Kind: captions
Language: en
hey everybody Welcome to impact Theory
you're here because you believe that
human potential is nearly Limitless but
you know that having potential is not
the same as actually doing something
with it so our goal with this show and
Company quite frankly is to introduce
you to the people and ideas that will
help you ring every drop of potential
out of yourself all right today's guest
is driven and I mean really driven
during a stored 15 year career in the
NFL he set the record for most sacks in
a single season won a Super Bowl ring
and through his Do or Die Play left such
an enduring mark on the sport that he
was inducted into the Hall of Fame but
his success in football honestly was
just the beginning he's done even more
off the field than he did on and to
understand the dizzying heights that
he's climbed to since retiring you need
only understand his world view in his
words there's a difference between
improbable and imp possible realizing
that that idea is running through his
head makes it pretty easy to understand
how he's managed to get a full ride
scholarship to play football in college
even though he grew up in Germany and
didn't play until his senior year in
high school and he did it by working his
ass off literally and his legendary work
ethic makes it clear that his success is
a story of hard work and not just
natural Talent not afraid to reinvent
himself start at the bottom claw Way to
the Top in a totally new field host
football he turned his attention to
hosting for TV not only did he become a
full-time fixture on Fox Sports but he
also landed the job of co-host of Live
with Kelly and Michael from there he
reinvented himself again and joined Good
Morning America one of the most coveted
roles in morning television now I've had
the distinct pleasure of getting to know
him off camera over the last year or so
and I can tell you that this dude is for
Real 10 minutes in his presence and it
becomes abundantly clear how he's
managed to master multiple Arenas his
jaw-dropping level of success as an
athlete host and entrepreneur may be
improbable but he's truly proven that
impossible only exists in the mind
please help me in welcoming the New York
Times best-selling author yes he's done
that too of wake up happy the dream big
win big guide to transforming your life
the hilarious and very hard-hitting
Michael
[Applause]
stran how you doing good to see you too
thank you for having me oh yeah how have
you been oh I've been great busy we're
good really you a little
bit how often do you go back and forth
Coast to Coast every weekend from
September through basically February
till Super Bowl every time I get on a
plane and I have to fly like 2 and a
half hours and it's 30 minutes delay and
I'm all pissed off I think straan is
doing this literally every weekend
that's but it's good for me because to
be honest with you it's the most quiet
peaceful six hours coming this way and
of my week right so if I if I want to be
on the phone if I want to do emails if I
want to you know do that I can but if
not if I want to take a nap which is
mostly what I do then I can do that but
that's why I don't complain too because
my father work really hard and if my
biggest complaint is being on an
airplane and sleeping right then I got a
problem if I'm complaining about that so
I keep everything in check by thinking
back to how hard how realistic life is
and how you know I've been very
fortunate I don't take it for granted
yeah you're super thoughtful like you
really think about [ __ ] like pretty
deeply I mean you go into you go into
some depth about like um the
neurochemical Cascades and how to
manipulate them and life philosophies
and very specifically like not just CU
you've got this concept from your dad I
believe of it's not if it's when yeah
which okay most people leave it at the
platitude but you went a lot deeper than
that what does like walk us through that
philosophy how do you bridge the gap
from if to when I think I actually got
that from my dad without even knowing I
don't even know if he knew what he was
doing yeah my dad I I think it it it is
he's just a hard driving person he grew
up with nothing in the Backwoods of
Texas and Weir gate Texas I don't even
know if the town exists anymore and he
decided to leave and he he went into the
army and just listed and he was a
soldier for 12 years and he realized I
can't be what I want to be I can't be an
officer I can't really Advance without
an education he got out of the army
after 12 years had five kids and me on
the way went to prair University and
went to the RC program they called him
old man you can't do this you can't do
that and he graduated Magna Kady of the
other RC class and so I can't tell him
what I can't do right cuz he's been in a
lot tougher situations than he's done it
and I just remember as a kid being
working out and doing all those things
with him because there was a I started
to work out when I was 13 and a little
chunky and my brothers called me Bob
which is in of course you read that in
the book Bob Bob which meant booty on
back and they would say you can grab
your wallet over your shoulder you don't
have to reach behind you and it hurt me
man I'm 13 years old I'm was crushed I'm
