THE ED MYLETT SHOW - Strahan Success Secrets w/ Michael Strahan

Episode Date: November 2, 2021

So how do you overcome self doubt? How is it that one man has dominated in multiple areas of his life over such a long and sustained period of time ? Are you curious to know the type of MINDSET it takes to succeed in all different areas of life all at one time?  How to literally become one of the most successful people on planet earth today? Do you want to know how to better manage your TIME AND ENERGY so that you can bring tremendous FOCUS to your work? When you find out about some of his accomplishments, you’ll understand why I’m so excited to hear what Michael Strahan has to say. He starred as a defensive end for the New York Giants for 15 years, setting the single-season sack record of 22.5 sacks in 2001, helping the Giants win a SUPER BOWL in 2007 leading to his induction into the Football Hall of Fame in 2014.  With his natural CHARISMA, he made the jump into television, first co-hosting a pair of shows with Kelly Ripa before joining Good Morning, America full-time in 2016.   And that only scratches the surface of all that Michael has done. You’re going to learn about the value of a GREAT WORK ETHIC and why that is what makes all other things possible.  Michael made up his mind early this would be one of the cornerstones to becoming the BEST POSSIBLE VERSION of himself.   Like many of you, believe it or not Michael has also struggled with self-doubt.  He offers simple but EFFECTIVE ways he continues to push through it, and how you can, too.  You’ll also learn about ways to combat imposter syndrome that many of us fight through as well. We also touch on how to be NATURAL, grow your CONFIDENCE, generate POSITIVE ENERGY, and LEAVE JEALOUSY BEHIND to achieve success.  Not easy skills to master, but so essential if you want to follow the same path as Michael. One of Michael’s greatest pieces of WISDOM is simple, but so powerful. “SUCCESS IS MEANT TO BE SHARED.” Let that sink in because it’s great advice every one of us can use and put into practice. Michael Strahan is one of the most HUMBLE people I’ve ever interviewed. You will enjoy this week’s show as much as I enjoyed taping it.

This is the end my let's show. I'm so excited I have today. There's a man I've admired for a very long time. I think he's one of the great American success stories, regardless of industry. The ironic part is he didn't really grow up most of the time in the United States and he becomes this incredible success. He could also probably like double as a dosek, he's man like the most interesting man in the world most of the time in the United States. And he becomes this incredible success. He could also probably like double as a dosek, he's like the most interesting man in the world

because of the diversity of the different enterprises involved with. He's an entrepreneur. He's got an unbelievable deal right now. He's doing with suits with the men's warehouse. He's got this documentary right now or a series called Mormon Anathlete on ESPN Plus. He's got a management and production company called SMAC. He, by the way, he hosts Good Morning America, the $100,000 pair of

mid Fox NFL Sunday. And oh, he's an NFL Hall of Famer, the single season sack leader, Super Bowl champion. I don't know, I can't believe I'm saying all this about one year. But I have so Michael straight hand. Welcome to the show. I thank you, man. Thank you. And for sure, you have me in the show. No, we're at took all the time right there. Just incredible with that intro, I guess. But what yeah, I can't believe you're saying all that stuff.

For anybody says all that stuff about me, but I'm grateful. And I'm happy that I'm had the life that I have and have had the experience of the things that I've experienced. Yeah, the other thing I just have to tell you is, I want to, I want to, I want to know how do I do some of the things you've done in their own way. But the other thing, Michael, is just, you know, we don't have so many mutual friends and you've been kind to me as well, but just, no one has a bad word to say about you. You know, everybody that I meet, they just have wonderful things to say,

see face change, but it's true. I've just literally never heard anything but kind and great things about you and you've been that way to me too. So let me ask you, when you're growing up, you're kind of, you're in Germany most of the time and I know you came back here in Houston for a while, but did any of this, with any of this a plan?

No, absolutely not. my biggest plan when I left Germany to move them with my uncle I stayed with my uncles like five months or so to get a football scholarship Because my dad sent me back to stay with my uncle and he said, oh, you're gonna get a football scholarship He just said you're gonna you're gonna do it. My dad never said if it was always like win-win-win So when he said you're gonna do it. I've never doubted it. I was so naive about failure that, okay, I'm going to get a football scholar. I'll get one. I come back, I get a scholarship. And then everything was like just the next step. What was the next step from getting a scholarship was, okay, finally going to college and then once I'm in college, you know, that

just being a football player or being a part of a team, but like trying to be the best at it because, you know, anyone can do something, but if you're going to do it, why not put all your effort into it? And that's just kind of been how I've been about everything. I never really had a plan. My biggest plan was just never having to move back in with my parents. That would have been it. But that almost happened, right?

Like, it's funny in life, we get really close. There's like moments that determine our destiny and our life. It's very, you know, one decision, one relationship, one meeting away from really changing your life and was I was prepping for this. I'm like, after your freshman year of college, didn't you kind of go back to Germany?

Am I getting this right? And you will literally almost quit. If that happens, this is probably most of what I just introduced, probably all of it never happens if you follow through with that decision. So you've been out one decision away. Tell us about that, what happened in your conversation with your dad?

Well, I think that I followed through none of it. None of it happens. I, I, it was like a lot of kids. I was homesick. And I was like a lot of kids. I was home sick. And I was just ready to go back to Germany. I had my girlfriend and you know, you're missing your girlfriend, you're missing your friends, you're missing your mom and dad and everyone else.

