Climb Your Own Everest - A Master Class from Hall of Fame Quarterback Steve Young

All Through the House not a Creature was Stirring

On January 22, 1989 you could hear a pin drop in family room of my childhood home. Friends and family were huddled around our bulky Sony television set like a camp fire, watching the San Francisco 49ers take on the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl XXIII.

To this day, the matchup between the two best teams in football remains one of the most exciting games I've ever seen. 

Down 16-13 with just 3:10 remaining the San Francisco 49ers got the ball on their own 8-yard line. Led by Hall of Fame quarterback and arguably the greatest to ever play the position, Joe Montana marched his team 92 yards in what many still consider the greatest finish in NFL history. 

Ask anyone in the San Francisco Bay Area about the historic rally known simply as, "The Drive," and they'll know exactly what you're talking about. 

They might even buy you a drink.

Front Row Seat

One of the players standing on the 49er sideline that evening was a young man who not only marveled at Joe Montana's superhuman command of the position but not so secretly coveted the opportunity to do the same.

His name was Steve Young.

The great-great-great grandson of Brigham Young, Steve eventually enrolled in the school named after the leader of the Latter Day Saints movement where he was a member of the football team. 

Sort of...

He describes his freshmen year as the loneliest of his young life. To make matters worse, players who didn't suit up for home games sat in the stands instead of the sidelines with the rest of the team. 

"My dorm was one block from the stadium. I decided to use my complimentary ticket and went to the game. Nobody knew that I was on the team. Feeling as alone as I ever had in my life I wiped a tear from my cheek and found my seat...I think that's where the distaste I had for watching started."

You Can Quit But You Can't Come Home 

Two weeks later Young decided he'd had enough. After just a few weeks he concluded a football life wasn't for him. He phoned his father to share his proclamation. 

"I'm done," he said. "I'm coming home."

His father responded by saying,

"You can quit but you can't come home. I don't live with quitters."

Not So Fast

His father's words lit a fire under the man who'd go on to become the NFL's MVP just a few years later. By his second year in school, Young had gone from 8th on the depth chart to back-up quarterback. 

By his senior year he was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, an award given annually to the most outstanding player in college football. 

From Hero Back to Zero: Learning How to Survive

In 1985, Young signed with the Tampa Buccaneers. Not only did the team go 2-14 that year but Young wouldn't get an opportunity to play until the 9th game of the season. 

"The worst part was watching from the sidelines. Back-up quarterbacks have far too much time on their hands, which was a particularly bad thing for me. I didn't know people in Tampa. After practice I often got in my rental car and drove around by myself. Many nights I ate dinner alone at Wendy's." 

He later said Tampa Bay didn't teach him how to play football. It taught him something far more important: how to survive. 

"That was the low point of my professional career."

And after the 1986 season the Bucs agreed sending Young packing.

Welcome to San Francisco...sort of

In 1987, lured by the promise he'd play by legendary coach Bill Walsh, Young headed to San Francisco. The only problem for Young was the position he coveted was already helmed by arguably the greatest to ever play quarterback -- Joe Montana. 

Over time, the little two-step of playing but mostly watching started to take its toll on Young's psyche. 

"The musical chairs approach at the starting quarterback position was driving me nuts. I resented Bill for putting me into games when we were behind and it was too late to catch-up. Joe resented Bill every time he got pulled and I went in. The only thing we shared was mutual frustration toward Bill."

But rather than be thwarted by the quarterback controversy, Young decided to use the competition as an opportunity to get energized.  

Keeping the Faith

"Do you know what the secret to life is?"

"No. What?"

"This."

"Your finger?"

"One thing. Just one thing."

"You stick to that and everything else don't mean s%^&."

"That's great but what's the one thing?"

"That's what you gotta figure out."

Those were the words Steve Young poured over again and again. The sage advice came not from some elusive tome, or scholarly text but from Jack Palance and Billy Crystal in the movie, City Slickers. 

It was the film that brought Young solace the evening before a big game. And it turned out the role that gave Palance his first supporting role Oscar would help propel Young to a starring one.

In 1991 with Joe Montana injured, it was finally Steve Young's turn to scrap the moniker, "back-up" quarterback. The 4 years Young had dedicated to "staying ready" when the right opportunity presented itself had finally paid off. 

Not only did he lead the team to a 10-6 record but in 1992 he became the NFL's MVP.

"Succeeding a legend it no picnic," he said. "But it's also the best thing that has ever happened to me."

The Monkey on His Back

Young led the league in passing for 3 seasons in a row and would go on to win the 3rd of his NFL record 6 passing titles, but what he still didn't have was a Super Bowl trophy.

Just as he'd finally scaled one mountain what he got in return was the opportunity to stare blankly at another.

