At the beginning of each new year it is custom to create a list of resolutions or goals for the upcoming year. Last year my best friend and I drove across the country from South Florida to Los Angeles.

Of course there were dreams I was hoping to fulfill once in California. Dreams of renting an apartment with my best friend, getting a job in Hollywood behind a camera, and just accomplishing what I thought I wanted to achieve at that time.

Well let me tell you something, none of that happened.

After weeks of jumping from random places to stay, we fell flat on our faces. I ended up having to find a cheap room to rent off Craigslist, while my best friend had no choice other than to drive up north to Oregon. It’s been eight months since I arrived in California and I’ve worked three different minimum wage jobs, drove for a delivery app service, and found a few PA jobs in the area. For months, I was living under the motto of if it can go wrong, it will go wrong. My Jeep got the death wobble and I spent months going to different places to try and get it repaired. I tried to go the cheap way and ended up with a faulty repair. If I had driven one more mile of the highway the tire would have fallen off and it could have taken my life, as well as the people around me.

All of this was happening while I was living in a small room with no air conditioning, in a little house full of families who spoke almost no English at all. Now some may look at this entire experience as a failure. I mean I did have higher expectations, but I firmly believe everything happens for a reason.

Even a failure is a success, because it points you in the right direction of where you want to go.

These past months I’ve been pointed in a completely different direction of where I originally wanted to go. While jumping from job to job and experiencing Los Angeles, I found a passion. A passion in which I might have never found if I had not taken a leap of faith and made the 2,500 mile journey here.

So at the beginning of 2017, I have a new set of goals. As I get further and further into my transition it is becoming more apparent that the transgender community is experiencing a lot of hate and ignorance. I want to make a difference. I want to change and educate the way society views transgender individuals. You might be asking how? It’s quite simple. I came out to California wanting to work in film because I love being behind the camera. But Hollywood films really don’t spark any interest in me. I’d rather create films that have a purpose and can do some good in this world.

I honestly have no idea where I’m going to begin and how I am going to execute this dream, but that is what this year is for. So cheers to 2017 and turning dreams into reality.

Ask around, and most people will tell you about their great idea or how they “thought of it first.” A lot of people on the “outside” believe if they wanted to pursue an entrepreneurial idea, they could just do so. But, most people never pursue that path, and those that do often fail. I think there is a distinct line between those who have an interesting idea, and those who jump in head first.

My Story

Just over a year ago, I was a senior manager at a Fortune 15 company, exceeding each goal set forth for me and on a path to move up within the company. But I wasn’t satisfied. Despite high praise from peers and management, something was missing. In fact, I put on a mask when interacting at work to hide the fact that I wasn’t in a great place mentally.  I couldn’t understand why I didn’t feel satisfied or fulfilled in my role.

When speaking to my closest friends, I indicated I was looking for something different. I recognized that I was happiest when I was given the opportunity to figure out solutions with little structure in place, because it offered me the freedom to think and act creatively. Not only that, but I had several ideas for my own businesses that I thought could be successful.

On May 15th, 2015, I quit my job and decided to pursue an entrepreneurial route while getting my MBA at the University of Georgia.

The Reaction

My closest friends were excited for me, but I couldn’t help but notice people immediately began judging me as well. People would make comments like, “It’s a good thing you’re getting an MBA, because eventually you are going to need to find a job.” Or “Wow, I wouldn’t have left a job like that. But, at least you can always go back.” And of course, “Oh, I have an amazing idea as well.”

Not only that, but all of a sudden there were also all of these new expectations. Since most people assumed I would fail, I have had to have conversations with friends, family, and peers constantly updating them on my progress. Honestly, it’s tiring and that’s without taking into account the work involved in starting a company. Mainly because I hadn’t actually done anything yet!

Well, I should have known there would be significant peer pressure.

But you know what? I refused to let it bother me too much. I loved what I was doing. I was going to startup happy hours, reading for hours about successful entrepreneurs, and constantly thinking of different ideas. I was learning about so much, and just felt completely empowered.

Not to mention, I started having very interesting things to say about other companies and entrepreneurs in daily conversation. I’d say I started getting my training wheels at that point, and slowly, people began to believe in me after seeing my commitment.

Immediate Failures

I was very confident in my first idea. I talked about the app to as many people as possible. People praised the idea and said that they hoped it would be available soon. They even gave me feedback on how to make it better. Based on the feedback, I became even more confident.

That is, until I started discussing it with other entrepreneurs and advisors. They asked me key questions about the business that frankly I wasn’t prepared for. Beyond a great idea and a simple business plan, I failed to truly spend the time necessary to figure out that it was flawed.

Why? Well, for one thing, none of the people who said they wanted the app were actually willing to pay for it. I fell into a common trap like other aspiring entrepreneurs in that I thought I had all the answers and could skip to building the solution. Several ideas later, I was still learning from my mistakes.

It took me over 6 months to settle on my current business idea.

Honestly, it was more by accident when I noticed a problem that I felt needed to be solved.

I noticed that my MBA peers struggled to find internships and jobs, and many felt unprepared or unsure about what to do to be successful. I had spent several years coaching and mentoring both students and business professionals in this area and found that networking was the single largest differentiation between those that successfully found jobs and internships faster in an area they desired with better pay. This was the beginning of my company, now called Fetch.