So for me, I just wanted, I want to go home. College at that point to me seemed like, okay, I got to football scholarship. That didn't mean I needed to complete it. I did it. I did it. I'm gonna hold. So I go home and my, I was literally at,

I'm there at home. School has started like two weeks have gone by already. Oh my gosh. And then my dad comes in one day and he goes, has his school started? And I'm like, yeah. He said, what are you doing? Shouldn't you be back and I'm going,

eh, you know, I decided I'm not going back. And he looked at me and he's like, what are you gonna do? I said, well, I'm gonna stay here. I'll get a job. And he looked at me again. His voice got deeper than mine. And he said, what are you gonna do? And, say, I'm like Bob Winner. First of all, I can't stay here. And second, secondly,

you have to at some point grow up and take care of yourself. Your parents give you all the tools and I have been fantastic parents who gave me everything that I needed to be on my own. Now it was time for me to apply those things. So, it just, like I would offer my head that, okay, you can't stay home. You're going back to school. When you get to school, it's that you gotta be there.

We're carted it. Just don't be another student. Just don't be another athlete. If you're gonna do it, be your best that you can be at it. Where you surprised when you got there, I wasn't college, but maybe you surprised by this in the NFL too.

You get this opportunity to play college football. And by the way, the other thing too, is he's a historically black college, is Texas Southern, right? As we are. I mean, this is not like pathway to the NFL, right? Like this is not, you know, I think you're the only NFL Hall of Famer from Texas Southern, I think. Am I right about that? Yeah. You're far away,

but it surprised me, even when I got into business, or I got into, I play college baseball, and you had this in the NFL, aren't you surprised by somehow the lack of work ethic, even if people that have these great opportunities? And was that what separated you, do you think? I think, you know, I was amazed by the guys who had so much talent. Yeah, just refused to expand it. Refused to like perfect it. And you're never gonna be perfect,

but at least stride to perfect the talent that you were given. And I found that guys who weren't as talented seemed to go further because they work harder. And I mean, and I'm going to HBCU, not a football factory at Texas Southern University. I didn't know, you know, what the way out of there, where the path led for me once school was over. I didn't know it was going to lead to the NFL. I just knew that this is where I was and I was going to work hard at it. And once I was a senior and started seeing the scouts

and hearing from the scouts, I started to go, well, maybe I have a shot, but I never thought that it was legit until I got that call on draft day. But I saw so many guys who were more talented to me, who weren't just didn't push themselves,'t work arch but once our senior year rolled around and they realized that after this year I'm no longer on scholarship then they wanted to work out. That's exactly what I

saw too. Yeah. Scouts are coming here now. Yeah. The cities to see they'd be honest with you. They've become to see me. You're asking me to let you do it on my workouts. You didn't earn the right to be honest with you. And so to see guys scramble because they didn't prepare ahead of time, get with a great lesson for me and everything that I do. Do not ever be in a situation where you regret not putting in the work when it comes time for that final product to present itself.

It's interesting to me. I think for people listening to this, this is guys in a historically black college. He goes back to Germany, he's this club not coming back. Scott becomes the all-time NFL sac leader, arguably one of the great, not arguably, legitimately, one of the greatest NFL football players of all time. The all-time season sac leader, 22 and a half, I'm going to ask you about far later. I got to know about that play. But it's just mind blowing to me because I think a lot of people that listen to my show or watch, like I just feel

so far away from where I need to get it. And I think there's just these steps. Some of the like God prepares you when you get into certain spaces, if you outwork everybody with the answers, with the right stuff. And I'm just curious for you, you show up in New York, the New York football giants and LTs there, arguably another guy, maybe the goat of all time, at least on the defensive side of the football. Now you're comparing those skillsets, but then also in your media life, you walk into a studio, you're not like an NYU, you know, media major person. Have you struggled with self doubt, because you seem so confident on the outside.

Have you struggled with self-doubt, playing football in your broadcasting career as an entrepreneur, and if you have, what do you do to overcome it? I struggle with every bit of it, from football, football, especially, even when I was having some of my greatest years, I was struggling with doubt.

I'm in a game thinking to myself, can I do this? Am I really that good? Maybe this is a guy who will just gonna just throw me around and take advantage of me and I won't be effective against this guy in this game. I struggle with that most of the time. Wow. And you're quite a bit. And even TV, I absolutely struggle with it. But I'll always say, you will doubt yourself more than anyone else will ever doubt you. Your self-doubt trumps any doubt that any outside person will ever have in you. For me, I've learned to just try my best to push through it. Understand it. Everything is not going to be successful. And if it isn't, don't get down about it. You

learn from it. You learn from it. You push through it. You move onto the next thing, and the next opportunity. And I've struggled with self-doubt all the time. I still do. I'm on TV half the time, and I'm thinking, oh, am I really good at this?

Or are people just blowing smoke up my, you know what? My, do I, am I really cut out for this? Because I watch other people come into this business on a different path from bigger schools from you know opportunities and the way they got there seem more traditional. Yeah, and I'm so untraditional with being there that I struggle with feeling if I do belong. And but I look at it and I think it's natural this natural and I'm just happy that the world, the different type of work, especially now, like news, for instance, no one coming from my background would ever be on a good morning America or any other morning program because it seemed to, if you had to look a certain way, have a certain background and deliver it in a certain way. But I think

the world has changed when people want to have their news delivered from a different type of person. You have that traditional person and you have to want to maybe a little non-traditional, but maybe who makes a better connection with you to make you feel as if it's more real. And- I'm already the sincere.

I need to interrupt you, but- No, no. I'm blown away that you have self-doubt to this day. To this day. To this day. To this you. Because I do too. And I think sometimes if I'm walking there, 25,000 people, and I'm speaking to like, are you nervous or are you scared? Yeah, I have like major imposter syndrome.

Like, why do these people want to listen to me in the States? And I like, why would they listen to me? They have no idea what a dork I am, right? I'm about to be able to. I have to tell them I can't get my kids to listen to me, but I have other people. I relate to that, too. But that's big time. But I'm curious, do you have any posture syndrome too?

