Humble yourself — your words belong to the world

Your thoughts belong to you. Your words belong to everybody else.

During the 1987 NFL strike, I was one of the youngest Players’ Reps in the league, hand-picked to lead my team. I believed in the cause. I put myself out on a limb for teammates and a union that, looking back, wasn’t always there for me the way I was there for them.

After the strike ended, our first game back was rough — six weeks with no practice will do that. My head coach mentioned to the press that he’d talked to me, specifically, about the possibility of being benched. The media swarmed. I felt like I’d been thrown under the bus.

I held my tongue through the questions, but the sting stayed with me. By season’s end, I said something about my coach to the press that I shouldn’t have. It was damning, and it was a no-win move. I got traded to the worst team in the league.

Here’s the lesson, plain: how you are isn’t always as important as how you’re perceived. Perception is the gatekeeper between your essence and your image, and image is the only thing most people ever see. Changing yourself gives you peace. Changing how you’re perceived gives you power — but only if you’re careful with your words in the moment that matters most.

When you make your bed, you lay in it. Think before you speak. Every time.