the youngest of six The Young and the
and the youngest of four boys and I
bought Jane found the workout book and I
started doing the you know the the leg
lifts and the butt kicks my dad saw that
and he said hey we can go to the gym and
he would read muscle and fitness
magazines and all these these workout
magazines and he would write Out
programs and we go to the gym you have
to write how many reps and how much
weight and he kept meticulous log of
things and I didn't always want to be
there yeah sure but he could tell and I
don't know what it was when you tell a
13 14 15 year old kid cuz we did it
until I went off to to college was
hanging there to pay off one day now
he's telling this to me and I'm living
in Germany it's not like I'm in the
states and I played football and it's
like oh next year you're going to have a
great football season and then you can
get a scholarship it was just hang in
there son it'll pay off one day right
and years later he woke up and said hey
I think you're good enough to play
football I think you can get a football
scholarship this is all Germany that's
what's weird it's not like you're
playing every day and you know really
around it and I I watch it but I didn't
play I didn't really know all the
nuances or any of the techniques or
anything about the game and he just said
hey you can do it you're going to go to
Houston you're going to stay with your
uncle you're going to get a football
scholarship and being I guess naive I
said okay no B okay fine on the plane I
go jump see my uncle stay with my uncle
for 5 months play one year football high
school at Westbury High School in
Houston got one scholarship to Texas
Southern University M didn't care where
it was I mission was
accomplished and I went back to Germany
that December and I graduated high
school over there and my dad never told
me if he never doubted me he said you're
going to do this and you can do that
from a kid until we won the Super Bowl
until you know all these things that are
happening now he's never doubted me and
I don't know if it was by Design I don't
know if he's sent me to Houston because
he just was too cheap to pay for college
but it worked out and my mentality and I
I have adopted that with for myself and
with my my kids it's not if you really
want something bad enough right it's not
going to be
easy and you can see where you want to
go but there are so many things you're
going to have to go through to get there
but truly if you focus and know where
you want to end up you'll be there it
may not be at exact time you want which
is now is kind of immediate for most
people but you'll eventually get there
at your time when you're supposed to
yeah that it's such a powerful belief
and you talk a lot about that in the
book and and so I judge books in a very
critical fashion which is either the
information is usable or it's not and
then if it's usable if I do it will it
work or not um your book is both usable
meaning there's clear very action
oriented steps it's not just like an
autobiography it's like hey do this and
this is what I did if people do what you
say in the book it will actually work
like it's really incredible advice and
it has fantastic backing in your
understanding of the brain and all of
that it's you make decisions it's up to
you you know you make choices in your
life you program your mind to either be
happy or not that's a choice that you
make it's not something that somebody
else makes for you is not not even your
situation no matter what the situation
you truly do make the choice to be happy
in that situation or not and we also
have the ability to change a situation
that we're not happy with talk a little
bit about that cuz if if for anybody
that does doesn't know the sort of
legendary beef that you had with the
final coach at the Giants it's such a
powerful and and what I'm talking about
specifically is is that you switched
right so you come in hot you guys buy
heads but then in the end you said that
if you were going to go back he's the
only one that you'd go back and play for
yeah I absolutely hated Tom Coughlin and
um uh not long ago I was at the Giants
Monday night game to induct him into the
Ring of Honor which was like amazing for
me because this is a guy I went to my
first meeting with him and I had been in
the NFL for 11 12 years my first meeting
with the guy and I felt as if he was
dismissive and as if I hadn't
accomplished anything and pretty much
listen to me and you can do something
with your life
kid I was thinking okay uh kind of done
some things already I felt disrespected
and slided and I I went home and I said
I'm playing one year with this guy cuz I
have to now too late but I'm not going
to play after this I I can't stay here
with this guy I won't do it he already
had a bad reputation around the league
has being a really tough coach and he
was if your socks weren't pulled up high
enough you're get a fine if you had blue
sleeves on instead of gray sleeves that
day you get a fine if you're not 5
minutes early to a meeting you get fine
I'm like dude if the meetings at 7:55
just tell me that don't tell me 8 and I
get to 757 and I'm late like it was just
we were butting heads and not just with
me but with all the players but being
