The School of Greatness - 4 Bryan Clay: How to Overcome Adversity and Become a World Champion

Episode Date: February 7, 2013

The fourth episode of The School of Greatness is with 2008 Olympic Gold medalist for the decathlon, Bryan Clay. As a former All-American decathlete, I used to study film on Bryan and follow his every move. He was a legend to me on the track, but once I began to know him as a man I had a […]

Hello everyone and welcome to the School of Greatness. My name is Lewis Howes. I'm an author, lifestyle entrepreneur, former pro athlete, and world record holder in football. My goal with the School of Greatness is to share with you stories from the most inspiring business minds, world class athletes, and influential celebrities on the planet to help you find out what makes great people great. So please leave us a review over on iTunes and join us on the web at schoolofgreatness.com to be notified of each episode when it comes out. Now let's get after it. Hey, Roland Lewis here, and I hope you are having an amazing week wherever you are in the world. And today's guest is a very special guest, very close to my heart. His name is Brian

Clay, and I'll tell you why in a second why he's so special. But he's an elite athlete who discusses the balance of mental, physical, and emotional health to help achieve the greatest feats in athletic competition. So some interesting facts about Brian Clay. He was born in Texas and raised in Hawaii. He had his name and his picture on the cover of the Wheaties box for participating in the Beijing Olympics. He won silver in the 2004 Olympics and finished first at the 2005 World Championships. He's a gold medal winner at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the decathlon. And the decathlon champion is referred to as the world's greatest athlete. So he's got some pretty amazing accomplishments.

The reason why Brian is such a special individual to me is because I always wanted to be an all-American athlete. And going into my senior year, I remember being extremely inspired by Brian's achievement at the Olympics in 2004. at the Olympics in 2004. And I remember watching all the videos I could find on him, breaking down his technique, how he did all the different events, and it really inspired me to become the All-American athlete that I did become in the decathlon. He was the guy that I followed to learn how I could do it myself. So it's great to be coming full circle now

and actually interviewing the guy that I was really inspired by while becoming an All-American athlete. But we've got a very special segment on this interview called Talk to the Coach. Now I had a chance to sit down with Brian's coach and here he introduces himself. Kevin Reed, I'm the head track and field coach at Azusa Pacific University, and then Brian Clay's coach as well, personal coach. So I asked him about what makes Brian a champion, and he said this. The thing that makes Brian a champion, beyond his physical attributes, is he is, even when he came and he really didn't know any better,

he's always wanted to become a student of the sport. And he does a great job of walking that line, of wanting to understand everything that he's doing, but then still at the same time trusting me and the other coaches that are a part of his group. Even if he might not quite understand yet what we're doing or what we're trying to do with him, he still trusts us that the road that we're on is the right road. Even though as much as he wants to understand it, and we'll sit down afterwards

and still try to work through it practice after practice, he's a student of the sport. At the same time, he's so coachable. He'll do whatever we ask him to do. Now my follow-up question was, is a champion born or trained? And here's what he had to say. There's a little bit of both on that. There's obviously some baseline physical talent, but there's a lot of people walking around with a lot of physical ability that don't have the ability to put it together when it counts.

And I think Brian has proven over the last, I mean, going on 12 years now with his success at the Games, he's been able to put it together when it counts. As a decathlete, his success is really measured by what he does at the Olympic Games. And with the silver in 2004, the gold in 2008, 2012 kind of yet to unfold, I mean, he's shown that he's able to bring it and put it together when it counts. Big thanks again to Kevin Reed for taking a moment to chat with us. So as you can tell, Brian is an incredible athlete and we're honored to have him on the show. So let's get straight into the interview with the world's greatest athlete.

