Tom Brady – The G.O.A.T of NFL
The media is always inundated with people in business, sports, creative arts and so much more, doing amazing things. But every now and then, there is someone who is undeniably the best of the best! This group of elite people in their field are what is known as the G.O.A.Ts…The Greatest of All Time. What a title! But the Greatest of All Time don't just magically become the best, there are years of preparation that people may never see, certain priorities they value and specific habits they implement, that separate them from the rest. The featured G.O.A.T of this article is the one and only Tom Brady. Many will know who Tom Brady is and for those who don’t, well you’re about to see why he is The Greatest!
Who Is tom brady?
Tom Brady is a seven-time Superbowl champion American Football quarterback. Brady has also won five Superbowl MVP awards and takes out the title of the oldest person to ever win a Superbowl. Alongside his sporting career, Brady is a dedicated Husband and Father to three kids.
Unlike Muhammad Ali and Jim Brown who were not only sporting icons but also social activist icons in their time, Brady does not have an activist role. However, most would argue that the Superbowl and football is an ingrained and integral part of the American culture, and he has been at the forefront of the Superbowl for years. Brady may not be known as a social activist, but he does play an important part as an icon for a deeply enmeshed part of American culture.
There are endless stats I could pull up to prove Tom Brady’s G.O.A.T-ness but do I really need to? His reputation precedes him, and his winning history provides countless pieces of evidence that land us at the feet of ‘Tom Brady: The Greatest of All Time’. Well now we know who Tom Brady is, and why he is classified as the G.O.A.T of NFL, but to help ourselves find habits and values that get us great results, we need to know just how he did it!
A Day in the life of Tom Brady
After examining the lives, routines, and habits of various other G.O.A.Ts, I know how they spend their time is a key to their success, and I like to highlight this area because each G.O.A.T is so different and success is not a one-size fits all gig, the way it plays out in each life is so unique. A typical day for Brady begins at 0530. Looking at Brady’s life, between being a seven-time Superbowl Champion, a father and a husband, his time is justifiably limited.
Brady is no different to all of us when it comes to having to cut things out to create more time and no one does this perfectly. Brady admits that one of the first things to get cut is time with his friends, as much as he wishes it wasn’t the case. But being so involved and dedicated to numerous things, being spread too thin has the potential of jeopardising the things you want most!
Health and success go hand in hand. Especially in a physically demanding job such as being a nationally and world-renowned quarterback! Fuelling his body with the right things is at the top of Tom Brady’s priority list, although to the untrained eye, his diet seems a little…picky! Brady doesn’t eat sugar, flour, olive oil, iodized salt, tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, caffeine, and dairy products, and that’s only some of his large list! So, what does he eat? “A lot of veggies, a lot of lean meats, nothing that is going to set me back.” If eating food that fuels his life is at the top of his list, it is something we should consider as well!
It All Comes Down to This
It is an essential element of the human experience to find motivation within something to achieve great success and gain momentum, so it is interesting to find out that Tom Brady is not at all motivated by the accolades and the titles but is motivated by a simple question: the coulda/shoulda question. Brady talks in-depth about this question in his book ‘The TB12 Method: How to Achieve a Lifetime of Sustained Peak Performace’. Just by the title, you already know this book is what I am all about: how to perform better and achieve deep, meaningful, and sustained performance. Tom Brady is my kind of guy!
“If I don’t play my best, why am I disappointed? Because I coulda, shoulda played better, done better, worked harder, prepared more” Brady writes in his book. Notice how he mentioned nothing about winning or losing? For Brady, it is all about whether he gave it his 110%, no matter the outcome! Brady’s purpose and motivation do not lie within the outcome, it lies within knowing he did his best regardless of winning a major title or having an unfortunate loss. And that is a winning mindset that isn’t bound to the sport!
We know that our mindset has a significant impact on our outcomes and so the model that Tom Brady has mentally adapted to is evident in his success. Do you have a mindset that is motivated by effort or is it motivated by winning all the time? No one plays to lose, however, a mindset that is fixed on giving our best to every task, handles the adversity of loss better! When we adopt a mindset that is effort motivated, our worth or our value to a task are not tied to the outcome.
What will you take?
Tom Brady is clearly deserving of a title as one of the Greatest of All Time. He has the stats, but he also has the motivation and lifestyle that are the reasons behind all the numbers we see! But Tom Brady’s influence doesn’t have to stop at NFL, his life is evidence that a purpose motivated life, backed up by a lifestyle that fits the motivation, is the key to all-round success. What can you take from the life of Tom Brady to become more successful and create more sustainable and meaningful deep performance where you are?
References
Bender, B. (2021). Sorry, Tom Brady haters, you’re running out of Anti-GOAT arguments. The Sporting News. https://www.sportingnews.com/ca/nfl/news/tom-brady-greatest-athletes-of-all-time-debate-haters/3nnvtiev0mpz10clgbyrkw0rd
Breech, J. (2016). Tom Brady explains what a day in the life of Tom Brady looks like. CBS Sports. https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/tom-brady-explains-what-a-day-in-the-life-of-tom-brady-is-like/
Scipioni, J. (2021). Tom Brady on what motivates him: It comes down to one question. CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/02/tom-brady-on-what-keeps-him-motivated.html
The Chivery. (n.d.). 5 Reasons Tom Brady is the GOAT. The Chivery. https://www.thechivery.com/blogs/the-chivery-herald/5-reasons-tom-brady-is-the-goat