that I was a senior leader they would
come to me and I would talk to him hey
coach and he would just go I hear you I
hear you I hear you and it came to a
head after he fined me for being 3
minutes early to a meeting we had a
heated discussion to the point where he
was like um you know what it is what it
is and I said coach we just had this
discussion well you shouldn't cut it so
close I said coach I'm not cutting it
close he goes well next time you're
lucky I could have find you more and
when he said that it it just that's when
the football player side
went and and I heard you say [ __ ] so I'm
going to curse I'm going tell you what I
said to him and I said okay that's fine
you'll find me ain't about the money
anyway it's about the principal but you
know what [ __ ] it [ __ ] it you want to
find me I'll come in here when I want to
then if I'm going to be late you're
going to find me I might as well show up
when I want so I'll go some errand then
I'll come to this [ __ ] when I want to
and he looked at me like and I was
surprised cuz that was kind of like you
know the whole different side that's
usually on the field and he said you
can't talk to me like that and I said
yes I can he said no you can't I said
yes I can and you know why because if
you don't respect me I can't respect you
and I said I come to you every day with
all the problems of the players and what
the guy they're feeling and you always
say to me I hear you I hear you and I
said when you say that you're just
dismissing me you you think I don't
realize that you're dismissing me but
you're losing this team do you hear that
and I walked away from him and ever
since that day our relationship has been
like that it's as if we two dogs
circling around she was going to jump on
each other we finally got into a scrum
but we came out of it with an
understanding that we both wanted the
same thing and that was to win once we
really deep looked at it deeply we both
wanted to win and I was
so um happy to see him change to the
point where it made me change and
realize that if you both had the same
objectives you just have to find a way
to make that work to get there he
loosened up his stance with the players
we loosened up our stance with his rules
as far as we were more attentive to them
and guys felt like we weren't fighting
against the rules we were fighting the
opponent on the field where before we
were fighting his rules instead of
focusing on who we were playing that
week and he became a coach who would
come in and tell jokes and give you a
hug and tell you he loved you and before
he was not that guy yeah and I've heard
you tell stories about it was sort of
the Insight of seeing him with other
kids players kids his own grandkid
Warner what the hell Curt Warner on the
day off you know the quarterbacks they
go and they pick up the game plan and
Curt Warner our quarterback at the time
went in to pick up his game plan with
his kids M he goes into the quarterback
off Co coach his office and when he
comes out coach cord is on the floor
with his kids outside the office playing
and it's like why don't we as players
see that compassion that side of you
because it's definitely there we see you
with your grandkid sometimes but it was
amazing to see him do it and he learned
how to transfer that over to us as
adults and we in in turn learn how to
you know give him everything because as
a coach the toughest thing and thing I
loved about playing and the one thing I
love about work and working with a lot
of people is the leadership aspect it is
the opportunity to get so many people to
believe in one thing that makes
everybody better so that everybody wins
and in order to do that you made you
have to make everybody have value and
feel valuable I don't care if it's
somebody who sweeping the floor or the
the president of the company everybody
needs to be treated like a human being
with value and if they are they will do
anything for you and once he got that
down guys would do anything for him and
I was one of those guys that once I was
into that Matrix
anything he needed it would get done and
all the way down to just my belief in US
winning a Super Bowl and watching all
that happen and and just the way that we
did it and now if I had to go back and
play seriously I would I wouldn't play
for any other coach if he wanted me to
play for him I would play for him only
it's interesting that you tie it to
compassion so one of the the most
fascinating things about you off camera
which dear God if you ever get a chance
to to spend time with Michael take we
going hang out I'm around just let me
know hit him up on that let me tell you
right now so Joe Glazer summed you up
really well when he was doing the Hall
of Fame induction speech and he said
Strahan has a switch and he is one guy
off the field and he's another guy when
he comes out the tunnel and when he
flips that switch he's there to stomp
you stomp you out yes so hanging out
with you you're so warm and so it is
crazy the be hugs the just kindness the
generosity of
spirit but here's the thing it's one
thing to like people when you're on
camera and everyone is going to distrust
that it's another when you're just you
really are like that and it's from a