Tell me a little about how you got started in the decathlon in the first place. Yeah, so when I was growing up, I was not a good kid. You know, I made a lot of bad decisions. Uh, I got into a lot of trouble. Um, kind of was, you know, from one school to another. And, uh, my mom got me involved in counseling because of some, you know, things that were going on, you know, with my parents being divorced and all the fighting and the abuse and all that kind of stuff that was going on in the house. Um, my mom found out that I was suicidal. And so, you know, I think it was fifth or sixth grade or something like that. She said, you know, hey, look, you can either run track and field or you can swim.

And that was because of the advice of the counselor. And, you know, I mean, it sounds funny, but it's true. I didn't want to wear speedo. And so I chose track and field. And that's kind of how it all got started. So how old were you then? You know, and so I chose track and field. And that's kind of how it all got started. How old were you then? You know, I think I was in sixth grade. It was my sixth grade year when my mom gave me that choice,

and that's kind of when I started on a club team. But before that, I competed in school, and there was inter-school competitions and physical fitness competitions and things like that that I competed in. And I always wanted to play football or be on the popcorn football team or the basketball team or things like that that I competed in. And I always wanted to play football or, you know, be on the, you know, the popcorn football team or the basketball team or something like that. But just because of my behavior, my mom wouldn't let me play because she was afraid I was going to end up getting into a fight or, you know, doing something stupid.

And then, you know, we'd have more problems to deal with. So, yeah, she said those are the only two sports that are individual sports. And, you know, if you do good, it's because you did good. If you do bad, it's because you did bad. You can't blame anybody. You don't have to you do bad is because you did bad you can't Blame anybody you don't touch anybody so so those are the ones you can do Why do you think you were such a bad kid or why were you suicidal? You know I'm not sure I'm not sure what made me

You know kind of dip into the depression and all that kind of stuff I know that my family life things were just kind of in turmoil my parents, you know, their marriage was falling apart. Um, I wasn't doing well in school. I was constantly getting in trouble in school and, and, you know, so you just take all of that. And then, you know, the fact that, you know, I, I, I really didn't know, you know, any other emotion than anger. Um, you know, if I got sad, it turned into anger. If I was disappointed, it turned into anger. Um, that disappointed, it turned into anger. That was what was modeled for me, and that was all I saw. And so that's how I acted. And, you know, I think all those things had something to do with it,

but I also think that that was just where I was and the path that I was on. And so it took a lot of work to kind of refocus myself and get away from all that. And it took the help of so many people to help me understand how to get away from there. And it took a long, long time, too. Tell me a little bit more about your mom, because it sounds like she has a big influence in your life. Was she the most influential person for you for making the decision to transition from being a bad kid to where you're at now? Yeah, I think my mom played a very pivotal role in my, my growing up. Um, you know, there were decisions that she made that to this day, I still don't completely understand.

And, and I'm not exactly sure, uh, how, um, she had the wisdom to make some of those decisions, you know, but, um, I, I think a lot of it maybe it was just out of desperation, uh, cause she didn't know what else to do. But, you know, I, I learned this a few years ago, um, after the 2008 Olympics, I, I, I talk about this when I go and speak to do. But, you know, I learned this a few years ago after the 2008 Olympics. I talk about this when I go and speak to different, you know, groups and things, corporations and things. But, you know, my mom just did her best, you know. And really that's, I think as a parent, you know, I'm a parent now. As a parent, that's all you're called to do is, you know, you give your best.

And I think, you know, deep down inside, I think God honors that. You know, when he sees that you're giving your best, he'll honor that. And I think your kids turn out, uh, will turn out okay. And, and, you know, you'll do a good job. And so, uh, you know, for my mom's, you know, for everybody, their best is something a little bit different for my mom. You know, her best was, was kind of feeding me these little, um, these little, uh, seeds that she was planting in me, you know, telling me that I was going to make it, that, that there was a plan for me, that God had a plan for my life and some of those different things. And with her giving her best, you know, I was able to now, you know, reap the benefits of kind of that effort. Yeah. So she was giving you confidence the whole time.

