Four Fouls
If the game is over, and you don't have 4 fouls...you haven't played hard enough.
This is a line I remember reading in the Chicago Tribune as a 13 year old kid. Every morning my dad would bring in the newspaper and I'd scrupulously pore over the sports section cover to cover. And though my interests expanded as I got older, when I was 13 years old, it was only and always the sports section. I loved opening the paper to read about some sensationalist articles written by Skip Bayless or Bernie Lincicome.
A lot of the time I was reading about the Bulls good (6 rings hellooo) or the bad (the '99 season and beyond); the Blackhawks futility; the Davie era at Notre Dame; the magical '98 season at Wrigley; and of course the new Monster of the Midway, Brian Urlacher.
I loved the opinions. I love the stats. The tidbits. I loved the giant photographs (even when the Tribune reduced the size of the paper). I loved getting my hands on the printed pages, sometimes with ink not yet dry. And the importance of meticulously turning the pages, else running the risk of the ink compromising the next page's text. I LOVED the paper. It was this ritual I was building each day, and it was a building block for who I would become as an adult.
One morning I remember quietly sitting at the breakfast table and reading about The University of Illinois men's basketball team and its selfless, grind-it-out forward named Lucas Johnson. Of all the pieces and opinions I read in those years, I distinctly remember reading this one specific article, some 20+ years later. And the piece so eloquently articulated what would become a major tenet of my life: if you don't finish the game with 4 fouls, you didn't play hard enough.
This small article on, let's say Page 7, stuck with me all these years because of the impact it had on me at that moment. I loved watching the Illini play, and I loved the way Johnson balled. He was tough. He was a gamer. He didn't need the spotlight. Opponents hated him, teammates loved him and his energy always upped the play of those around him. He was a glue guy. A gym rat. A locker room guy. And though this was 23 years ago, reading this article gave me hope.
I was, even at 13, becoming disenchanted with pro athletes' big contracts and even bigger egos dominating headlines. And this small article on the character of this glue-guy gave me hope that you can be a valuable part of a team without being the star. One can have a meaningful impact on your teammates, family, and community simply by working hard and having a good attitude.
....
I choose to live my life, and days, very full. That means I'm always going, and usually have a lot of stuff going on. Today I'm terribly grateful for my 4 beautiful children, an incredible partner & wife, and 2 businesses I’m running. Many people comment along the lines of "I don't know how you do it". And, look, this piece is not meant to glorify what I am doing, for, many less fortunate people have worked harder for longer periods of time who probably should be recognized. All the same, I sometimes fear that tomorrow might not bring as much bounty as today has. Or maybe tomorrow there will be somebody better and more capable than I.
But we get one life, right? So I kinda think that we should do whatever it takes to make that as fulfilling a life as possible. For me, that means making sure every second of the day counts for something. I'm not a productivity hacker, but I am also not comfortable with idleness. The days are full of opportunity - for laughs, for cooking dinner, for taking the kids soccer, for working. That is how I want to spend my time. I've got this amazing family and business, and a healthy body to make the most of my days. Why would I not use all that to my advantage. Why should I lounge around? What fun is binge-watching something you will forget about next year?
And, if my head hits that pillow at the end of the night, and I am not asleep in 2 minutes - something is wrong. I didn't try hard enough, or I didn’t make the most of my day. And I truly believe in my core that if you don't have 4 fouls at the end of the game, you didn't play hard enough.