leadership perspective is such a
beautiful thing to open yourself up to
that I love your ritual of going around
before the game and touching everybody
yeah that was important and I actually
really want to start doing that with the
team here like we've got such a group of
DieHard people and it had like in doing
so the whole point to me of the people
that I bring on the show is to bring
people the more I research them the more
I get to know who they are that I'll
find these little nuances that I can
bring into my own life and when I
pictured you going around to everybody
and and saying I'm accountable to you
right I'm accountable to you and when I
go out on that field I'm going to hold
us up I'm going to do what we've all
agreed that we're here to accomplish and
I thought oh my God like that's so
powerful and to have built that trust
and rapport with theme ahead of time
where they feel connected to you and
then you say hey I'm here to serve you
right like we're all going to do this
together that's super it's bigger than
it's bigger it was it was always bigger
than me and I had success on a football
field singular success you know I've
been defensive player the year a few
times and it's like I can't celebrate
this or team at ly record it's like
there's no I never found much joy in
something that was a singular success
the best time does anyone ever ask me
what is the best thing from your career
it's like it's a Super Bowl it's
everybody being able to celebrate the
accomplishment of us as a team and not
me as an individual and and there is
definitely a switch you have to have and
to me I I do love people and and it's
natural for me to be nice to people I
don't know any other way I don't know
why you wouldn't be but it's also as
work for me because in anything I do I
don't have to be fake I don't have to be
something I'm not so I don't have to be
nice to you here and then leave you see
me later on cuz I've been around a lot
of people like that and it's as if
they're a different person like I just
saw you 10 minutes ago who this guy and
I never wanted to be that I always
wanted to be myself the entire time
which works great for me I love
psychology of things that's why I think
I love a team I love getting people on
the same page and the psychology of from
football to me and and the media with
football simple things you get the game
program every week and it's the same
picture throughout the whole year
of the guys but I had a ritual I would
look at the program I would look at
everybody on my team same guys and then
I would look at the other team's guys
and when you're a young player you get
intimidated by faces and some guy
sitting there looking like
them and you're like oh man that guy's a
killer oh I don't scared but as I got
older I said Psy
psychologically if somebody looks like
that then they're you know then okay but
how much more afraid would you be if
somebody you don't with a kill and
they're just smiling so in my program
picture I'd be like
this it looked like a glamor shot like
it looked like I went to the mall and it
was like this is the guy it must be
crazy to be smiling these photos like
this and and so like I would just do
little silly things like that with the
media I didn't talk every day so then I
said I I talk one day a week I talk
Thursdays and I did it because if you
talk all the time it's like going to the
same restaurant it's not special and
especially in the media of New York when
there are so many different people and
so many um outlets and everybody just
there so much content you need yours to
stand out so if you want to talk to me
and you only get me one day a week I
guarantee when I talk to you you're
going to cherish that and you're going
to use that and I would mix it up on the
media as well as they would give me a
hard time I give them a hard time I one
question today I'm not in a bad mood but
I just act like give me one question ask
me one one answer they asked me a second
I said you didn't hear what I said I
said one I'm sorry I got to go right
then other days I sit there and I would
chat how your wife doing you know
everything's good and I would just mix
them up keep them off their off off
balance a little bit and I just enjoyed
the psychological Battle of football I
enjoyed the psychological Battle of the
media and and in a lot of ways now um
it's not quite the same but I still like
that that aspect of psychologically
getting everybody on the same page to be
successful
yeah there's some pretty uh incredible
footage of you getting well let's talk
psychological warfare and then getting
everybody on the same page so one the
trash talking that you did when you
would tackle people was absolutely
fantastic welcome home baby i' love yeah
there were some great ones but then what
you did in the Super Bowl was really
really crazy and I want to hear what was
the the psychological principle at work
so you the team is losing but you gather
everybody on the sideline and you say
you're losing at the moment I think it
was 10 to 14 yeah to The Undefeated
Champions coming into this game and you
say with like very little time left guys
we're one drive away we're going to win
17 to 14 that's going to be the final
score if you believe it it's going to