Starting to get Somewhere

I entered the UGA Accelerator during my Spring semester and quickly lost touch with friends, family, and even some classmates. Even my roommate didn’t see me as much. People were surprised when I actually wanted to grab drinks and relax with others.

I spent as much time working on Fetch as I could using the tools from the accelerator and advice from mentors and other entrepreneurs. I learned about and executed on the tedious and difficult process of customer development. I spent weeks preparing a financial model to better understand the business feasibility. I made several pivots and tweaks on the original idea to get it to where it is today. I realized that I would need to sacrifice school work and other fun things to ensure I pressed forward on Fetch.

Meanwhile, the people who did see me saw a person who was constantly busy. I was going to network events, conducting interviews with lots of people, getting interviewed by the local newspaper, and more. Despite what may have looked like pure fun to others, it actually meant very long days and nights for me. On top of that, I was and am fearful of failing because I want more than anything for this to be successful.

Fast Forward to Today

Fetch provides consulting in the form of a half or full day course for students and business professionals to learn the value of professional networking and how to network. In the future, we plan to develop software that helps manage, simplify, and automate the process of networking via a one-sided platform.

Fetch has a long way to go. Although I have gotten further than ever before, the hard part is really just starting. Signing actual customers and growing is the real test. This next step will determine whether the business problem is real and actually helps customers who are actively searching for a solution.

I don’t know what the most important thing is for me to do at any given moment. I don’t know if I’m doing “it right.” I don’t have the skill-set for every component of my business. But each day I press on and make a little progress. As they say, “I get by with a little help from my friends.” That couldn’t be more true with all the help I have received.

Despite wanting to be an entrepreneur and having business ideas, I’ve learned that it takes far more than that. There is a reason that most startups fail. There is a reason that everyone isn’t just “jumping in.” The mindset needed for this type of work is unusual and honestly kind of crazy. Committing to the work is step one.

If you aren’t dreaming every night about your idea, it’s probably not going to work out. If you don’t spend each day thinking about your idea with every free moment, it’s probably not going to work out. But, if you do have that rare “something” and jump in, it will be the most difficult yet fulfilling ride you will ever go on.

The PR world is extremely cut throat. Not to mention, there’s a lot of bad PR out there. So now I, like many other business owners, am working solving the very problems that they have struggled with themselves.

But that’s only half the story. Prior to founding my PR business, I worked as a teacher, and every day, I took on the challenge every day of selling knowledge to a population that doesn’t want it. Dancing, singing, and other maneuvers were used to market, package, and sell it successfully to kids.

Serious conviction from this experience combined with my passion allowed me to reinvent myself and and inspired an approach to PR that helps clients succeed: one with heart.

PR with heart.

Pioneering isn’t easy; it’s a TON of risk. Many won’t succeed. If you’re human, what others think of your ideas can get to you. I know, because I’ve questioned my approach many a times.

But if there’s one thing I know, it’s that your heart must always be in it. When it’s not, people know. You WIN with heart. Our rockstar international roster of clients have been doing it. They’re pretty happy. We’re about to change things up with a new way of doing PR.

With so many intelligent, competent, qualified individuals in this world, it is difficult to reach the top and stay there. There are so many people with comparable resumes and skill sets that it appears as though anyone could do the job.

With so much talent, experience, and knowledge, what is the difference then, between Kyle Flood and Nick Saban? On paper at the time of their hire, their qualifications may have appeared similar, and yet their results could not be more different. The individuals fighting for the big chair are all good, but what is keeping those good people from becoming great? What sets apart the Nick Sabans and the Urban Meyers from the Kyle Floods?

Jim Collins lays out the keys to success in his book Good to Great. According to Collins, the mystery puzzle piece for any great leader is a paradox made up of personal humility and professional will.

Many skills go into creating a successful athletic program. A coach should expect his or her players to be able to carry out the fundamentals of the game as well as think critically in sticky game situations. This expectation is justified granted the coach is exhibiting Level 5 leadership and preparing his players for success, even in his or her absence. As a coach, your own personal record matters.

As stated by Collins, half of success is professional will. You must be compelled to do whatever is necessary to win. You should pursue the wins and despise the losses, because, as a coach, you are hired to produce a winning team. In reality, your success depends upon their success. If you can achieve this goal, the success is bound to become contagious and grow.

If you can achieve this goal as a Level 5 leader, the success will keep rolling long after you are gone.

This sounds great in theory, but why is it so hard to achieve? The paradox of professional will and personal humility is a tall order because it requires an individual to seemingly be two people at once.

Often those individuals with professional will who have made it to the top are relentless, competitive, and abrasive individuals who seek recognition and won’t stop until they achieve their goals. This definition sounds nothing, however, like someone who displays personal humility, is humble and modest, and avoids like the spotlight.

Another interesting facet of the paradox is that Level 5 leaders set up their successors for success. Companies, teams, etc. should not be led by one genius controlling the show, while everyone else just falls in line. Once you cut off the head of that monster if, for example, the CEO were to leave or fall ill, all of the minions will start running around aimlessly as if their heads were cut off as well.

