What I learned about leadership and life lessons from a 24 Year Old

If you are a casual viewer of football or the Super Bowl, you may have just become familiar with the starting quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles, Jalen Hurts. He had a remarkable second season and was a formidable force during the big game this Sunday.

As much as I am impressed with his ability to play the game, what has impressed me even more, is his ability to put life and the game into perspective. He has put out more words to live by, and actions to be replicated than people triple his age. Yes, quarterbacks are leaders of their team, but thus young man has a wisdom that goes far beyond football and their years on this earth.

His composure and sense of self are something from which we can all learn.

“I had a purpose before you had an opinion”. Hurts was written off in college as he rode the bench for a year after being a starter at Alabama before starting again at the University of Oklahoma. He is not boasting about his abilities. He has a north star. It is where he is heading, whether you think he can get there.
As a founder of an early stage company, there are so many times you are told your idea or your vision needs to be corrected. This innate sense of self and confidence will keep you going.

“The beautiful part is we experience different agony in life, and we decide how we want to move forward, how we want to learn. My only direction is to rise”. Hurts fumbled in the Super Bowl. Think of the millions of people who saw that. He scored in the next series, where the Eagles had the ball. You may argue he is paid to do this but think about picking yourself up at that point.
Entrepreneurial journeys are filled with so many lows and disappointments. It can be lonely and terrifying. It takes guts to get back up, but learning from those mistakes, errors, or failures is what will set you apart.

“Win, lose. I always reflect on the things I could have done better, anything you could have done better to try and take that next step. That’ll be the same process I always have going on.”
I hope to live up to his standard.