happen yeah Jean strahad my dad that's
crazy it was it was weird because by the
way that was the end score that was the
end score against an undefeated team
18-0 at that point and had beaten us
early in the season and I I just my dad
that that week in Phoenix he said you
know what you guys have already won the
game and I was like I think old man's
losing it what's he talking about you
guys have already won the game now you
just have to go through the formalities
but trust me you've already won the game
and I'm thinking have you seen the
Patriots you seen their record you see
good they arst Tom Brady and Randy Ms
Junior say like all the phenomenal um
Hall of Fame players over there and we
got to the point in that game where
there are just several things that come
to mind bill bich is brilliant coach
probably the best coach ever to to coach
professional football and we had a
fourth down they had to punt he rushes
the punt team out there they run a punt
we didn't get all our guys off the field
in time so it gives them a first down in
our territory and fi go position
everything else and Tom coughlin's
losing it you know he's beat red he's
screaming on the sideline and I I just
had such a peace during that game so he
tells this story um all the time and he
said you reached over and you grabbed me
by my shoulders before you ran out on
the field and you smiled and said coach
don't worry we got it and we go out I
actually got a sack that's the sack I
got on that drive moved them out of
field Cod position they didn't score any
points and that was just like the
peacefulness of the game so when we came
to that point in the fourth quarter
where they scored scored U and they went
up 1410 it was like you know what if Dad
said we're going to win damn it we're
going to win now I'm not on offense I
can't do anything about it but I'm going
to go over here and talk to the guys who
can and we're in this together our our
journey to get there has been too great
to end like this I mean we're here for a
reason there's something special about
us being here because we were not
supposed to be here and I went on and
said 1714 fellas will be the final score
believe it and it will happen one
touchdown will world will be world
champions believe it and it will happen
and we won 17 to 14 and I retired after
that what I love about stories like that
from someone who has built their career
around hard work discipline watching
more tape putting in more hours running
the stairs more often is that the
lurking behind the believe it and it'll
happen is um psychological principle for
lack of better word right so it's what
are the things that you do on a regular
basis from a routine perspective to
build that mindset to know that you've
put in the work that you're able to
execute um and and essentially not get
in your own way you know I think I think
we doubt ourselves more than anybody
else ever doubts us so and I fight that
too I fight that every day especially
you know with these new jobs and
businesses that I've never um thought
that I would be in or never knew I could
be in or was supposed to or could be any
good at and I I think the thing the
routines that I have I my routines are
very simple I find out what the job
is and I bust my ass to get it done and
it's not half the stuff is not that
complicated for for for GMA I understand
that I need to read I need to read a lot
I need to know what I'm talking about
before I open my mouth and it's
something great about that because it's
challenged me in a way that I haven't
been challenged at live I didn't have to
do that live I could take two minutes to
read the questions that I'm going to ask
the guest and then the rest of it was
personality driven so I could get away
with just you know being there and just
being you know I guess joyful and and
entertaining where GMA requires some of
that but it required for you to have
some knowledge on different things and
that's what I love about it it takes me
back to be honest with you to football
and relates to football to me because
not growing up playing
I was still learning my 15th and final
season right I never got bored with the
game and that's how I feel about GMA I
don't think I'll ever get bored because
every day is so different and every day
is a challenge and so for me it's about
just studying and knowing what my job is
and knowing what my job description is
and knowing what I'm what I can bring to
the equation and the toughest thing you
know going to GMA for me was figuring
that out because you have George you can
have Robin you have Amy you have Lara
and you have people who have been
established on the show that has been
established for a long time and how does
my personality fit in so it's been like
you know running into wall here and
there until I can find okay I fit to
that slot now let me find the next one
and it's a work in progress you know I
work every day you know the wheels are
spinning in my head as I'm sitting there
with the camera on my face and I'm
talking to about how to be myself within
a situation that you usually don't have
chance to inject personality into but
that's what they want and U but it's
been it's been a challenge but it's been
fun it's been exciting and I wake up