Instead, you should prepare everyone below you for what it takes to do your job. Teach them your decision making process, show them your work ethic, talk about your values, and give them the tools to do your job better than you could ever do it. As a coach, your assistant coaches should be able to run a flawless practice, and your players should be able to win championships in your absence.

Sounds silly, right? This approach, however, is the difference between successful teams and average teams.

In my experience, the biggest downfall of coaches is their lack of personal humility. Collins talks about a concept called The Window and The Mirror. Essentially, when a coach is asked what went wrong, they should always blame themselves for not preparing their team. When a coach is asked what went right, he or she should point to all of the other individuals who played a part and take no responsibility themselves. Too often, post game talks involve coaches pointing fingers and highlighting the negatives.

It is the sole reason, I believe, the Rutgers Softball team is currently 2-11. Our coach is far too worried about his personal record, his appearance, and losing respect. He cuts down his assistant coaches in front of us all and instead of trying to help them become better coaches, doesn’t allow them to give feedback to the players. He tried to be the genius with a thousand (or two) helpers and his method is failing miserably.

In a speech she gave about her loss in the National Championship series to Florida, head coach of the Michigan Wolverines Softball team, Carol Hutchins, told all of the coaches of the NCAA that SHE did not prepare her team for victory. She stated that her players did everything she asked of them and it was failure on HER part that cost them the championship.

Coaches that work with her will go on to have even more success of their own because of the preparation she has given them. I have made friends with her team of rock stars, and I know for a fact that her players would run through a brick wall for her, dive off a cliff for her, or take a ball to the face for her because she is a Level 5 leader. She wants success not just for herself, but for her team, and has instilled in her girls what it means to be “humble and hungry”.

It is not that our team doesn’t know what professional will and personal humility look like side by side. My freshman year we had an assistant coach who could have turned this program into the next Michigan or Florida. I would have run through a brick wall for her in a heartbeat, and everyone she came in contact with would have been better for it because of her level of leadership.

Unfortunately, family circumstances required her to part ways with Rutgers, and we have all been searching for that feeling ever since. Now, we have quite the opposite leadership. The finger is always pointed at the players. Our post game talks involve nothing but negativity, and in the event that one of the players tries to bring a highlight of the game to everyone’s attention, our coach responds with his layer of sarcasm.

I know from experience coaches need to exhibit both professional will and personal humility, because without humility, your assistant coaches and players will resent you.

You will never build a championship program. You must be ready and willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done while maintaining modesty and humbleness. You must make those below you feel appreciated and confident that, if and when their time comes to take a seat in the big chair, they will be ready.

I have aspirations of becoming a head coach one day, and I will apply what I have learned to do from Jim Collins and what I have learned not to do from my coach in my pursuit to be a Level 5 leader and breed the next generation of softball success.

The leadership of upper level management is a key factor of what drives success in a company.  Without proper leadership, sustained success is unattainable. 

Each individual’s definition of leadership is going to be different.  In “Good to Great” by Jim Collins, he introduces this concept called Level 5 Leadership.  A level 5 leader is an individual who takes a company from good, and creates great sustained success for future generations.  According to Collins, level 5 leaders “build enduring greatness through a paradoxical blend of personal humility and professional will” (Collins, 20). These leaders put their personal desires and egos aside and focus all of their ambition towards making the company great.  While focusing on the success of the company, these leaders never seek praise, and often discuss the companies’ success using words such as “we” instead of “I”, as to hide from the spotlight and credit the success towards others.

The immense humility these leaders possess creates an environment filled with positive morale which leads to success. To completely grasp this concept, one must understand that personal humility is only half of the paradoxical blend, which forms a level 5 leader. While being modest and humble, these leaders will do whatever is needed for the success of the company. According to Collins, “Level 5 leaders are fanatically driven, infected with an incurable need to produce results” (Collins, 30).  The work ethic these leaders contain aids them in their success. They desire long-term success and will settle for nothing but that, no matter the difficulty of the task at hand. The determination to set up the company for greater success once they have left, while knowing they may receive no credit or praise is what separates this elite group from others.

The comprehensive mixture of personal humility and this professional will for greatness is what makes level 5 leaders rare and prestigious.

The determination for success in future generations is what makes a level 5 leader so valuable. This past year I had the opportunity to experience working in one of America’s top 100 companies to work for. After learning this concept, I can see clearly why the company is extremely successful and then extremely unsuccessful.

Upon hiring, our general manager displayed the many qualities of a level 5 leader. Through daily team meetings to individual monthly evaluations and awards, he strove to praise his hard working employees. He was always extremely humble and thankful for the dedication of his employees for making the company succeed.  He would work endless hours in any position needed to ensure that the company was going to be successful.  He truly cared about the success of the company before his own personal goals.

Towards the end of the summer, we had received notice that he was going to be leaving the company.  In a short two weeks, he had promoted an assistant to the new general and they began to run the company. Within the upcoming months, the daily meetings stopped and we no longer received help from upper management. Employees were no longer being praised for their hard work, yet reprimanded for each and every mistake. Workplace morale had completely taken a 180-degree turn and was at an all time low.

As morale declined, employees began to leave the company, forcing others to work longer hours, without any thanks or praise.