Yeah, yeah. Now let me know, so you won the Olympic gold in 2008, you won the silver in 2004, you were world champion a couple times, right? You were national champion, you were top of your college, top of high school, you were like all state in high school, four different events. Now when is it that you knew, when was the moment you knew you were a champion? When you knew you were one of the top? Oh gosh, I mean, you know, I guess from a very early age, I always knew that I was, uh, that I was blessed with an ability to run. Um, I knew that, uh, and I started winning,

you know, right around that, uh, that my high school years, I started to put together some, some good meets and started winning some meets and, uh, and that went really, really well. Um, some good meets and started winning some meets and, uh, and that went really, really well. Um, but you know, I don't know if you ever realized, you know, that you're, you're the best. I mean, even now, uh, after accomplishing everything that I've accomplished, I still don't see myself with some of the guys that came before me. You know, I still feel like I'm still trying to attain that, yeah, that, that, you know, like Bruce Jenner and Bill Toomey and Rafer Johnson and, and, uh, you know, some of those guys that, you know, uh, have done it, uh, and really kind of paved the way. It's just weird for me to think of myself in the same boat as some of them. Uh, and so I don't know, maybe once I retire, you know, it'll, it'll settle in and I'll feel like

maybe I belong to that group. But, but right now, uh, you know, I, I feel like I haven't quite reached that status, you know, and I want, I want to, that's what I want to be group. But right now, you know, I feel like I haven't quite reached that status, you know, and I want to. I want to be able to have my name mentioned with those guys, and I want to have it feel comfortable. So we'll see. I don't know. But, you know, I think I've done a good job. I think I can always do better. And hopefully we'll be able to do that this year going into London.

What's the main thing? I know we talked about this before London. What's the main thing? I know we talked about this before, but what's the main thing that drives you to be the best? Is it more, do you think, your family? Do you have something to prove? I do have a family now. I've got three kids and a wife. Just putting food on the table and keeping a house, a roof over their head, I think is driving itself.

Realistically, track is just what I love. I love to do it. I always tell people, you know, track is what I love, but it's not who I am. So while I spend a lot of time here on the track and while I'm constantly trying to better myself and, you know, I want to win and all that kind of stuff, that's not the only thing that matters to me. And my family is very, very important to me.'s not the only thing that matters to me. And my family is very, very important to me. My faith is very, very important to me.

And so I spend a lot of time making sure that my priorities are in order. And my priorities are faith comes first, family comes second, and track and everything else comes third. And so that's how I do it. I know other people do it differently, but that's how I reach the most success. And, you know, with that, I'll never forget my coach told me when I was getting my track scholarship, when he was giving me a scholarship, he said, Brian, to whom much is given, much is expected. And I've never forgotten that. And so I truly believe that with what I've been blessed with,

with the ability that I've been blessed with, with the platform that I've been given, it was given to me for a reason. And I'm supposed to go out and share my story and try to make the world a better place, even if it's just one person at a time. And that's what I'm trying to do. I want to inspire and do what we say in my foundation, you know, build champions and change lives. Right. Now, tell me about your faith. So you were a bad kid, got in into fights, and growing up in Hawaii. Now when is the moment, and your mom was always talking about taking you to church, she was talking about prayer.

When was the moment where you started to turn to start believing in your faith? And when was the moment or the day, or do you remember the... It wasn't until my sophomore year of college, going into my junior year. My mom left when we were younger and went away, became a Christian, came back, and knew that she needed to come back to her family and do that sort of thing. So all that went on, and she came back. And when she came back, she was on fire for God and started making us go to church, started making my dad go to church and everything. And it was difficult at first because it was a very different lifestyle than we were used to. But, um, uh, you know, when

