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    Silver Spoon: The Imperfect Guide to Success
    Silver Spoon: The Imperfect Guide to Success
    Silver Spoon: The Imperfect Guide to Success
    Ebook155 pages1 hour

    Silver Spoon: The Imperfect Guide to Success

    By Bennie Fowler

    ()

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    About this ebook

    Have you ever watched a dog, out for a morning walk, who's just spotted a squirrel? The dog immediately springs forward to pursue his catch. He is restricted, not by his own instincts, but by a force he didn't know existed; his harness, his owner's restraint.

    When our dreams become real to us, fear, doubt, and adversity often collar our ambitions. Like the dog, we want to keep after that squirrel until we catch it, but how can we break free from the restraint of mediocrity, and endure the anxieties and insecurities that come with the chase?

    In Silver Spoon: The Imperfect Guide to Success, Bennie Fowler shares stories that will help you overcome what's holding you back. You'll hear from Bennie and other professional athletes like Draymond Green, Julius Thomas, Darqueze Dennard, and Demarcus Ware, as well as entrepreneurs and employees, on how they rose to the occasion when adversity struck. You'll gain a better understanding of yourself and be motivated to implement the daily practices you learn from these top performers.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBookBaby
    Release dateJan 28, 2020
    ISBN9781544504780
    Silver Spoon: The Imperfect Guide to Success

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      Book preview

      Silver Spoon - Bennie Fowler

      ]>

      ]>

      Copyright © 2019 Bennie Fowler

      All rights reserved.

      ISBN: 978-1-5445-0478-0

      ]>

      Dedicated to my brother, Chris Fowler.

      ]>

      Contents

      Foreword

      Introduction

      1. Adversity Comes for Everyone

      2. Perseverance

      3. Discipline

      4. Handling Success

      5. Mindset

      6. Small Steps Lead to Big Change

      7. Goal Setting

      8. You Don’t Have to Be an Athlete to Make a Million Dollars

      9. Leadership

      Putting It All Together

      Acknowledgments

      About the Author

      ]>

      Foreword

      The Mind of a Winner

      Most people struggle with being honest with themselves.

      Bennie Fowler is not most people.

      He knows exactly who he is, and what he’s all about.

      I’ve known Bennie a long time—a lifetime, really. When we were young, we all loved basketball. We had hoop dreams. But as much as Bennie loved basketball, he knew from a young age there were things he could do on a football field that other players could only dream of. He was really good at basketball. He was amazing at football. Those skills drove him to become an all-state wide receiver, then to success at Michigan State, and now to shine as a star player in the NFL.

      Bennie was honest with himself. He knew his strengths and his gifts, and his success is no surprise to anyone who knows him. He knew if he focused his energies on football, he’d become one of the best to ever play the game. And as hard as he worked on physical conditioning and becoming an elite athlete, he also put in the mental work to reach his full potential.

      He was hungry. He still is. One of the things that makes Bennie so interesting is the journey he took to get to where he is, and that’s a journey readers take with him in this book. But this book not only takes readers by the hand and shows them the life and times of Bennie Fowler, it also lays out the attitude, work ethic, and intellectual strength Bennie used to become a winner, both on and off the field.

      Everyone knows Bennie Fowler, the Super Bowl champion—but let’s look at what got him there. He had great parents who were well-off, but no one ever handed Bennie anything. His parents made him work for everything he got, and he worked hard. He faced the challenges life presented and crushed them, earning spots as a top-tier football player, brilliant athlete, and all-around good guy. He has succeeded on the football field and in life through hard work, perseverance, and strong mental conditioning.

      It’s incredibly hard to move Bennie off his center. He’s always happy, always in a good mood—just a hard-working, smart, fun guy to be around. That’s because Bennie spends as much time working on his mental game as he does his physical game.

      Read this book and get insight into the mind of a champion—a guy who has worked hard every day of his life and knows what it takes to win. Whether you’re a professional athlete, brand-new to the workforce, or just need more focus and determination in your life, there’s something in this book for you. So get ready to meet a man who will change your life. Bennie Fowler—I’m proud of this book he’s written and even prouder to call him my friend.

