Expanding Within: How I Learned Success Isn’t About Surviving

When I was drafted into the NFL, I thought I had finally made it. Years of hard work, sacrifice, and relentless pursuit had paid off. I was standing at the height of my success, living the dream I had chased since I was a kid.

But here’s the truth I never saw coming: I wasn’t enjoying it.

Instead of feeling fulfilled or accomplished, I was consumed by the pressure to perform, the fear of failing, and the relentless demands of proving I deserved to be there. I was too busy trying to survive it. Every practice, every game, every moment felt like a test I couldn’t afford to fail.

On the outside, it looked like I was thriving. On the inside, I was stretched thin—mentally, emotionally, and physically. I thought the only way forward was to push harder, perform better, and keep going, no matter how much it cost me.

But that’s the thing about survival mode: it doesn’t leave room for joy, connection, or presence.

It wasn’t until I walked away from the NFL that I realized what had been missing. The problem wasn’t the demands of the job or the pressure of success—it was my inability to carry it all in a way that allowed me to truly live. I had built my life around external success but had no foundation within to support it.

I thought surviving was the same as succeeding. It’s not.

Expanding Within

Most of us are living in survival mode, whether we realize it or not. The relentless noise of expectations, deadlines, and responsibilities leaves us feeling stretched thin and burned out. We think the answer is to do more, try harder, or even just get through the day.

But that’s how burnout wins.

The truth is, it’s not about pushing through or even doing less—it’s about expanding within. It’s about strengthening the inner foundation that allows us to carry the demands of today and the uncertainty of tomorrow with greater ease.

When we expand within, we create the capacity to lead with clarity, presence, and confidence. We rediscover the joy and passion that so often get buried under the weight of survival mode.

Bringing It Back to You

You don’t have to be an NFL athlete to feel the weight of pressure. Maybe for you, it’s the constant demands of your career, the expectations of your family, or the relentless noise of trying to do it all.

What if the answer isn’t to try harder? What if the solution isn’t about doing less but about building the capacity to carry it differently?

What could your work and your life look like if the constant pressure didn’t rob you of your presence, your performance, or your joy?

The world isn’t slowing down, but you don’t need it to. When you expand within, you can rise to meet it—not just surviving but fully living, steady, ready, and able to enjoy the journey.

Take it from someone who learned the hard way: success isn’t about surviving—it’s about creating the capacity to thrive.

What step could you take today to start building that foundation within?