Like you walk into interview Barack Obama, which you've done. What did that feel like? Like are you walking in, I've had these moments and I've met President Obama too. You haven't met a couple of these guys, but you are like, what am I doing here? Or is it now that you're so far down the road,

Emmys, Entrepreneurship, Fox, you've dominated there, you know, good morning, are you now like, all right, now I know I belong here, or even then, are you like, oh my gosh. You still are, oh my gosh. You still are. No matter how much stuff you've done, sometimes, you know, when I saw President Obama, I'd met him before.

It wasn't like the first time, but it's still, I mean, this is the former president. This is like Obama. So you still walk in a little, little nervous, a little on the side, trying to fill out the situation, but he's always been great. You know, Michelle has always been great, but you still are a little bit nervous. I think that makes me more nervous than doing more hard, harder news stories when it comes to like interviewing Johnson Manley,

one of the officers in Breonna Taylor case and things like that. I'm so locked in and focused on it, that it's a totally different thing, whereas with, you know, personal bombers, like, okay, there's a politics involved, there's his ideas involved, but there's also a certain coolness factor

that you have to be aware of. So, but I love it, that's what I love about doing it. I do now, it's so diverse, it's not one thing. I know my personality, and if I had to do the same thing over and over again, I would get bored if it never changed. And that was a great thing about football that every day I felt like I was learning. 15 years in a pro that felt like I learned every day

until I stopped playing and I watch now and I'm still learning stuff as a spectator. And that's what I love about what I do now. Everything's different. There's a new challenge every day. There's issues and problems you got to work through. It's fun. You, what time do you get up this morning?

Five. You got to be five. Okay. So I just want everyone to see people that become successful, they have to manage time really, really well. And I was thinking, I'm pretty busy person. Like, I got a lot of stuff going on. I was thinking, this man's busy person. Like I got a lot of stuff going on. I was thinking, this man's the light.

I watched you last week. I think were you in LA for the football game on Thursday? Where were you last Thursday? Yeah. You in LA on Thursday, you have a GMA, then you got to do the Sunday football program. Then you got to come back and do a GMA. I know Constance and Smack, she's wearing you out

and the agency was something. I'm out of the question too, right? I know Const is doing that. And then you got all the other stuff you're doing you got your production company you got the deal going on you got this stupid interview with me of all these things. How do you manage your time? Do you have an actual strategy? Is it the people around you? How do you manage your time and your energy? I will give I will have to say it's the people around me. And I have a great team of people.

You name constants and Jasmine and Jose and Nisha. And we just have a great team of people who we work with who allow me to be able to focus on what I do for my core, core side of my personal business. And then also be involved in our collective business. But also they don't, I will tell them or they will tell me you're doing too much and we're going to cut back. Especially now when we have GMM in the morning that I have to go Thursday night football, Sunday

football, fly back on a flight every Sunday. So back and forth to LA 20 something weeks in a row. You can wear yourself out if you're not careful with all the extra things. And my assistant Jasmine is, is she and I just have a conversation yesterday. And if I feel it or if she feel this, she'll say, okay, this pull back, I feel like it's just too much stuff.

And sometimes you need people to save you from yourself. You know, it's like an athlete who's injured, but you're like, it's fullback. I feel like it's just too much stuff. And sometimes you need people to save you from yourself. You know, it's like an athlete who's injured, but you're like, I can do it. One for the get-perch. And that's the same way that I do stuff a wave off the field now and in my life now. It's like kind of with that football player athlete mentality that you can do it all.

And sometimes you need people to say, you know what? You can, but why? Pullback, relax. It's going to be here tomorrow and just pace yourself. The pacing myself has really saved me. What about your workouts? You're fit. You're, I watch you on the show. I'm not, I'm feeling I'm bragging on you too much, but I watch you on the show and I'm like, this dude looks so good in this suit. He's obviously still extremely fit. You and I both know, most of our former athlete friends

that don't have your schedule, that don't have your time to hand, don't keep them together. We both know this, right? Most of these are news that you played with. What do you do for your fitness? Because you're up at five, right? I'm curious, when do you train?

Are you conscious of what you're putting in your body or are you just like a genetic freak that you're very blessed at your age to look this good? I wish I wasn't genetic freak man. I really do. I get envious to guys who have the six packs and all that. They don't do anything. They roll out a bed of meat and both of cereal. But I have to be conscious of everything I eat, I have to work out. I try to at least one hour a day. I feel like if I can work out an hour a day, I have 23 hours to do anything else that I want to do. And, but you have to find the time.

And, and you have to prioritize the time. And you can't be lazy. The hours that I'm sitting on the couch thinking about working out and watching some TV program to work out could have been open. And that's how I rationalize it. But it's about scheduling my time like today. I GMA this morning, the second I leave the studio, I've brought to New Jersey to my barber, can cut my hair, then I dry back, I'm gonna do this podcast with you,

then I have a one o'clock doctor appointment, then I'm going to work out right after the doctor because at 5'30 I gotta go straight to movie. And then I'll come, you know, so it's like you have to find the little pockets of time that you have and and get it in. And then there are days where, you know, do that workout. I have a pocket of time, that pocket of time, maybe in that pocket of time, maybe reading the magazine, reading the book, that pocket of time, maybe just watching mindless TV. But I just try to do things

that certain, at some point you got to to let I working out for me as like a Release it just like that moment where everything else outside of the music that's in my ears when I work out That's the only thing I'm hearing at that point Yeah, same with me. That's really good to hear that you watch a little mindless TV It makes me and a lot of other people feel good just that you unplug your brain for a while The disconnect I'm curious about Your ability to be present. If you struggle with this or things you do,

as a busy person too, sometimes I have struggled in the past, even with my kids, with when I'm at home thinking about a business deal I've got. Or, you know, you're in a smack meeting for your production and management company, but you know you got a prep for an interview tomorrow on GMA, right? Like that. This presence thing, because one thing everyone says about you to me is he's charismatic,

right? And I do believe you're one of the more charismatic people on the planet. I think part of charisma is being present with people and giving them all of your energy when you're in that moment with them like they're the only person in the world that matters. You're incredible at that. Do you do anything specific to be present? Are you like conscious of it? Or do you struggle with that too?