I first started going, it wasn't something that I, that I really enjoyed doing. But, um, but then, you know, it kind of grew on you and, and, and it was just something that was constant when I was younger. I always tell people that I, I had a relationship with Christ through my, through my parents, you know, um, but I didn't have like my own kind of relationship, you know. Um, but it wasn't until that sophomore year, uh, that summer of my sophomore year in college that I, I kind of hit rock bottom and, and kind of, you know, kind of got into a depression again and, and kind of, you know, got to the point to where I was like, you know, what would any, what would somebody say about me if I was, if I wasn't here? Um, you know, I wasn't doing good in track here at the school,

um, at Azusa Pacific and, and, uh, uh, I wasn't really doing well in my grades and things like that. Not as well as I wanted to be doing. And, you know, I was just unhappy. I, you know, I mean, I had friends and all that kind of stuff, but it was just, it wasn't the type of friends that give you, you know, like joy, you know, that make you want to wake up in the morning. And so just kind of fake friendships. And my girlfriend at the time had broken up with me. And I was like, oh, this sucks. Because this is the girl I wanted to marry.

And by the way, now she's my wife. So this was the girl that I wanted to marry. I knew this was the girl I wanted to marry. And she had broken up with me. And I was like, oh, you just screwed that one up. And so I kind of fell into this depression. Because I asked myself the question, what would somebody say about me if I wasn't in the room or if I was, you know, better off if I was dead? And, uh, and the only thing I can come up with is they would

say, you know, Oh, I remember Brian, but he was a really good athlete. And at the time I wasn't even like that good of an athlete. I mean, I was good for my school and I was good in high school and that sort of thing. But there was, you know, a U S level, like a national level that I even hadn't even tapped into yet. And then there was an international level that, that I wasn't even close to doing. I mean, it was still a U.S. level, like a national level that I hadn't even tapped into yet. And then there was an international level that I wasn't even close to doing. I mean, it was still a dream. It wasn't reality at that point. And so I felt like even that was a lie, you know. And so really, you know, what it came down to was there was absolutely nothing that anybody would have to say about me if I was dead.

And that hit me hard. I was like, gosh, that sucks. That really sucks. Is that when you started turning? Yeah. And that's, and that's kind of when I was like, okay, well, if I want life to be different, what do I need to do? You know, what, what am I going to do here to change things? And, and I started, you know, I didn't have anything else to fall back on. So, you know, the thing I fell back on was all the things that my mom, you know, kind of mirrored for me. Now my mom wasn't perfect, you know, but there were certain things that she did well. And so, you know, I fell back

on those and I'd start waking up in the mornings and I'd go sit in the cafeteria and look at my Bible and just be like, okay, you know, what am I supposed to be learning here? Like, where can I find some help? And I just flipped through the Bible and find something I'd read for a little while, eat my breakfast and go to class, you know. And that's kind of how it started. It just started with these disciplines of these little things and that grew into something, something bigger. Um, and that's kind of what started the whole, the whole, you know, turnaround for me. And, and I've been tested pretty hard since then. And, uh, and, and I think that, uh, you know, we made a pretty heartfelt decision to, that I wanted

to live differently. You know, the thing for me is, I remember a pastor was preaching a message once, and it was about change. And he said, you know, the human, you know, a human person, we won't change until the process of change looks better than what we're currently at. You know, because that process of change is, it's scary, it's lonely, it's the unknown, it's hard, you know, all that kind of stuff. And nobody in their right mind is going to willingly step into a process like that unless they're, you know, where they're at is just unbearable. Right. And, and, and so that's kind of where I was at. You

know, I saw what the future was going to look like, how I kept on that path. I mean, things were going off everywhere. Things, things were just happening. I mean, it was almost being kicked out of school and it was, you know, it was just bad. And, uh, and I just saw what life looked like if I had kept going. And I was like, that is not the life that I want, you know? And so I chose a different one. So I've always been curious to know about, um, some of the greatest champions and winners of our time in athletics. And when I think of a winner, I think of someone who's got a strong belief and usually comes down to belief in themselves or belief in their faith or God. And when I think of a winner, I think of someone who's got a strong belief. And usually it comes down to belief in themselves or belief in their faith or God.