Instead of daily meetings to praise and motivate, we were being told of the losses the company was taking and being blamed for not generating enough sales. Within a six month span, the entire company was different. No longer was it yielding successful results. This really shows how rare level 5 leaders are.

 Even though the previous general manager showed many of the qualities of a level 5 leaders, the failure to select a quality successor proves that he is not a level 5 leader. Instead of spending the time to select a quality general manager, he simply hired the next man in command, which ended up being disastrous.

Throughout the world, there are very few organizations and even sports teams with Level 5 leaders. Level 5 leaders are explained to be an executive in whom extreme personal humility blends paradoxically with intense professional will, according to Jim Collins, author of Good to Great. Having such contradictory characteristics, coming across someone like this is very rare.

I have never run an organization, but I have been in charge of several sports teams. Not in the context of coaching, but rather as captain. During my senior year of high school, I was named captain of my soccer team and also the winter and spring track teams. Being captain of the soccer team is very different than being captain of the track teams. Soccer is much more of a team oriented sport, where track focuses more on individual accomplishments.

I have played soccer my whole life, like most people who choose to write a topic about sports. I was always one of the stand out players on any team I played for, from recreational sports to all the way up to collegiate soccer.

Every position on the soccer field is important in winning a game, but some are more important than others.

For example, in football, the quarterback is the most important player on the field. In soccer, the most important position is the sweeper (center defender), in my opinion. This, coincidentally enough, is the position I play. The sweeper is the player who directs everyone else on the field. The sweeper tells the other players when to step up to the ball, when to pass, when an opposing player is closing in on them, and any other direction that helps them win the game. In addition, the sweeper is the glue that holds the entire defense together. The sweeper is the last line before the opposing team gets to the goalkeeper. In my eyes, it is my job to do everything in my power to protect the goalkeeper and prevent any shots on goal as well as to keep my team motivated to win.

Jim Collins identifies the characteristics common to Level 5 leaders as humility, will, ferocious resolve, and the tendency to give credit to others while assigning blame to themselves. In my senior year, I feel that I exhibited a majority of those characteristics while acting as team captain. Each game we had, I did everything in my power to keep the opposing team away from my goalkeeper and the ball out of our half of the field. Anytime we lost a game or the opposing team scored a goal, it would crush me. I felt that I failed my team, failed my defense and failed my goalkeeper.

It did not matter the reason, as the captain, I felt any type of loss personally.

When we started our run in the state tournament, my coach asked me to start playing another position since our forwards were finding it very difficult to score.  The strategy was to have me play the first half of the game as sweeper to allow my defense to settle into the game, then once the second half began, I would move up to forward. The switch was a key catalyst in changing the way we played our games and helped us win the state sectional championship that year.

I had to ensure my defense was comfortable without me at the helm as I had been there for four years. I also had to be sensitive to the forwards that my moving up was not because any wrong doing on their end, but a change in strategy to surprise our opposition.  As each game went on, my field presence and playing defined the game. The local newspapers would interview me after every game and call me on weekends to discuss how the change in our lineup was driving us closer and closer to the state championship.

As flattered as I may have been, I never took the credit for myself. I always said, and truly believed, that the only reason the switch up was successful was because I had an extremely capable team supporting me. When I moved to forward, that was the first time in 4 years that the defense line had a different sweeper and they were able to hold their own. That was a huge reason we were successful.

Every player on my team was the reason we were successful, not just me.

I always had a tendency to deflect all the credit that came with our wins to my entire team, not just me. But on the other hand, whenever we would lose, it was no one else’s fault but my own. I constantly made sure that my team knew we would not have been successful if it was not for everyone’s contribution.

I was not a perfect Level 5 leader, but looking back on my experiences and learning about what it means to actually be a Level 5 leader, I realized that I had moments that made me feel like one.

I cross the line and hear a roar from the crowd that reassures the doubts in my mind.

That was when I heard him say those three magical words: “new national record”, words we had been working all year to hear. We were a complete team, with no one part being lesser than the other is. There was an established order that no one argued against and everyone knew what their purpose and place was.

So let us start from the beginning of this simple, yet outrageous idea that would propel us into being one of the most successful high school track teams in state history. My freshman year was one full of watching and waiting. I took a class, which taught me that a successful business is one where everyone has the same goal and believes in the same idea. In the book, Good to Great, the concept of promoting from within is very popular, and that is exactly what happened to me.

I started as the worst athlete on the entire team, but one thing set me apart from the others and that was my drive. I did not like to be very vocal but I loved to succeed, and more than anything, I wanted to see people in the program succeed. Within the level five leaders, the team continuously saw the drive they had to make their entire companies great and not just themselves. I strongly related to this concept of “drive for the overall team”.

The only problem was, at the time, I did not have any of the power or influence to make anything happen.

I was tirelessly working my butt off to become one of the top four hurdlers so I could join the relay. I spent all my nights researching successful hurdlers and learning every little thing I could about them that might have made them better. One day, I made a small change in my hurdling form, and it was enough to catch the eye of my head coach. Finally, my sophomore year, the coach placed me into my first hurdle relay in the last meet of the year, and I did amazing. Amazing was actually not that good for a regular person, but for me it was the turnaround I was waiting for.

