I had such admiration for athletes like Barry Sanders and Walter Payton (running backs for the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears). They did such amazing things on the field. I’m talking about absolute miracles. But instead of beating their chests and spiking the ball, they just got back to business.

Imagine if someone, like a defensive end put in for a offensive 1 yard run into the end zone to win the game and actually scores for the first time in his life? I can see that person freaking out and totally going bezerk! Yeah, do that for sure!

But imagine someone else who rushes for 100+ yards per game all their career and touchdowns are commonplace for them. Then you cash the check and walk out the bank. No big deal. Its just normal for them.

Act Like You’ve Been There Before

Today, people need the pat on the back. They need the accolades. They can’t be a Cowboy Cerrone who knocks someone out and just calmly walks away like the natural born killer that he is. That’s the person I like to see.

We see this in all walks of life. Its the difference between extrinsic and intrinsic rewards. Some people need the carrot and the stick. They need to have a reward dangling in front of them. And if they don’t get the reward, they get the punishment instead. They don’t have an inward focusing need to succeed. They always want the spotlight.

There are times when I did something myself. I pride myself on working on automobile brakes. Everything has to work right to make it work. I’ve ended up changing out calipers along with pads and rotors. Its like a big puzzle. Only, as a home mechanic, I often struggle just getting a bolt off. Or you get the pads on and you can’t get the caliper to open enough to fit on the rotor. So you have to do all you can to make it work. And its never the perfect temperature to do the work. So you end up sweating to death or feeling like your fingers are going to freeze off. Then, you bleed the air out, top off the fluid, do a test drive—no squeaks, no leaks! A job well done. But nobody is going to praise you. Your wife doesn’t really know what you just did or what you went through. She just wants to not die when she rolls up to an intersection. Normal status quo is that your brakes work. The only praise I get is knowing in myself that I did something important. Mechanics do this work every day. So why should I get praise? Its that I did it myself. Its that I’m self-sufficient. Its that I saved $300 in labor and only spent $30 in parts. That’s my intrinsic motivation. I don’t need a pat on the back. All I need is the feeling of success.

Act Like You’ve Been There Before

Yeah, I get sucked into social media too. I’m not perfect. Sometimes, I sit back and just think, yeah, this terrible video is something that won’t get any likes and I don’t care. I just know in myself that I’ve done something I’ve never done before. Maybe what I show will motivate one other person to try something new. That’s my only goal. I don’t need praise. I don’t need likes.

Act Like You’ve Been There Before