7:46:00 AM
Super Bowl champion and 10-year NFL veteran Steve Weatherford wants you to underestimate him. It's happened to him his entire life. So why stop now?
I spoke with Steve last week about his remarkable accomplishments on the gridiron, and about what's next.
He shared that having people underestimate him worked well for him. Steve shared that he's always had a "blue collar mentality," and he says "I've never felt entitled to anything in my life."
And what a life it's been so far.
Over the course of his storied 10-year NFL career, his capstone achievement is winning a Super Bowl championship (XLVI) with the New York Football Giants.
Steve was also named the Fittest Man in the NFL by fitness experts. A self-proclaimed "fitness freak," Steve is following his passion for fitness into the next chapter in his life after football.
Weatherford is attacking life after football much the same way he took on being an elite athlete. Recently launching a fitness program called Armageddon. An intense 12-week comprehensive arm training program guaranteed to give you bigger arms.
As an undersized athlete while growing up in Terre Haute, Indiana, Steve believes that "what differentiates me is that I put in the work." Sharing that "I get there early, I work hard during, and then I stay late."
He confided, "I had minimal talent, but maximum work ethic," this combination "helped me achieve greatness."
This is a man that lives and breathes his credo of excellence. So I pushed Steve to share with me what he believes is the formula for excellence, so that I could share it with you here.
He shared these four steps to creating prosperity:
1. Define your vision.
Steve once confided in his best friend that he was going to play in the NFL. That friend laughed at him. Steve believes that you have to be able to have a "vision of your own greatness before you can accomplish anything great."
2. Set a goal.
Once you set your goal, now you have something tangible to work toward. Steve shared that "I know what I want my legacy to be." Continuing "I want to change the way people feel about the way they look."
"So I set out to create Armageddon to help as many people as I could." Weatherford went on to say, "The real goal of the program isn't to make people's arms grow. That's awesome, for sure, and I know it'll happen for people if they put in the work. But my real purpose with this program was to help people realize that when they set a goal for themselves, and have the right plan in place, that anything is possible through hard work."
3. Create a plan.
Steve knew that if he was going to play in the NFL he had to be the hardest worker. He also had to change his body. Steve came into freshman year of high school at 108lbs and walked across the stage at graduation at 225 lbs, packing on 117 lbs. of muscle in High School alone. He excelled at every level until he eventually made it to the NFL.
4. Execute the plan.
Steve admitted "90% of people fail at executing their plan." This is where people need to "dig deep and find what motivates them." Continuing that his program helps people get to the execution stage.
For Steve, this is the most fulfilling stage. I want to help people "build the best version of themselves." Football has "allowed me the opportunity to positively impact millions of people."
Bringing it all together:
Steve and I continued our discussion, expanding beyond Armageddon. We discussed how he has built such an incredible personal brand through social media. Steve was voted one of the Top 10 NFL players to follow on social media.
His SnapChat feed is a glimpse into the life of an overachieving and doting Dad on a mission.
One minute Steve is "crushing legs" with his training partner for the day, and the next he's taking high-powered business meetings, and making television or public speaking appearances. You might just find him zipping up a New York City street like YoutuberCasey Neistat on a boosted skateboard, and then rolling around with his kids in suburban New Jersey.
Weatherford may even "out hustle" the king of "hustle" social media Gary Vaynerchuk.
When I jokingly brought this up, Steve gave me a wry smile saying, "I know Gary Vee hustles, I've seen it first had, but I'm on another level of grind."
Steve also takes his role as a parent and husband seriously. He splits time between New Jersey and California, where he is currently building his next home, with his wife Laura and their four children.
Just the other night on Steve's SnapChat feed, he shared a candid conversation with his oldest son Ace, discussing young Weatherford's performance at his basketball game. Steve praised his son Ace, not for the points he posted (an impressive 14 points), yet instead for his maximum effort on the court.
Steve Weatherford is a great example of how NFL veterans can transition into a fulfilling life after football, living within their passion to leave an impact. With Steve's work ethic and the value he brings to those around him, I have no doubt that he's going to be in the media spotlight for a long time to come. I look forward to continuing to learn from him.
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