Now, do you think you put a stronger belief in your faith that everything's going to work out well, that you're in the right position and you're just going to let things unfold? Or do you have a strong belief in yourself and your dedication and your commitment? And what do you put more belief in yourself or God? Oh gosh. I mean, you know, that's a tough one. I mean, I mean, it's tough, but it's not tough. I mean, you know, for me, I have to believe in myself. I have to believe that I can get the job done and all that kind of stuff. I don't think anybody that's out here, uh, can, can do what we're doing without some sort of belief in themselves. But I think that's, it's confidence more than anything else.

Um, but, but I also think a lot of athletes, when you talk to them, will tell you that, you know, there are so many situations that arise that you have absolutely no control over that, that, you know, uh, and, and, and they have to happen, you know, they have to go well for you to win or for you to get that gold medal. And so I think a lot of athletes will have a belief in, like, faith or, you know, in God because they understand, or at least for them, they feel like, you know, look, somebody's controlling it. Somebody knows what's happening. And it's not me. So, you know, it's got to be them. For me, you know, my faith is it's where I get my strength. It's everything.

It's my core. It's where I've built my foundation. And so I have to put my belief get my strength. It's everything. It's my core. It's where I've built my foundation. And so I have to put my belief and my faith. I think the difference is, you know, the question that we asked, I wanted to do a documentary on, you know, does God really care? You know, does God care if you win the football game or if you score a touchdown or if you win the gold medal? Does he really care about stupid, trivial things like that?

Is he on your side? Yeah, is he on your side or some other guy that's praying right next to you? Why does he choose you over that person? And I think, at least for me, what I have found is the answer is God doesn't really care about the outcome of a games or of a football game or something like that. What he cares about is the process. It's the lead up to that. It's the lessons that you're learning along the way.

So for me, it's like I talk to people and people are like, oh, do you have your gold medal? Do you keep it in a safety deposit box or something? I'm like, no. Dude, my medal sits in sits like in my sock drawer, you know, half the time I can't find it, you know, somewhere in my house hidden. Um, and I try to explain to him, you know, the metal is great. You know, it's absolutely amazing, but the metal, it's a symbol. And in my book, I talk about this, you know, it's, it's, it's a stone of remembrance for my life. Right. So for me, because my faith is, I believe so remembrance for my life. Right. So for me, because my faith is, I believe so strongly in my faith and the fact that God is, is right there

along with me and I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing. Um, you know, I feel like my metal is, is, is just a way for me, like God allowed me to win the medal because when people ask me, how did you win that medal? I can then say, it's because of the faithfulness of God. It has nothing to do with me. Like, I worked hard in my life, but so does everybody else. Right. You know, everybody else does the exact same thing. But I think it's because the faithfulness of God in my life.

You know, I think, you know, God gives you those blessings or he'll let you win or he'll let you lose so that, you know, so that it glorifies him. Right. You know, so it always comes back to him, not, not, not us. And so, um, so for me, you know, it was all about the journey. It was the lessons that I learned on the way. And what I can do is I can come now, I can take that medal and I can walk out there and I can say, look, yeah, I won this medal. It's great. But, but look at what God's done in my life. Look at the faithfulness that you know that he fact that he's always been there and how can you deny that there's a god like for me i can't deny that there's a god because i know i've experienced it and ultimately that's what uh

that's what you know as a christian that's what you hope everybody else would do too is that they would experience god in some way shape or form in their life and become a believer you know right now what was the biggest setback over the last 15 years for you? Biggest obstacle you had to overcome to achieving your goal? Oh, geez. I mean, right now it's just age. You know, age is a big obstacle right now. I mean, I can't train like I used to.

I mean, I train just as hard, but I need to be smarter and listen to my body more. Yeah, I'm not recovering as quickly. And I'm still doing okay, but it's tough as you get older. So that's that. And then, of course, we've had injuries and things like that. But, I mean, look, it's never not a challenge. There's always, you know, something trying to knock you off the top, you know, or derail you from, you know, reaching the top.