All of the sudden, two freshmen joined in on my way of training and we created a group chat to talk about the latest stats and techniques. I could see them starting to believe in the same things I believed in. During this slow transition, my best friend and I saw the stat for the national record. I wrote it down on a piece of a paper and brought it to school the next day. I spent my entire junior year with that time in my head and the team on my mind. We were the top team in the state and some of us were not satisfied.

Many of the leaders we read about were never satisfied with the first or top position and they always wanted more.

The leaders we read about would make drastic moves because they believed it would be for the better of the company. One of those moves we have seen by successful leaders is to choose the right people for the job. My senior year started amazing, with my best friend, two great underclassmen, and me. All of us loved the sport and contributed in any way we could. During this time, my best friend explained to the team that we did not need to worry about the national record, because we are already in a good enough position.

The rest of us immediately recognized the strength of belief was not there for him and he wanted to settle. That was the moment we collectively saw he was not the best fit for our team, and he needed to be replaced. We all liked and saw him as a good team member, but others wanted to succeed and join the team, and they believed in the improvement of the team.

In class, we learned when the right people are where they need to be – it will be a success.

My best friend was off the hurdle team and it was not easy to talk to him about the goal anymore because he lost the drive to succeed. A younger hurdler, who was a little faster, but not as technically sound in his form wanted to join the team. He raced in junior varsity and never seemed to fit the part, until he came on board with us. The day before nationals, we all came together and I thanked the entire team who trained with me, because they made our belief a possibility.

The positive response back was overwhelming and gave me the confidence I needed. The next day our lead off leg ran the fastest time of his life, and then second leg tripped and almost fell. Even though he tripped, it seemed as if nothing could faze him, and then the third leg ran his last race ever. It was his best of all time and we caught the team in first. I was in the anchor position, and the moment I dreamt about for years was finally a reality. The entire stadium was quiet, and in my head, I heard nothing until the announcer said those great words: “new national record”.

The record became a reality because of the hard work and understanding of everyone who was a part of the team.

We had set up a domino line and we knocked over the first domino together. After winning that race, the team won three more races that year, and I left knowing the team was better than it was before.

After my team left school, the next team made it better than we could have ever expected. They continue to win at least six national races a year and continue a tradition of success, attributed to striving to succeed, and not just mere talent. The culture of the program is to continue what we created and to make it greater for those behind them.

(Written by Zac Cooper)

“Everything you want is on the other side of fear” –George Addair

George Addair explains that in order to get what you want in life you have to face fear directly in the eye. Exit your comfort zone and face the things that scare you the most. What you want in life is out of your comfort zone, by constantly allowing yourself to become uncomfortable is how you grow as a person. Do something that requires courage and calculated risk and you will be likely to find success in your endeavors.

My obstacles were not as serious as living in an underprivileged community or in poverty – my story relates to overcoming shortcomings in competition and overcoming the mental aspect that I struggled with.

So, what does it take to be successful in a pursuit?

Well, before answering that, one must define what the term ‘success’ means to them and what one’s purpose is when aiming for success. The dictionary defines the word success in two prominent ways:

1) The attainment of popularity or profit.

2) The accomplishment of an aim or purpose

 For the most part society synonymously attaches the term success to winning, prosperity or monetary gain as the first definition proclaims, but I believe the point is being missed with that definition. I look at success and identify with the second definition: The accomplishment of an aim or purpose, regardless of money or fame.

 My coach Adam Singer elaborates on the second definition and describes success as the progressive realization of a worthy ideal or goal. The key word here being progressive, I believe that people want success immediately and forget that it comes with a journey of ups and downs.

Successful people have the mindset of accepting failure as a necessary learning process, which allows them to take action and correct themselves in the future and in what they truly believe in and are pursuing. It is only truly a failure if you stop trying.

I am Zac Cooper – failed baseball player, failed wrestler and current Georgia Amateur MMA champion. One of those descriptions does not belong and it’s because of the first two failures.

I only say I was a ‘failure’ because I did not accomplish any goals I set forth and never managed to win anything in my years. Many would consider my career as a baseball player or wrestler as successful but the truth is I never actually won anything.

However, I sure did give a valiant effort in all my pursuits. I AM hard on myself but the statements above are facts.

I constantly came up short and damn near quit in my efforts, but I kept trying with each new venture and when I eventually found my true passion I obtained one of my major goals I set in being a champion.

FAILURE definition – to be unsuccessful in achieving one’s goal.

MY JOURNEY

BASEBALL & WRESTLING

My journey began as most kids did; I bounced around every sport from basketball, soccer and baseball in my free time. In my early teenage years I took interest in baseball over everything and began to focus on that in 7^th grade. I would play countless games throughout the year from spring ball, to summer and then to fall ball. It was a year round endeavor and eventually got old by the time I hit high school and my passion had run out, but I continued because it was all I knew.

I needed a change of pace.

I had been thinking of taking up wrestling my freshman year before baseball but did not due to the fear of the grueling practices and wanting to play fall ball. I had always admired the mental fortitude of wrestlers and the fact that it was an individual sport with no one to blame for failure but yourself. There was something about relying on my efforts and no one elses I found amusing. When the next year rolled around I decided out of nowhere to just join without thinking and that the best decision I’ve ever made in my life.

