges were big. Do you?

Go back to the night before his first start as Quarterback for his high school team. Tom just started 10th grade. Brady was so uptight he told his father he could not throw. “I forgot how to throw.” They called Tom Martinez, coach at the College of San Mateo in California and met him at the field. He told Brady to just throw the football. After 3 minutes doubt vanished.

Brady’s father claims no natural talent was passed to Tom from his wife or him. What Dad did do was push during hard times. When he dropped his son off at college football camps sponsored by colleges that did not recruit him he pushed him to, “go big!” He pushed his son with an expression of confidence that, yes you can do this…”go big!” Tom listened.

Brady sought out Greg Harden, director of athletic counseling at Michigan. Brady walked in and said, “I need help.” The two spent Friday nights before games learning how to control Tom’s anger about lack of playing time. When Brady graduated from college he had built a solid belief in himself. In 2013 he told his father, “I couldn’t be where I am now without experiencing those things.” He paid attention to himself, realized he needed help and DID something about it. He allowed others to help.

Brady would listen to others. I see far too many young people resistant to adult intervention. Recognize those situations when you turn away from adults trying to help. Listen.

Lesson 2…Listen to your Teachers when they tell you to walk away from the haters, the drama.

2007 was his first good statistical season as an NFL Quarterback. Yet, it was also the year his team was accused of cheating by recording opponents practice sessions. That same year he became a father with a former girlfriend and started dating his future wife, a top model. His private life became tabloid fodder. He was now considered a cheater with unrelenting scrutiny in his private and professional life. A lot of unwanted drama.

How do you meet your goals when the world is paying so much attention to you…and you are full aware many do not like you? When asked about that Brady responded, “I wasn’t thinking about it.” He threw himself into work. Focused on getting better. His strategy was to put it out of his mind and not think about it. Work hard at not paying attention to it. That is his strategy. You must develop your own.

Often, people get involved in “drama” with peers. Educators tell them to walk away, let it go, you can’t change them. Please listen to your teachers, parents and coaches. It is not idle advice. It works. It works for Brady.

Lesson 3…Take FULL responsibility…even it seems unrealistic…do it!

Take responsibility for outcomes. Why? It is not realistic to say all outcomes are your responsibility. When I fail a math exam it is my fault. Realistically, it could also be the fault of the exam, it may not have been fair. The State guidelines may not have been clear to the Teacher so some material may not have been covered in class. But, if I do not take full responsibility then I will not move forward. Move forward to creating the life I want.

When Brady screws up in a nationally televised game he has to account for it at a press conference immediately after the game for everybody to see. To be repeated on sport shows the following week. Analyzed on radio sport shows. Everybody, haters and lovers get more ammunition to fuel their critique. People want to pounce on that error to again point out mistakes happen to cheaters.

So, what does Brady do? He takes responsibility. He blames himself for dropped passes. He claimed it was his fault with a misfired pass to Wes Walker or poor game management in the Super Bowl against the Ravens. Each situation led to outcomes he did not want. Responsibility can easily be shared in each situation. Yet, taking full responsibility with a self-promise to do better next time works…IF…you want to create a better life. Make improvements for better outcomes regardless how unrealistic it may be.

Lesson 4…Pay attention to YOU…HOW do you stay motivated?

How do YOU stay motivated to push forward no matter what obstacle is thrown your way? Brady is motivated by fear of not meeting his expectations. The fear of not reaching what he wants. The fear that he may not create the life he wants.

There are many natural strategies and each of us owns multiple strategies to get going, to be motivated. Some move forward just because it has to happen. Others move forward to gain something they really want. Some act out of fear of not getting there. What motivates you?

So, what can we learn from Brady?

Let People help you!

Walk away when people start hating on you – be YOU!

Take responsibility for your outcomes, your life!

Discover how you get motivated to put you into action!

Hey, look around. There are amazing people out there. Pay attention and learn from them!
“One of those amazing people looks at you in the mirror every morning!”
Create Your LIFE!

Here’s to you and your child’s success in & out of the classroom,

Robert Audley

Educator | Author | Counselor | Coach | Parent

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Contact

7768 Mayfair Circle,
Ellicott City, Maryland 21043
315-382-7691

About Robert Audley

Robert has dedicated his life, both professional and personal, to helping kids overcome their unique obstacles. He’s worked in a broad range of education- and counseling-oriented positions, providing specialized services to challenged and at-risk students. Continued learning and work in the field gives him an ever-expanding arsenal of tools and techniques from which to draw.

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