      Draymond Green

      ]>

      Introduction

      Peyton’s Last Pass

      Super Bowl 50.

      The third most-watched program in American television history.

      Over 110 million people were tuned in when my team, the Denver Broncos, squared off against the Carolina Panthers in Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. The sidelines were thick with former NFL stars on hand to mark the fiftieth anniversary of this championship game, and the stands were packed with more than seventy thousand fans.

      Can you say pressure?

      Carolina was a tough team. They’d gone 15–1 and their quarterback, Cam Newton, was the league’s MVP. Newton, in the eyes of some, looked invincible.

      My team, on the other hand, was led by the oldest quarterback to start a Super Bowl—thirty-nine-year-old Peyton Manning. Peyton missed several games during the regular season with a foot injury. He led the league in interceptions and was having his worst season since his rookie year in 1998. Peyton, for the first time in his illustrious career, had been benched earlier in the year but had worked his way back into the lineup toward the end of the regular season.

      Still, thanks in large part to our defense, we were leading 16–10 when Carolina got the ball near their own twenty-yard line with four minutes left. Anyone who’s watched an NFL game knows that this did not make us feel overconfident. Newton had plenty of time and talent to mount a drive that would allow Carolina to take the lead.

      Then, on third and nine, Newton dropped back to pass, and our great linebacker, Von Miller, swept in and stripped the ball as Newton was beginning his throw. The ball bobbled around before our safety, T.J. Ward, fell on it a few yards from the Carolina end zone. A few plays later, running back C.J. Anderson plunged in from two yards out for the touchdown, and we were up 22–10.

      While most of us celebrated, our coaches were urgently talking into their headsets. Kick the extra point? Or go for the two-point conversion?

      If we kicked the extra point, we’d be up by thirteen points. But there was still time left for Carolina to storm back. If the Panthers could get a quick score and get the ball back on an onside kick or a turnover, they could still win the game 24–23 with a second touchdown.

      Head Coach Gary Kubiak elected to go for the two-point conversion, which would put us ahead 24–10 and keep us in the game even if Carolina came back in the final minutes.

      Here comes Bennie Fowler.

      Why I’m Writing This Book

      As I trotted out onto the field with Peyton and the rest of the offensive unit amid the stadium roar, I felt one dominant sensation:

      Joy.

      I knew the play because I’d practiced it over and over. I knew where the ball would arrive because I’d visualized this moment over and over. I could picture the spinning laces as Peyton’s spiral cut through the air. I could see it sailing into my hands, and I could feel it slamming into my gut as I came out of my break. My mind was quiet and focused because I had learned to fill it with positive thoughts and flush out any feelings of self-doubt or fear.

      People think of NFL players and other professional athletes as great physical specimens—and they are. Look at my former teammate Demaryius Thomas—he’s tall, muscled, runs like a deer, and has fluid moves that leave most defenders flailing.

      But what people often don’t realize is how much mental work goes into being a professional athlete. The best ones—the Peyton Mannings, the Kobe Bryants, the Von Millers, the Draymond Greens (well, there really is only one Draymond Green)—are towers of mental strength too. They have the powers of perseverance, patience, and discipline, and they have trained their minds as finely as they have honed their physical skills.

      They train their minds by following simple principles and practices. They close out negative thoughts while cultivating rich, prosperous ideas. They focus on the things they can control, and as they gain mastery over those factors, any sense of anxiety fades away. Their heart rate goes down, their breathing is relaxed, their muscles are loose, and their thoughts are clear and precise.

      These are skills I’ve learned in my five years in the NFL, but they are skills anyone can master. When you focus on what my mentor and friend Dr. Rick Perea calls the process, your performance improves. Who among us wouldn’t benefit from becoming healthier, calmer, more confident, and successful?

      Focusing on the process allowed me to smile to myself as I prepared to receive the biggest pass of my career from a future Hall of Famer throwing the last pass of his career.

      The Last Pass—and the Beginning of Something Big

      The play is called scat and vertigo. It’s not always designed to go to me, but on this

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