No, I'm kind of where I am is where I am. But you're right about that. It takes a lot of energy. And I didn't realize that I'm not consciously, I don't consciously have to think, let me be in the moment. I do think that I'm just built to be in the moment. And I also think that I'm able to compartmentalize things.

Because on the football field, something bad happens, I got to move on to the next. If we could have this conversation on the sideline and they say, defense, I grabbed my helmet. Hold on, I'll be right back. Put on my helmet, I run out there, completely switched to a totally different dude. Finish, come back, put my helmet down and pick up the conversation like it never stopped like to be able to stop and start

You know and compartmentalize my thoughts and wherever I'm at and what actions are needed in that moment I've just I had to learn that and but I learned that from football and that has really helped me and everything else that I do But you're right whenever I am into something I'm into it and I'm focused on it, but it takes a lot of energy. And I've realized that as I've gotten older, that in order to, you know, that's why certain things I just know, I'm not going to do that. I'm not going to go to that event. I just can't go to dinner because I know it's going to take a lot of energy out of me.

And the problem is I can't help myself. It's not like I can go there and say, I'm just gonna sit in the corner and cry and let everyone else, let everyone else talk to him. I can't. I've got to be in the mix and I've got to be involved and that's my fault. But also, it's also my responsibility to know, okay, this is gonna take too much out of me, and I need time to recharge my battery

because I know that when I'm in that room, that room's gonna get everything out of that gap. So good. If Brad for a minute, Michael, for me, this is so good, brother. Why are you successful? I mean, I mean, like don't do the humble, G-Golly, like you've been so successful at many things. If I were your son, I mean, like don't do the humble g-golly thing. Like you've been so successful at many things. If I were your son, I met your daughter, by the way, one of them.

I would say to me, like I'm successful because you did an amazing job as a father too. So I am successful more than most people because, what would the answer be? Because I am successful, more successful than most people because I am able to be myself and I... God, that's such a good question, man. I kind of have an answer, but I kind of don't. I think a lot of you are being incredibly lucky in a lot of ways.

Now you're going to the humble card. Don't do that. White plays right time. Okay. I do think because I work my ass off. Like I work. I don't I work. I'm not afraid to work.

I don't take myself too seriously. I think that has helped me because if I did, I would have, I would have a gap in my teeth. You know, I had to suck a fit for a long time ago. Like what you see is what you get. I'm, I'm confident in what I know. I know. So I'm always nervous with a new job.

So nervous with TV and so nervous playing football, when I was younger. But once I had experience of something and I know I can do it, then I'm confident in it. And I know I'm good at it. But still, that doesn't mean I don't have doubts every once in a while about it. But when you first start out, of course, you have doubts. But I'll always tell myself, and people, I'm so nervous my first time.

And I said, well, think about the person who is in your position that you do, who you look at and admire, who do what, who does what you want to do. They had a first day too. Everybody had a beginning, a career, and people completely forget that. So I've learned to tell myself that and things that are new to me. But I just figured things out. I think that's why I'm successful. I figure things out. There's no excuse. There's nothing. If I want it, I'll figure it out and get it. I've never once seen anybody,

have been jealous of anybody's success or been mad. Does this person have this and I don't have it? Good for want it. I work to figure out a way to go get it legally, you know. Right. You know what I observe about you? that is people that I admire and people that I actually like to be around as they Toa really unique line. It's such a nuance worth having tremendous self-confidence Combined with a big dose of humility and it's such a unique line because most people struggle with self-confidence They're humble the guy humility. They struggle with the confidence piece These guys that didn't work when they got to the NFL, for example, right? People that you and I kind of see bird out, we go, what do they have? They've got

all the self confidence, nothing of humility, they don't want to be coach, they don't know they got to outwork everybody. And I noticed that in you in droves, it's, I also feel like Michael, one thing I observe about you is that people are always feeling something from us. You're always making someone feel something. And the happiest and most successful people are conscious sometimes of how they're making other people feel. And you're outstanding at that on camera, off camera. I watched you last year. I won't say who, but it's someone we both know. With another NFL football player who was on Fox with you now, and it just wasn't coming quite as naturally to him

as it did the other guys in there. And I watched you kind of giving him the energy. You even pulled him along like as a teammate, almost like you were still on the line, working as a unit as a group. Are you conscious of that energy thing, or is this just a natural thing? If I met you when you were a freshman in college,

you had it then, you had it when you were a rookie, you had it when you were playing the Patriots on the Super Bowl, you had it with Kelly, you had it on GMA, or is it something you're kind of intentional about the energy piece? I recognize energy because I've never wanted to be the guy that walked in the room and people go, oh no.

You know, you want to be the guy who walks in the room and people are excited to be there. When I see other people who may, I just, I think I'm sympathetic, an empathy, an sympathy. I do. So when I see someone who's struggling or someone I feel can do something better, and if I can do something to bring that out, I'll go out of my way to bring it out. I'll do it at my expense sometimes. Like I don't really have the ego to say everything to about me and my name's gotta be there. I don't care.