I fell in love with wrestling and saw success at a JV level early on. In my very first tournament in which comprised of over 20 teams I found myself winning the first two matches on the first day and set up in the semi finals. The next day I would go on to lose 3 straight, place 6^th and not even show up to the podium because of my embarrassment. I knew I had many opportunities in the future to get on the top of that podium, but little did I know I would never step foot there again.

PASSION FOR WRESTLING/BJJ

When my first year of wrestling ended it was back to baseball, but something didn’t feel right. During tryouts I was preparing to field ground balls at second base and I found myself lost. I found my mind wandering and was more focused on my wrestling posture at second base than fielding ground balls.

By junior year I decided to hang up my cleats before the season even began. I was stepping out of my comfort zone. It was especially hard when my baseball coach pulled me in the wrestling room (not knowing what was happening) to talk. I remember to this day what he said after I broke the news I was done playing baseball. Perplexed he went on “Well, do you have fun in here?!,” Saying sarcastically. I looked at him directly in the eye and said, “Yes, I love this room.”

No matter how tough and daunting every practice was I loved every moment of wrestling, there was something to be said about physically and mentally pushing yourself to the limit only to have to go beyond that in order to succeed. I had found my new passion.

Without wrestling I would have never learned the important life lessons in humility, agony, failure, success as well as all of the ups and downs the sport brings to a human.

 I believe it is the most crucial factor in making me who I am today.

WRESTLING CAREER

My second year I was one of the leaders on the JV team yet failed to make the podium once again individually, yet as a team we had massive success.

This still left me unfulfilled, as wrestling is mainly an individual sport. My senior year I expected to start and dominate until my good friend came out of nowhere to beat my handily in the pre-season wrestle offs. I was upset and utterly confused.

Eventually he would injure himself, which allowed me to start the majority of the year. I worked hard all year and saw some success against mediocre wrestlers but got beat by the top notch guys every time. I felt as if I was so close to the capabilities of these top level guys. Physically I was as strong and athletic, but mentally I lacked what the champions had. I was improving and when my friend came back he wrestled me off for the spot once again.

We had one last team tournament as a team I would wrestle in before Josh came back from injury and we had to wrestle off for the starting spot. It was the team regional tournament and the top 3 would move on to the team state tournament.

We found ourselves in the semi-finals and the winner would go on to the state tournament regardless of the finals result and we had our hands full with the team in front of us. It was decided that my weight class would be the very last to compete, which had me just a little bit nervous. Anyway, when the time came we were down by 5 points and we needed a PIN, or we lose and go home. I began by dominating my opponent but struggled to pin him.

I gave everything I had in the moment but came up short in pinning my opponent, only to win 13-11 – which was a win, but not what we needed.

I was devastated. I knew that if my friend Josh (who’s spot I was taking due to injury) would have pinned the man. Now, because of my shortcomings our team was headed home. As they raised my hand in victory, I cried. I did not do what needed to be done and although it was not 100% my fault, I felt like I failed my team.

It was the week before the last tournament and I knew I had to show-out and win or else I would be done. The wrestle-off was intense and I found myself down by 3 when time ran out as I was about to hit a reversal/possible back points which would have put me ahead for the win. Just like that I was done, my career was over. (and worst of all, I found myself injured with a neck problem that wouldn’t allow me to be physically active for months and bad place mentally.)

I had graduated high school and was set to attend Georgia Southern but needed something to fill the void after wrestling. I knew I wasn’t done competing yet – I had only just started 3 years ago in something I became obsessed with. At the end of summer after I healed up from my neck injury I sustained while helping my friend who beat me prepare for the final tournament I started kickboxing two weeks before I left for school.

GEORGIA SOUTHERN

When I started at Georgia Southern University I didn’t know what the hell I wanted to do.

I was indecisive with every endeavor from choosing my major to joining a fraternity or continuing wrestling/MMA, I was lost. I went the safe route with my major, decided not to join a fraternity the first semester and I joined the MMA club immediately.

The guys in charge of the club were well-established amateur fighters and coaches. The first day I showed up with no gear. After a tough practice they matched everyone up by size, gave them gloves, shin guards and pretty much said ‘fight.’ I was scared to death. Not only was this the first fight I would ever be in, I was fighting a taller and much bigger individual. But the second they said ‘spar’ I was lost in my own world.

I loved every second of the pure one on one aspect of unarmed combat, who can impose their game plan and come out the victor. There was no one else in there to lay blame on if something went wrong. It was new and it was real. This was the coaches’ test to see if you truly wanted to do this, and boy did I!

Throughout the semester I proved my worth to them and kept improving my standup to go along with my high school wrestling. Mixed Martial Arts became my obsession.

When second semester rolled around I decided join a fraternity, stay sober and was practically non-existent in the club. I was set to have my first fight but that fell through quickly with all of my obligations.

The next summer I trained feverishly and sharpened my tools with them and I knew what I wanted to do now. Although I had just joined a fraternity I was set on giving MMA a crack. Countless hours in the gym and I finally was set up for my first fight, only for my opponent to not show up at weigh ins.