Thankfully for him, the words of Jack Palance continued to ring true. 

"My one thing is faith. Faith. Faith is an energy in my life. Faith is to take that next step. To not stand still. To not worry."


Climbing Your Own Everest 

For the 3rd year in a row the San Francisco 49ers would face the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Championship game. They'd lost the two years before. 

But this time Young viewed the seemingly formidable challenge as an opportunity to get excited. He welcome the challenge to find out how great he could be.

"What you're really looking for in life is a platform to find out how good you are," he said.

That afternoon Young and the 49ers finally defeated the Cowboys 38-28. Young had finally emerged from the shadows and become a leader in his own right.

Just a few weeks later Young and the 49ers defeated the Chargers 49-26 in Super Bowl XXIX.

The Importance of Not Losing Perspective

A day later Young waved to a crowd of excited onlookers from a giant float on Disneyland's main street as he and star wide receiver Jerry Rice celebrated the team's recent victory. 

Cries of, "Steve you're the greatest!" echoed in the future Hall of Famer's head. For a moment Steve believed the hype and started to drink the cool-aid.

But it only took the simple words of a child to bring him back to earth reminding him of the importance of perspective.

"For about 4 minutes I lost my mind. I am the man! I am the greatest! And I just remember at the end two little kids are sitting down there and the younger one, maybe 6 years old, looks at me and says, Mickey Mouse. 

He starts to come towards the float and his brother grabs him and pulls him back and says, You can't get near him. The big guy won't let you. Meaning me. 

It was a classic for me. I'm the man! I'm the greatest. Then twenty seconds later I'm Mickey' Mouse's bodyguard. It just goes to show you can put the flag on top but then you got to climb down and life goes on."

Find Out How Great You Can Be

What makes Young's story remarkable was the demanding climb he had to endure. As he weathered adversity, self-doubt, and even humiliation he grew to appreciate the importance of striving towards higher elevation. 

Ultimately, it was his ability to stay ready, patient, and resilient that gave him the tools necessary to reach for greater heights and find out just how good he could be.

His story reminds us that we're all capable of climbing our own Everest and that finding our ONE thing is up to us to discover.

Choose Impact Over Self-Importance

In high school my standardized test scores were so low I had to take the SAT's twice. 

I once asked if I was sent by "the enemy" after I failed for the 5th time to grasp the system in place at a homeless shelter I was volunteering at.

My first screenplays were so bad my friends didn't even know where to begin with their feedback.

As a kid, I was a great third baseman but couldn't hit the ball if my life depended on it.

-- And in college I once received a paper from a professor, who was once the ambassador to the Ivory Coast, that said, "Nick, I don't much understand what you're trying to say and I suppose you don't either."

The point is that some of my shortcomings were failures to push myself, while others were simply abilities I lacked. As a young man any talk of deficiencies would have compelled me to get defensive. I'd take criticism personally and fail to recognize the ways I could leverage my strengths, while being a shrewd judge of my shortcomings.

As I get older I realize how liberating it is to recognize you're not going to be good at everything. We're all given certain superpowers, or the ability to do certain things better than others. It's important we take stock of those gifts and find ways to use them for positive impact.

Unfortunately, a lot of people never grow up to realize all the teachable moments failure and deficiency can offer. A fixed mindset offers a stale outlook and a refusal to be open to ways to get better at life. One of the most counterproductive ways this philosophy can manifest itself is through defending bad ideas. Because we're insecure about our intellect, resume, or get caught up in comparing ourselves to others we allow our ego rather than humility to be our north star. When this happens the "meritocracy of ideas," as Ray Dalio calls it, gets buried in the rubble caused by insecurity.

What's much more interesting and courageous is recognizing when we aren't the best at something, or don't have the most influential idea, and instead identifying when someone else does. Rather than claiming ownership for something we didn't come up with we can do something much more engaging, uplifting, and noble: we can become the proprietor's biggest fan, supporting his or her idea as if our life depended on it. 

In the process, we lift each other up instead of leave one another behind. As a result, attainment of our goals becomes much more about creating impact rather than self-importance. And when we get behind someone something remarkable begins to happen: we gain the trust of others through our humility and conscious commitment to put the priorities of the group ahead of our own.

Secret Sauce

I remember once overhearing a classmate in drama school confidently proclaim, "I already know everything I need to know about myself." He was 21 years old.

He's done growing, I thought. And far wiser men have thought the same. Former UCLA Basketball coach and 10-National Champion John Wooden once shared, "If I am through learning, I am through.

Writer and leadership speaker Robin Sharma says the secret sauce used by superachievers is as a lust for asking questions. It's having a childlike sense of wonder and a commitment to Always Be Learning (ABL) that not only keeps them young, but fuels their creativity and success. Ideas are currency. 