every day and I love being there and I
love making the people around me happy
that I'm there that's important to me
too yeah that was really neat so going
from part-time to full-time you do the
first day and I remember one of the
first things they said to you um I
forget who said it but she said you know
we're all looking forward to our morning
kiss on the cheek and she said it so
warmly it was like for a second she was
not a TV personality she was your friend
and she was super stoked that it was
like going to be you know this like
slumber party every day that you guys
were going to get to be able to hang out
and I thought wow that's so cool that
you're able to have that and I'm a
routine
person I if I take my wallet out of my
pants at night I know where I put it
that way I know it's there like I oh
where's my wallet I'm where are my keys
I'm not that guy but I'm also routine
person in terms of when I go to work
like good morning very simple words not
hard I'm joyful and happy to be there
I'm going to be the same I'm going to
good morning I talk to this everybody
and certain people I know there's a
connection when you got a you know good
morning Shake somebody hand you give or
you walk by and you give them a tap on
the shoulder like those things are
important cuz when I was a kid I was
washing dishes I was cutting grass I I
was a
and you were
unseen you were very unseen and
unappreciated and in some in some ways
talk to as if you weren't you know not
say we weren't human but you just were
below a level below and and that has
always bothered me and to this day it
bothers me to think about that because I
remember when that was happening
thinking to myself you think this is
where I'm going to be right this is just
what I got to do now to get where I'm
going and and I didn't necessarily know
where I was going but I knew it was not
going to be there and so it's very
important that when I walk in there's
one particular security guard who you
know he just every time you walk in he
just and now I said good morning how you
doing hey bud have a good day everything
else and now when I walk in hey Michael
how you doing like it totally changed I
see his he's happy when I walk around
that corner and just because he feels
valuable man and that's so important to
me because you get get so much more out
of yourself and so much more out of
people because you're in an environment
you created right you created happiness
cuz you want to be happy you want to be
around happy people and sometimes it's
you got to you know you got to bend your
head against the wall to make it happen
but you have to be consistent with it
and you have to be persistent with it
and if you are then people come around
to that then people can trust you
because they know what they're going to
get one of the worst things is to be
unpredictable in terms of your emotion
or the way that you approach people
people because that makes people you
know I don't know what I'm going to get
never want to be that guy I want to be
the guy you know what you're going to
get unless you were reporter when I was
a player and um but you know what you're
going to get and you know what you're
going to get is going to be genuine it's
going to be honest it's going to be real
it's going to be sincere and you're
going to get everything I have to make
this work and and in some ways I'm a
perfectionist at work if I mess up one
word or not think of something I'll I
don't watch myself on TV for that
half the time it bothers me cuz say oh
that was great and I'll go damn I missed
that yeah I see man know exactly how you
feel no for real and so going back to
what you're saying about creating
happiness which is an
incredibly really really important
concept that I hope everybody is
listening to um once you understand it's
a creation once you understand it's a
neurochemistry Once you understand that
that's something that you can craft and
control everything in your your life
changes yeah once you realize that that
it's all a construct right that you uh
can shape it then you realize that
you're awake in The Matrix and that was
the first thing that you and I connected
over when we first met and I don't even
remember why I brought it up I guess cuz
I'm so obsessed uh with the Matrix I
bring it up to everybody but I'm
literally wearing this shirt in your
honor uh The Matrix was a doc because
that was my movie man you said it
impacted your football career oh my god
did it ever it was weird that movie
everybody watched top of how great it
was and I'm one of these guys you tell
me how great everything is H it can't be
that good and I wait so I didn't see it
until it was on like one of these cable
channels and I'm watching it and that
point where he they he gets
shot and you think he's dead and then
she believes in him and she kisses him
and he comes back and then the Mr Smith
turns around and they shoot at him again
he goes no yeah uh a stop whatever and
he takes the bullet and drop and then he
and and Lauren fisb goes he is the one
he believed in himself he didn't limit
himself he limited himself up until that
point and I used to think oh I get a
sack oh I got a sack okay H that's good
I don't know if I can get another sack
oh man oh I get two oh I don't know if I