I don't care who speaks first. I don't care who's names on the title. I don't care about that stuff. I just wanna do great work because I'm a true believer that if the work is good, and if the work is winning, everybody gets enough credit for everybody. So for me, when it comes to work and energy and people

and trying to help, that's just more from a mentality of the teamwork mentality. And I just really sincerely want people to do well. And I've never been a guy who isn't happy to be in whatever room that I'm in. And I just want people to enjoy that I'm in that room. And I also want to enjoy the people in that room. And when you had success, I think the more success I've had, the more I've been into making not caring

about my success. I've cared more about other people's success. I've cared more about other people's success. I've cared more about other people feeling good about where they are and where we are and the things that we're doing together. And I think that that's important because at some point, football I've had, every trophy that I ever thought about, I remember college didn't know how to play football

when I first went to TSU out of high school. I'm one year high school coming from Germany and by the time I left college HBCU Defeated player the year and few times I won everything did I get these trophy then where do they go to my parents That right name us to me. It was like oh, I think I've been doing it. I thought I was doing for myself and I wasn't Get to the pros you think you gotta be you know, I'm gonna make the it for myself and I wasn't. Get to the pros. You think you're going to, you know, I want to make the pro bow. You make the pro bow and you're like, oh, this is going to be great.

Well, by the time we get to the pro bow, you think I feel like playing another football game. That means there's nothing. No, but the only reason I went to everyone is, first of all, you were voted in, which is an honor and two, my family loved to go. It was like something I could see the pride in them that we were all there together. And I think that I've just learned that success is just meant to be shared. And the more successful you are, the more you should share it and try to bring more people with you.

It's compared to a lot of room at the top of the hill, man. It's not like the top of the hill, you are the more you should share it and try to bring more people with you. It's compared to a lot of room at the top of the hill, man. It's not like the top of the hill, the point top of the hill is flat. And everybody can stand up there. Well, that's really good. And I think most people don't know that. I think they think it's this. And so there is that hater jealousy cutthroat way. And when you get there, it's exactly what you realize,

what you just described. By the way, no one's ever said that on my show. It's one of the most powerful things anybody's ever said. It is like that. And by the way, it was doing his hands where there's room and it's flat. And that's absolutely true. Your, someone else's success does not prevent you

from being there also. That's so big. And that's what thing, people think, oh, this person's successful, they're blocking me. That person may not we know you exist You are nothing about you. They're not blocking you. They're just doing what they're doing They're going through their life and I remember back when I was playing a guy who get endorsement deals and guys Reduce commercials and

To autograph signing the guys are complaining was he getting get next and what he doing this and what he doing and they were getting mad at the guy and I would say if you were him and these opportunities came your way you would take them too. So how could you be mad at him for taking advantage of what opportunities came his way and that completely took a lot of the you know I've never had that kind of jealousy. And I've always realized when I went to Kelly or when Eli Manning came to the giant or something like that, the new kid always gets attention.

He's a new kid. Everybody wants to figure around and give him attention and show him love so you could never get so caught up to think that, oh this it and that doesn't last for everybody way. When you go to McDonald's and and what's the main sandwich there the big Mac right every once in a while they'll bring out a Macri. Everybody gets really excited for the Macri. But if it were on the menu all

the time eventually it just becomes, you know, another sandwich. And the big Mac is still the big Mac. So don't be mad or jealous of the young cat who comes in and gets attention. You're still the big Mac. Plenty for you there. You'll be fine. It's very good. And you know, it's interesting about that too, is that I'm listening to you. Success is pretty simple.

And it's all the things that people waste energy and focus on that takes from just being laser focused on the task and it's worrying about other people. They got there before me. Why are they getting this? What are they going to think about me? All these things we deplete our energy on, to me, like the waiting for you has been simple.

This is a really hard question. I already asked you another one. I watch you and sometimes I wonder this for me. I'm kind of a busy dude too and I, you know, I think externally people would probably think, wow, what a really cool life and you get to do this or that or the other thing. So this is just me and you one on one, no one's listening, okay? Is it worth it? Like, really? Is it all what's cracked up to be? Okay, is it worth it like really? Is it all what's cracked up to be, to be you, to do the things you're doing? And do you ever sit there some days, maybe it's Sunday flying back on the plane,

no one you gotta get up Monday to do the show? Do you ever sit there and go, I thought I'd enjoy this more, or I thought there'd be more to it, or is it this is even better than I thought and I would really love to know I think I know the answer and I don't think it's pretty for most people when we're in the moment but I'm really curious look at you really thinking deep what is the real answer to that is it better that I ever could have imagined. I think it's probably more glamorous from the outside looking in than it is sometimes for the inside looking

out. I think the day to day work may be more glamorous from the outside looking in. But the day to day work is worth it because sometimes when the mirror is tinted no one can see in and I'm on vacation or I'm doing cool things with my family that if I didn't do this I'm not able to do or if I'm at a fight and I'm at the front row watching the biggest fight fighters in the world and I show up at a restaurant and it's like come on in we don't have a line. I mean I hate to cut the line of people but it's like the stuff that comes your way absolutely makes it worth it.

And everything I do now, this is gravy. I think that's why I look at it. That's why to me, it's always going to be worth it because football, if that was worth it, what I do now is more than work it's worth it because plain practicing hitting, training camp, twice a day laying on a wet ground to stretch a seven in the morning to putting on pads that are still soaked with your sweat from the day before. It is 738 in the morning and got to run into another grown man. But next two hours and do that over again in

the afternoon. And that was work. That was work. And that led to where I am now. And I would go through it again to get back to where I am now. But it was the hardest thing I've ever done, which now makes talking on TV for a freaking living. Are you kidding me?

I didn't notice what an option. Yeah. Talking. You know, you are, you're grateful. I'm just listening to you. I am a fund in some gratitude that's an abnormal for somebody at your level who sometimes might think they they're entitled to it or whatever. You just have an unusual amount of gratitude and I bet that if I met you when you were younger and playing that there was true then too Yeah, you know now I was kind of a

I will tell people I'm an extroverted introvert Involve in this walking down the street and people say hey Michael Michael And it makes me uncomfortable. I don't like that attention. But if I'm doing my job And and that's fine when the camera's right there and I'm doing my job? And that's fine. When the camera's right there and I'm just in the street, I feel no different than anyone else. I don't think I have special privileges over anyone else.