Stay curious. No matter where you are, you've only just begun.

Gaining Perspective

Often times when find ourselves in some type of funk, the root is an over-focus on ourselves and an under-commitment to others. There are lots of ways to "get over ourselves" and put that very energy into a cause greater than ourselves. .

We can help someone else who could really use a hand. Start small and sign up to work as a volunteer at your local community center, church, or wherever you find would be the best fit. It may take a little trial and error. 

But to help others help themselves lends greater integrity to your ambition and will be sure to put your challenges into perspective.

The Year Ahead

Long after the ball has dropped and the confetti has been swept up, we take time to ponder the past year's wins and setbacks. Most importantly, we look to the year ahead.

If you're at all like me, you've already taken time to write out your ambitious goals for 2017; disciplines you hope to cement, habits you need to break, and achievements personal and professional you'd very much like to see come to fruition. 

Author, speaker, and former editor of Success Magazine, Darren Hardy once said, "The definition of commitment is doing the thing you said you were going to do, long after the mood you said it in has left you."

As you embark on the year ahead consider these two simple thoughts:

1. You can have high standards for yourself and hold yourself accountable without beating yourself up.

2. What will separate the people who achieve their goals versus those who don't will be consistency. Continue to put in the work on a regular basis long after the shininess of a new year has worn off.

Happy New Year and Best of Luck in 2017.

You've Come Further Than You Think

In Adam Grant's book, Originals he puts forth one of the best courses to take when you have doubts on the road toward achieving a goal:

"When our commitment is wavering, the best way to stay on track is to consider the progress we've already made. As we recognize what we've invested and attained, it seems like a waste to give up, and our confidence and commitment surge."

In other words, we need to set-up small "wins." When you track your progress, your doubts often turn into a sense of enthusiasm. He goes on to say:

"Once commitment is fortified, instead of glancing in the rearview mirror, it's better to look forward by highlighting the work left to be done. When we're determined to reach an objective, it's the gap between where we are and where we aspire to be that lights a fire under us."

Remember to take inventory of what you've already accomplished. It's likely more than you think and enough to persuade you to continue on your path.

Gratitude

One of the hardest humps for an artist to get over is not having the interest or following from others you hoped for. You feel as though you have so much to share with the world you might burst. 

If you can slightly alter the lens through which you view success and instead focus on gratitude you will gradually notice a shift in your life. Try having gratitude for:

-- having a voice
-- knowing what you want to do with your life
-- your talent
-- your creativity
-- your belief in what you do
-- your commitment to growth

And the remarkable potential your art has to change the world in some small way.

Get Comfortable With "No"

Remember, failure is ONLY feedback. Get cozy with hearing, "No" because ultimately...

Our screening committee enjoyed the opportunity to view your film and gave it careful consideration. We regret to inform you that we will not be including your film in the 2016 Boston Film Festival. 

Dear Nicholas, 

Thank you for submitting your project to the 2016 San Jose International Short Film Festival. Unfortunately, we are not able to include it in our program this year. 

Dear Nicholas Maccarone, This is a difficult letter to send, and probably even harder to receive. You're receiving it because you submitted Communication to the Port Townsend Film Festival, and regretfully we will not be screening it this year.

Thank you for submitting your film for consideration for this year’s Toronto International Film Festival. Unfortunately we were unable to find a place for your film in this year's Short Cuts programme.

Dear Nicholas Maccarone, 

Thank you for sending us the screener of Communication for consideration. 2016 was another terrific year with around 700 International Shorts submissions, of which 32 were accepted. We had more high quality shorts submitted this year than ever, and regrettably with a limited number of spaces available there were only so many we could fit in. There were a lot of difficult decisions, an unfortunately, we were unable to find room for everything. I sincerely apologize for any disappointment this may cause you. 

Dear Nicholas Maccarone: 

Thank you for your interest in the Margret McBride Literary Agency. 

We have reviewed the information regarding your project, and after careful consideration, we do not feel our agency is the right home for your project. 

Dear Nick,

Thank you for querying me about your manuscript, TO THE PROSPECTIVE ARTIST. I've read your sample pages and I'm sorry to say that the project just isn't a perfect fit with my current needs.

Thank you for sending me a query letter describing your work. After careful evaluation, I have decided that I am not the right agent to represent your work. I can only properly represent materials that greatly excite or interest me. 

Dear Nicholas,

Thank you for your query and interest in representation by Martin Literary Management. I regret that MLM is unable to take you on as a client at this time. 

...we will have to decline your kind offer to publish your book on acting.

Again, many thanks for your interest in Timber Press. We wish you the best of luck in finding a suitable publisher for your book!

All you need is one, "Yes." Go forth. Undaunted.