And so to pick one, I don't know if I can pick one, but there's always something. I mean, if it's not my own personal struggles with keeping my priorities in order or maintaining balance in my life or something like that, then it's problems with sponsors. If it's not problems with sponsors, then it's problems on the track with technique and that sort of thing. If it's not problems on the track with technique, then it's, you know, uh, meats or, you know, there's an injury or something. There's always something. And, and, and that's, that's what I mean when I talk about the journey. It's, it's working through all of those challenges and clearing all those hurdles and obstacles and, and learning the lessons that need to be learned,

you know, when you're, when you're going through that, uh, and, and in the end, hoping that you come out a champion, you champion, a true champion, not just a champion on the track, but a champion in life as well. What's been the most proud moment for you in your athletic career? What's been the best moment? Was it winning the gold on the podium? Was it winning these bars? No, no.

The best moment for me was when I crossed the finish line of the 1,500 meters when I won the gold medal. I crossed the finish line. I came in, I think, dead last in the 15. You know, I absolutely hate that race. But I think I came in dead last in the 15. I was completely exhausted. I didn't even know if I was going to be able to run it. But I ran it and finished dead last and laid down on the track.

And when I crossed the finish line, and laid down on the track. And when I crossed the finish line, I laid there on the track and you know, my eyes were closed and everything. And I was, I was just kind of thinking like, Oh my gosh, you just won. You did it. You did it. You won the gold medal. Yeah. And, and the slideshow of my life was going through my head and it was like, I was seeing like all these scenes from my life fast forward through my head. And it would stop on one slide. And I would be like, oh, yeah, that was worth it.

You know, and it would fast forward again and it would stop on another slide. And I'd be like, oh, yeah, that was worth it too. And I mean, so it just kept doing that. And it fast forwarded all the way to the point where I was laying there on the track. And what I realized at the time is I had, you know, by no means am I perfect. By no means did I make great decisions all the track. And, and what I realized at the time is I had, you know, by no means am I perfect by no means that I make great decisions all the time, made tons of mistakes. Um, but, but I had accomplished my goal, my dream for my life. I'd accomplished it at a, at a young age. I was 28 and I had absolutely no regrets. Um, and for me, that was the proudest moment of my life. My family,

um, my, you know, my faith was number one of my life. My family, um, my, you know, my faith was number one in my life. My family was number two and track and everything else came through and I maintained who I was. I maintained my values and my morals and my beliefs. Um, I maintained my priorities. I didn't sell my soul for a little bit of fame or for, for the win. Um, you know, I stayed true to who I was and what I was taught and, and, and, and what I believe. And I was still able to succeed because there are a lot of people out there that will tell you that, you know, you can't do it the way that I did. You can't maintain your values. You can't maintain your morals. You have to, um, sacrifice or give in certain areas. You know, you might give

in your, with your family. You might be, you know, staying late at work and going to meetings rather than eating dinner with your family every night. A lot of people tell you, you can't do that. You know, you can't eat dinner with your family every night and put them in front of your career. Um, and, and I was able to do it doing exactly that. Um, and so, so that was a very, very proud moment for me. And, and I'm just trying to, you know, look, I'm just trying to, to, to be the best guy, the best man I can be in life. And if that means that I go out and win another gold medal, great. If it means I don't and I just have my family, well, that's great too. Either way, it's a win-win for me.

And I think I'm going to walk away from my career and move into my next career being a very satisfied and happy person. I'll tell you what. Brian Clay has an incredible story and I truly enjoyed doing this interview. It's amazing to me that Brian has achieved so much and still maintains such a balanced life. And if you'd like to learn more about Brian, then make sure to visit his website at brianclay.com. And you can also check out the Brian Clay Foundation where he hopes to build champions and change lives as always feel free to head over to school of greatness dot com to

sign up for free to be notified of our next episodes and if you appreciate the show please leave us a five star iTunes review because we love to get the positive message out to the world until next time thanks for listening and make sure to do something great. I'm coming, I'm coming Outro Music Outro Music