And not like when I walk down the street, it lights up like in the Michael Jackson video. You know, I walk down the street just like everybody else. Right. But I think that there's this perception that, you know, everything that you do is always so cool and goodness. And that's just not the case. And I realized, and I'm, maybe it's a fear.

A fear of losing humility would mean that I would lose everything that being humble has gotten me. So it makes me always stay very aware and very conscious of the opportunity or the thing that I've been afforded from my life. So that I'm very conscious of trying to be good to people because I feel like if I lose a humility, then everything else goes out to window with it. Oh my gosh. You say things that I feel better than I feel them. I guy, I'm what you just said is exactly how I feel. And I'm almost make almost makes me emotional that you said it because I feel that like if I lose my

sense of humility, I think everything's going to go away. And I it's I I feel that. Like if I lose my sense of humility, I think everything's gonna go away. And I'm gonna lose it. I'm gonna spoil all the blessings of my life if I lose my humility. I also consider myself an extroverted introvert or the remorse. I'm very introverted privately,

publicly I can be an extrovert. I just gotta ask what you said and I just wanna reiterate it, it's a 10 million times better than you think it is. It's not as pretty or as glamorous to win and make your dreams come true, but it's 10 million times better than you think it is. And it's not the cool stuff, it's actually how you feel about yourself that you're growing, expanding as a person. You have a new experience as in different contributions, it's just a super cool feeling. But that's why I think I've done and I do so many different things. It's just a super cool feeling. But that's why I think I've done and I do so many different things.

It's that feeling of figuring something out, committing to something, coming up with an idea and actually seeing it through. And then you've been like the clothing business. It's like, oh, this was just an idea we had. Now it's a real legit business. $100,000 pyramid. You know, yeah, maybe we can an idea we had. Now it's a real legit business. $100,000, pyramid. You know, yeah, maybe we can host this game show.

Now it's a legit big time game show. It's like, and then to learn every step of the way of thinking about how I felt when I filmed season one, to how I feel filming season six now, or whatever it's gonna be, like the confidence and like, man, I started and I didn't know, you know, I kind of was looking at Dick Clark page going, maybe I can do this to now actually feeling so comfortable that I can do it in my sleep.

Like I liked that feeling of progression and life and progression and projects and progression and work and, um, yeah, man. I do too. I feel like I die if I did it. I mean, it's like I'm either literally growing or dying and I feel like the minute I stop growing, I'm gonna go and reverse. I don't know how fast I'll go and reverse

but I'll just start to regress as a... Sierra. Almost like a... No, I mean, it's amazing because of people that are not in this stuff. It's different doing GMA that it is the 100,000. There's a different energy. It's a different studio. It's a different setting. It's a different communication. It's a different setting. It's a different Communication box NFL now. He's on a panel. He's got to interact with other people when are they done talking? When does he jump in puts his hand on the guy? Let's all these little things that you only learn when you do them He did not know when he was back in Germany after his freshman year going to

College this is proof everybody that we do expand as people if we continue to work, if we continue to try new things, if we step into spaces, we are not prepared for. People are afraid to fail. People are afraid to fail and they feel like they, if they fail in their life and their over, people are afraid to be judged. And you can't, you can't expand. You can't get better if you're afraid of what other people the pain they're going to be if you want it on your life. So you want to get better at something. You want to try something new. That's on you. A lot of people, and I know you've heard this before, a lot of people tell you can't do anything because they have

their own restrictions on their, their life. So they take their restrictions, their fears, they put them on you. A lot of people put them on their own kids. I would fortunate enough to have a father who was fearless. I mean, this guy was in the military with five kids straight out of high school for 12, 13 years and said, I want to be an officer. I'm getting out of the military and I'm going to go to the ROTC program and prayer view that I'm going to go to the ROTC program at Prairie View that I'm going to go back in as an officer. And then I'm out my mouth pregnant with me so he gets out of the military five kids six on the way and go to the ROTC program at Prairie View University which they didn't want to

let them into the officers program that they said he was too old And a chance meeting is the only reason he got in and I didn't realize this until my dad wrote this whole big wrote me he wrote this whole like little testimony letter and He was saying in a testimony letter and I'm reading it gone. This is a amazing story that he Went he got out of the military went to prayer view, wanted to get into the officer program. They told him, no, you're too old. Well, he's got, you know, a mom and five kids, me on the way, a lot of mouth to feed. And a gen, and a colonel came to the base and they were looking for more minorities to put into these, to the officer program. He's talking to the colonel, colonel's telling him about it, you know, what they're

trying to do. My dad go, yeah, I tried to get in the program. And they said, you know, my age and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And he said, well, so do wherever you station. You know, he's in France and all these other things. And he goes, you know, I was in when I was in France, man, I saw this boxing match. It was the best boxing match I'd ever seen. And he described this whole boxing match. And my dad goes, sir, that was me. Oh my gosh. My dad was an all-armie boxer, Golden Globe boxer,

and then the military. And that Colonel was talking about the boxing match. He saw my dad fight in France and did not know that was my father. Come on. And once he heard that, you're in the program. That's bananas. And then my dad graduated Magnum Loddy from the ROTC program as what he constate called him an old man.