Fortunately the next week I took a late replacement fight in the weight class above my normal one. I went through a tough first minute but came out of my shell and hit my opponent with a flurry of strikes until I rocked him and the ref jumped in. There was no better feeling in the world – nothing compared to the euphoria of winning a fight.

After my fight I partied a lot. After my fight I lost sight of all of the hard work I had put forth. I began partying a lot after I found out I was going to UGA the next semester. I was leaving everything behind and although it was a tough decision, I was excited. Once I settled down in Athens my spark for the sport began to burn just as it had before and fortunately for me Athens was home to the HardCore Gym, which has produced two world champions. I found out I was going to UGA the next semester and was leaving everything I started behind. It was honestly a tough decision but would prove to be a great one. One fight down and I knew I wanted to keep having more. Athens is home to The HardCore Gym, which has produced two world champions.

Once I was on the fight team I fought constantly and improved my record to 3-0. I had found early success but that all came to a screeching halt.

With one more win I would receive a title shot but I ended up losing in the first round and found myself in a rut. I was devastated, I didn’t take the fight seriously and I shouldn’t have looked past him. I learned my first lesson to never look past your opponent and focus on what is front of you. Just like wrestling I came so close but ended up with nothing once again.

I was pissed so I booked another fight in October against the former champion who just lost his belt.

He came in overweight but I did not care. I got a call in the morning of the fight from my coach – the fight was off, my opponent had eye issues. It was not until 6 hours later they said we have a guy; he was cutting to 155 (I’m 145) and is making his debut…but he’s a golden gloves boxing champ at 165 lbs.

I took the fight, I didn’t care, all the work was done and I just wanted to fight. Lesson number two; don’t do that. I ended up losing a decision and took home a huge gash under my eye and huge black eye that didn’t make my mom happy.

I decided to return April and won decisively. I was now set to fight the champion in May and realize my goal but he suffered a concussion and the fight fell through and was set to be re-scheduled for the summer, but I had obligations to study abroad in Australia and missed my shot once again. He then went pro and vacated the belt.

I was then set to face my friend in August for the vacated belt but he ended up getting injured. My patience was running short. Finally on September 13 I had my chance to fight for the vacant title only to find out two weeks before my opponent pulled out for personal reasons. With no challengers stepping up I took a fight at a weight class lower versus a very tough opponent and failed to perform.

A few fights later I found myself in a position to fight for a title in a promotion in South Carolina. Light was coming through the dark tunnel I had put myself in and I was ready to seize the golden opportunity in front of me. The fight was a grueling war between the larger opponent and I which I lost due to lack of activity, something that had haunted me in previous fights. I was absolutely gutted and thought I was done.

But I knew I needed to keep grinding and not give up knowing my potential. Eventually in March a huge promotion rolled around town and co promoted a show with NFC and I was selected to fight an undefeated fighter for the vacant belt I had earned the right to fight for. It was my opportunity on a huge stage, the time was now or never. I busted my ass for 3 months to get ready for this opportunity.

THE FIGHT – FINALLY

The first round I got beat up from every angle. I took his best shots and submission attempts but made it through. The second round I came out and relaxed, I breathed deep and took the fight where I was best, the ground. It was not long before I won via Technical Knockout. The feeling of the ref stepping in gives me the chills every time I think about it. I had never won anything in my life and I finally accomplished something. I was now a champion.

“You don’t deserve anything in life, you deserve what you earn” –T. Brands

When that belt wrapped around my waist the excitement kicked in. I didn’t deserve that win, I earned it. I worked hard, stayed patient and eventually my time came I capitalized on the opportunity. I am now champion with a target on my back.

It was the small changes that made the difference. My coaches Adam and Rory stress the three things we control every morning with the acronym A.P.E. (Attitude, Perspective, Effort)

This coupled with showing up and working hard day in and day out culminates into success. I had struggles and hardships in my career along the way but I reached my goal for once in my athletic career. I defended my belt on June 27 and won via submission in the third round after getting beat the first two rounds.

My future opponents stand no chance when the time comes around after the adversity I have faced.

I just recently dropped weight classes and defeated the 135 pound champion in a dominant unanimous decision victory. It was my final amateur bout and now with my goals being complete I am now set to accomplish a lifelong dream in becoming a professional athlete on February 20, 2016. For my whole life I was sure I would be a professional baseball player, but through my journey I was lead into the world of Mixed Martial Arts.

In every success story there is a struggle that no one sees – it is not an easy path. I learned a lot on the way to the title and failed a lot as well. All of my experiences and each time I failed to meet my expectations/goals I was upset, but I did not quit. I took lessons from each ‘failure’ and learned to apply my knowledge in order to progressively better myself in the future and create a different result. Eventually my time came and I seized the opportunity.

I am far from achieving overall success but I am progressively realizing my goals as they come to fruition with hard work and focus. I celebrate the small victories for now and know they will play a part in my overall goal and have many future successes in the future.

IN CONCLUSION

On what it takes to be successful former World Champion, Chael Sonnen sums it up perfectly. He said, “Between success and failure some say that failure is not an option. I think that is ridiculous. Failure is the most readily available option, but it’s a choice. You can choose to fail or you can choose to succeed.”

