Being competitive is an asset in life

​Unless you've been in a cave this week - and hey, it's a pandemic, so no judgment here if you have been - but otherwise, it's likely you know by now that Tom Brady retired.

Brady is arguably the greatest NFL quarterback of all time. Depending on who you are arguing with - some would say he's the greatest athlete of all time. Either way, the guy knew how to win.

For me, the most inspirational part of the Tom Brady story is he won when most people thought winning was something he'd never do.

I was watching an old 60 minutes interview the other day. It took place shortly after Brady had won his third Super Bowl. The interviewer asked Brady what the scouts missed. Brady wasn't drafted until the 6th round - a round where guys don't often even make the final roster of the team that drafts them.

The interviewer reminded Brady that he didn't come out of college built like the typical NFL quarterback. He didn't throw like one or run like one or in many ways remotely look like one.

What did they miss Tom?

Brady looked at the guy with that sheepish grin of his and simply said, "I think they underestimated my competitiveness."

I played the board game Clue with my boys last weekend. When we were done with the game and moved on to our own things, I picked up Ian's "Detective Notes" that he left behind. He had little question marks and my and Elliott's initials and little markings that clearly had some specific meaning only to him. His notes definitely looked way different than mine!

I asked Ian - dude, what are all these different markings you have on your notes. He said, I can't tell you. It's my secret. It's how I'm going to win.

Unless you've been in a cave this past week, you know there is a crazy game going on out there called Wordle. (You all made it so crazy that the New York Times bought it yesterday for many millions of dollars 😮). I see people playing this game daily and posting their results on Facebook. I now have Facebook friends I didn't know I had until Wordle drew them out of their Facebook cave.

And I love it.

I still have no idea what those yellow and green and black squares mean. I scroll by them. But I know what the game itself means to many of the people playing it - and that is very cool.

Because what it means is: "it's how I'm going to win."

When I saw Ian's notes - and I see your Wordle posts - that's exciting. Because I know what Tom Brady knows - being competitive is an asset in life. Waking up and starting the day with a desire to win - that is a blessing.

Competitive is fight and drive and heck yes I'm alive. Competitive is bring it on life.

I'm not Tom Brady - for SO SO many reasons...🤦‍♂️

But one day I'll quote Brady. One day someone will ask me - what did they miss? And I will tell them, "I think they underestimated my competitiveness."

Good luck on all your Wordles today. And believe me, I'm not underestimating ANY of you!!! 😮