And he goes back into the army as an officer, becomes a master jumper in the 82nd Airborne Division. You know, when we moved to Germany, he was running the first CEC, combat equipment company. So here's somebody who realized and with fearless to think that my life is going in the direction I want to do better. I can only do better if I'm an officer. So I'll take the chance and be fearless and get out and hopefully get into a program that is going to get me where I want to go. And he did it. And he, you know, for me, it was when Michael, when this, when you're in the probo, when you win a Super Bowl, when you're in a Hall of Fame, when, when, when, it's never

with if because I think if you tell your kids or you tell yourself if there's doubt and if, there's no doubt and when it just may not happen right at that moment. And sometimes it does. But when you always think it's going to happen eventually. Oh my gosh, Michael. That's one of the best ways I've ever heard. By the way, that's the long winded, but I'm sorry. No way, that was not long winded.

We were one meeting away. Your dad had one was one meeting away from changing away. We made that one decision. That's the deal. Speaking of the the win in the if, by the way, that. Made that one decision. That's the deal. Speaking of the when and the if, by the way, that was not long with it. That's profound. By the way, which is really crazy

is the story of your life is so impressive. Little did I know that on my show, my favorite story would not be about you, it would be about your dad. And that kind of explains you though. But I want to go to football. We have a few moments left. But I've enjoyed this so much.

Like it's like a master class almost, but you said the win and not if. So the year you guys won the Super Bowl, I want to make sure I understand it because I maybe I have it wrong and I'd like to just understand it, but you guys play the Patriots. They're undefeated and you lose,

but it was a really good game. I remember watching the game. I think it was in New York, they came in and beat you guys, right? Yep, at the end of the game came in and beat us. They're the end of the game. And my recollection is so they're undefeated. They've got Brady, they've got Moss, this is a juggernaut of a team.

They've got, they're loaded on defense, too. And they're really, all their studs are still on their defense then. Yeah. And, but after that game, is it right that you basically said when we beat them in the Super Bowl, not if like, did you know in that game that if you played them again, you could beat them? Because the reason I asked this question, why I think it's so important? Yes, you won the Super Bowl. Yes, you beat an undefeated team. Yes, Eli should have been ruled in the grass. That's a whole other story.

Oh, you know, I don't know, but I patriot that. You're gonna say that. But go ahead, Helmau. You're not in the grass. My point is that, my point is that this is from a loss. So this is a big lesson, I think, if I'm right about the story, if you have this feeling, if it was even in the locker room afterwards, it's from a defeat that you make the decision when we win. This is important because as a human being, we're suffering losses and defeats and setbacks regularly. That didn't define you.

It's an undefeated team. They just beat you at your place, right? At home, is it right that after that you went, when we play them again, we're going to beat them. You got this feeling they were beatable or not? I think that with a team feeling, but the person who verbalized it, literally walking off the field after that game, we're walking off the field into feet. Now, Ocea Yamanura, the other defensive man, I write it and looked at me and said, when we meet them again, when we see them again, we're going to beat them. I'm thinking to myself, that's fantastic, but only way we see them is the Super Bowl.

You realize that, AFC and FFC, buddy. And he just, he just, we had this confidence because we realized, going into that game, we knew we were in the playoffs already. We were going into Tampa to play the Bucks. We didn't want to put anything into our game plan that would show the Buccaneers what we could do. So with the very vanilla defense and the very vanilla offense that we ran against the Patriots the last game, we didn't have anything to play for.

It was pretty much our, our giant's gonna rest their guys. The Patriots aren't rest and they're guys because for them, they wanted a perfect season. And I think that inspired us because they're not rest and they're guys. We're not gonna rest our guys either. And the fact that we were just very vanilla and we went ahead to head with a team who wiped everybody off the map. May was so dynamic.

I think the most points in the regulars in the average and most points of any team in the regular season history, and you know, they had Harrison, Seyau, Bruce Ghee, you name it, they were so loaded. But I don't know what it was. We've just felt like if that was the best that they had to give, we're better than we showed.

And a pregame, one of the press conferences in fact, to go birch said, yeah, score is gonna be 21-17-21 or something, we're gonna win. And Tom, who's my business partner in religion and sports and my boy, when he was like, oh, yeah, okay, we're gonna score like 17 points. Oh, okay. Like, hello, you know, dismissive?

That fired us up. Offensively, we just had guys who collectively, or individually, he was looking, oh, you know, collectively, we were a team. It was a team. There was no one individual bigger than the other There was no one individual who wanted to let another guy down It was never a selfish thing about selfish on our team everything was about togetherness and before the game

My dad go when you guys win the game on Sunday and blah blah. I'm not a good dad, you know It's big game. He goes well, you know I and and I say hey, so there I know, but you've already won, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and right before the offense went out there when Eli got out of that grasp. And the speech was, you know what guys? The score was 14 10 at that point. 17 14 will be the final scores. One more 17 14. One more touchdown. We are world champions.

Believe it and it will happen. 17 14 will be the final score. And that was my way of kind of channeling my dad to say this is how it's gonna end. It's not ending now with it. You controlled it. I couldn't, I wasn't on the office. I can't do anything about it.

And to see if people make the most extraordinary plays in their life, Eli, the David Tyree, Plexigal Catching Up Ball in the end zone for the touchdown. David Tyree couldn't catch a cold but naked in the winter time. I mean, he was not our wide receiver of choice. He was a special teams guy. He's true. Eli is so clumsy that he'd feel it fall in practice like trying to do a rollout and make it bootleg and he's falling down. So to see those guys do extraordinary things, let me know. It was more than just them.