It’s a rarity that a successful person has had an easy path to their destination. No matter how hard your journey might be it is all in the mindset and how you approach what is in front of you that will determine your destination. Success comes from fulfillment, if you are not satisfied or happy with what you do or who you are then is it really success?

The Complexity of success can be daunting but at the end of the day success is all a state of mind.

(Written by Rico Johnson)

Is success determined by achieving everything you ever wanted? Is it determined by how much education and achievements you garnered? Is it determined by how well known you are or how much power you have? Or is it determined by how much money you make?

Each person has their own definition of success, but in my opinion it’s neither of those of things I listed above. I’ve met a lot of people who would define success as either one of those things. I don’t condemn them for their personal belief of what success is, but I was raised and grew up on a different concept.

Understanding happiness, and sharing that happiness, is the purpose of human life. The happiness that I’m speaking of, is the happiness of Gandhi, standing thin and tired in a world of hate…the happiness of Dr. Martin Luther King under the oppression of racist men, the happiness of Mother Teresa in a village of dying children.

A person who finds that happiness will have reached success in life. We have the ability to see all the good and bad, and choose to spread happiness, rather than hate. In my opinion my definition of success is overcoming staggering obstacles in your life to reach happiness you’ve always wanted and dreamed of. Success isn’t something you reach for other people, but only for yourself.

I know it sounds kind of corny or something out of a Disney movie, but based off the people I’ve seen obtain and experience it, that’s the image and concept that stuck with me. Athletes, actors and politicians achieve a great deal of success that get recognized, but I see success all around me.

Successful people around me

I see successful people on TV and the internet everyday that get glorified, but everyday people who achieve success everyday is what I really pay attention to. I’ve seen a young woman who had four kids graduate from Georgia State University and get a job that required two years prior working experience in business; to which she had none. She was in school for eight years on and off, working at Macy’s through that time period.

I’ve witnessed two homeless people overcome their circumstances and achieve their dream. One of them was staying with my family for about two months until he learned how to cut hair proficiently. He got his license to become a barber shortly after. Now he is working in a barbershop and participates in global barber competitions.

The other was a person I worked for a summer. He was abandoned at 14 and managed to get into college. Even though he dropped out of college and was living on the street, he read books about business, psychology and technology. After reading numerous books, he amassed business and technological knowledge that lead him to open a cell phone repair shop business.

My best friend throughout high school was a little known swimmer. During our senior year of high school he thought he wasn’t going to get offered a scholarship by any school. It got to the point where he was going to a community college because his family couldn’t afford the cost of a four year school. Then near our graduation date he got offered a scholarship from a small college in Mississippi to swim. After four years of swimming there he has a chance to be swimming for the U.S. Olympic team next year.

All of those people I’ve listed are successful in my eyes because they overcame stifling odds to achieve their dreams. They pushed way past their human limits to reach success and they aspire me everyday to do the same everyday.

The power and influence success has on my life

Witnessing all these people close to me reaching success pushes me to do the same in excruciating ways mentally and physically. It gives me a drive that would drive any sane person mad. I dream and breathe for success because I feel I have some importance in this life.

Not to sound like a narcissist, but deep down that’s what I feel when I look in the mirror everyday at myself. I don’t know what my purpose is yet, but I feel I’m close in finding it. Success is a concept that eats at my soul and mind. It keeps me up at night and ultimately is my greatest fear if I don’t achieve it.

I would be lying if I said I don’t feel a envy or jealousy when the people close to me achieve success. Envy and jealousy is a basic human emotion, so it’s normal. I honestly just tell myself be happy for them when I see or hear about them. But when I see them achieve success I really just want to experience it with them. The depths I would go to achieve success is unfathomable.

Not to alarm or scare anyone, I don’t mean sacrificing a life or perform evil deeds. I simply mean to challenge myself in a way that I know no one else can. My family and friends have some influence on that, but mostly it’s just something I want to achieve for myself. I’m willing to be open and put a god-like work ethic to reach success.

I’ve walked nine miles from to Chattahoochee Tech to go to class every week; rain, sleet or snow.

I’ve studied hard so I could transfer to Georgia State to get a degree in journalism. I’ve work three jobs at the same time just to get myself a car. I’ve learned all I can learn from different people and things.

I just pray hopefully all my hard work will pay off. It drives me crazy to see people who put in little effort in everything they do and have everything just fall into their lap. While I’m working my ass off and going through hell just to breathe. Most people would say its just luck or the universe was in a fix, but it baffles me whenever it happens.

I hope this an insight or motivation to strive for greatness or success to whomever reads this. I’m 21-years-old and still attending Georgia State University pursuing for a career in music. I am a firm believer of following one’s dreams, so I encourage people to do so because at the end of the day it’s your life and no one else’s. I admire people like Will Smith in what he says about hard work. They’re so many quotes about success and work ethic that influences me, but this stuck out.

Will Smith was quoted saying “If you’re not willing to work hard, let someone else do it. I’d rather be with someone who does a horrible job, but gives 110% than with someone who does a good job and gives 60%. And where I excel is ridiculous, sickening, work ethic. You know, while the other guy’s sleeping? I’m working.”