They weren't out there playing for themselves. They were out there playing for all of us and we all played for each other. And so the one that Super Bowl, the biggest achievement, better than any MVP's and player of the years and anything I ever earned in football that was the one Thing that you could share with everybody the most excited I've ever been about anything in my life And I every day I'm on a email chain with the entire defensive line. I see you live a few times a month I see Sean O'Hara a few times a month. I see a money to him, if you tie the month. I see these guys all the time, it's like a brotherhood and no matter where we are in our life,

everything stops because once we see each other it's like this feeling that you can't capture with anybody else who wasn't there, whether in a part of it. And yeah, most special time, man. And it was, I couldn't have asked for better ending in my career, to be honest with you. You can have played a couple more years and you chose not to. But I just got to tell you your whole physiology or energy, your face definitely is different when you talk about that. There's, there's something just life changing, life altering, just special above

everything, huh? For that probably that, not kids are that stuff. But beyond that, it's, it's that important. Yeah. I mean, I professionally, it was the greatest moment ever. It is by far the greatest moment ever professionally and even post football. There's nothing that compares to that one day. No, you could never recreate that stage. And I'll never forget every moment of running out at the beginning of the game to hearing, I can still hear the sound of the, you don't hear the audience when you're out of the

crowd when you're there. You're so focused that I can hear the guy crossing me breathing. I can hear Tom, check this, I can hear the linebackers. You can only hear the people you need to hear. You do not hear 80,000 people, whatever it may be, you're yelling until the play is over. So you make a tackle, you make a sack, it an almost Sutton, it's like they turn up the radio

so you can now hear the crowd. Are you kidding? I've never heard this before. Your focus is so incredible. And that actually was a lesson to me. That if you really want to focus, you can block everything out because I've had to do it without even realizing it for football purposes. It's really an incredible thing because you do not hear anybody. All I hear is

the quarterback. I can hit a lineman talk and I can hear my guys talk. I can hear breathing. I can hear, you know, you like, you turn your helmet, you can click your helmet on your shoulder pad. I can hear all that, but I do not hear, did not hear the people. That's a thing in your brain called the particular activating system. My audience knows I talk of this. It's the filter that allows you to focus on what's important to you, but that's the best example. I'm stealing that from it's going to mean every talk I ever give. The fact that an athlete can be in an arena full of 80,000 people, stadium, and not hear that noise, but can hear his helmet clicking on a shoulder pads,

and the breathing of the linebacker coming up on some package behind him is blows my damn mind. That is mind blowing. Their focus can dial you in that much. He's not even using saying that. That's mind blowing, right? That's incredible, the mind works that way. But I absolutely, but you know,

and I don't, I could have played a few more years, but I realized after that Super Bowl that I, just everything I had, man, you know, I, O C and Tuck, you always have this joke. We gonna kick you out the league, oh man, there's a certain meeting to tell me that. And I just say, you know what, Tuck, you will always be my backup until I decide to retire. Just to get them back.

He couldn't say anything back to me on that one because I was the starter. But what they didn't realize is when I admired everything that they did, they inspired me because I realized these guys are younger, stronger, faster. So I slimmed down. They would go home. They didn't see that I'm back in that weight room. They didn't see me sitting in an ice tub, like just trying to take care of myself, not to stay ahead of them literally just to keep up with them, unbelievable.

So when I retired, I realized how much it took just to maintain and stay close to these guys and that in my heart. After we won a Super Bowl, I was like, you know what, I just don't mind doing it. You, by the way, you walked from a lot of money, Michael. Yeah, they offered for me to come back. There was a lot of money.

And I decided that I had never cheated the game or anything and I was not gonna start now. I was not going to get out there and just do something for the money and not have my heart into it and just think, okay, mentally I'll just get through it. Your heart's gotta be in. It's too hard of a business to just show up

and say, I'm just gonna do it for the money. At least it was for me because it's one thing to be on a football team and be a starter, right? They're loving guys out there. I could have been 11, guys, I could be a starter. To be that one of the 11, who not only do you have expectations for yourself that are high, but everyone has expectations of you that every time you show up,

you have to be at a certain level. You don't have the liberty or the ability or the freedom to drop below a certain expectation. And I realized without my heart, I could not read that expectation. Now, if I still had to heart to do it, I absolutely would have gone back. Absolutely. But I felt going back just for the money would have been a disservice to the giants, to the NFL, to the fans, and to myself, so I didn't do it. It didn't get worked out okay. You know what? Climbing is think about it.

Tiny, man. I thought about this. Had I gone back, Regis would have retired. Someone else would have got that job because I would have basically been playing football. And then we'd had opportunity to do out of guest hosting and all these other things. Like it's just the timing of everything worked out perfectly that we won a Super Bowl

was with the whole reason I was invited to go on that show as a guest in the first place for them. That's crazy. Oh my gosh. That's crazy. So timing and air timing was incredible for all of that. So when I say a little bit of luck, yeah, it may it may sound humble, but it's true. Luck is where opportunity and preparation meet each other and you obviously crushed it.

I want to keep going, but they're telling us right at times. So I enjoyed this so much. It exceeded my expectations. And I just want to tell you, I'm grateful that you did this today. I'm so impressed with you. And even as a distant from, I'm just proud of you, the difference you're making in the world. You really inspire me. I know you inspire a lot of people. I know millions of people end up viewing or watching or hearing this today. So I just wanted to say thank you, Michael, for being here. And I hope we do it again very, very soon.

Well, thank you, Ed. And thank you. I appreciate you having me. I've been wanting to do this because you're a year in輩 Spire and me and so many people out there. So it's a great pleasure to be you. I appreciate you having me. I mean, I wanted to do this because you're a year. You're inspiring me and so many people out there.

So it's good to be a part of the mission and what you're doing out there to help so many other people, man. I really, really, really appreciate the only one issue I have is we need to get you a new helmet at the backdrop. Then it over there. I'll put it somewhere. I'll put it somewhere. I got my name. I got it.

Thank you, man. Bless everybody. Share the show today. This is an epic conversation. I'm so glad we got so detailed. And again, thank you, Michael Strang. All right, everybody. God bless you.

Max out. This is The End My Let's Show. You