can get three and I started why can't I
get why say one is enough why why am I
limiting myself and anything I do and as
a football player Chang me I set the
sack record that year I didn't have a
sack the first three games of that
season so to get all those sacks it was
in 13 games it's incredible which I look
back and go holy smoke but it was I
don't know I just would go and go and I
didn't say Okay Michael that's good
enough it was like okay Michael you got
one go get two go get another one and go
get another one and that movie taught
just truly that moment was like I see it
now and I smile because it just makes me
realize
we limit ourselves in why yes you hold
yourself back when there's no reason to
hold yourself back cuz there is no
reason as a friend of mine told me m he
said Michael there's no reason that a
black man with a gap tooth in his mouth
who can't say the letter S without
spitting on people should be on TV
talking for a living and he's 100% right
so I have proven that the Matrix
Works Anything is Possible
that's awesome that's your version of
you know stopping the bullets I like
that I was watching that clip today I
was thinking about you I was thinking
about the Matrix and I put that clip on
where he says are you telling me I can
dodge bullets no neo when you're ready
you won't have to oh like that that like
I know what a nerd I am like I totally
get that but like I geek out to the [ __ ]
and the funny thing is it giv me te you
say that it's like oh you're bringing it
back oh yeah as you were saying it me as
well and the funny thing is so people
look at you and they think oh it must
come easy for him it he must not um have
a problem in social situations you know
all that on the football field oh he's
just a big tough guy so yeah of course
it's easy for him and the thing that I
love about the I don't think that you
can be on camera and not create a
Persona right because you're going to
have to project something so you're
asking yourself what am I going to
project but I love that you have clearly
made the demand that the thing you
project has to actually be you mhm and
so you're so honest and for someone like
me who has spent so much time like am I
the only one who's afraid of [ __ ] like
what is going on like I have to overcome
this all the time and so people always
say to me like oh you must be really
relaxed in front of the camera you see
I'm like I am literally like freaking
out every time before I do one of these
shows like the 10 minutes leading up to
it thinking God am I going to be able to
pull it off this time or or is is this
the one right imagine doing that every
day yeah me every day it really is and
the thing is innately I'm a shy guy I'm
still that chubby kid Bob with easy
access to the wallet with easy access to
my wallet and I'm still that that shy
kid so it's I do what I do and I love
what I do but the second that is over
and I'm like walking down the street and
people going Michael Michael Michael it
makes me want to curl up like that
13-year-old kid again and I don't know
what it is is when I played football my
first I played when I was seven and
eight years old and I was a good player
and I cried the entire game and I tell
you not just cry bald
like snot snot bubble cries like nasty
cries and the coach would pull me out yo
what's wrong nothing nothing it's
because I would make a tackle I'd make a
play and the parents were clapping yeah
I go and I just oh it made me so
uncomfortable and that's how I get
a little bit when I'm when I'm off
camera and people come up because oh you
did this and you did that and it makes
me feel
like yeah I don't know I don't when
football was over I kind of you know I
know what I did but I don't pay
attention I have a Super Bowl ring and I
I pull it out if somebody ask me to see
it but other than that I forget I have
it I know I got it but I forget
physically to ring I know I won that
game and it's just weird I don't hang on
to stuff like that you know I I kind
of feel like holding on to the Past it's
kind of keeping me from moving and one
day when I decide I don't want to go
forward anymore and I'm done career-wise
then I look back and I go okay well
maybe I'm pretty good that's actually
really interesting and really powerful
for me cuz I feel exactly the same way
now I may have gotten lucky in this cuz
my memory is actually really bad um your
memory is bad oh my friend my friend I'm
telling you so and this is this is one
of like right now you're doing that
thing that people do to you and you
[ __ ] hate so how how am I able to do
this because I work my ass off because I
understand that my memory is
bad everyone would think like for even
me and I'm knowing you I would think
your memory is
fantastic so let's say I want to
remember 10 amazing facts I know I only
remember 10% so now I got to read 100
[ __ ] facts that's literally my life
like part of the reason I read as
voraciously as I do the reason I take
notes the reason I record voice memos
the reason that I go back over this
stuff is because that's what I have to
do to make it usable right so for me
it's all about usability like what is
this company the aim of this company the
aim of this show is is literally to get
people out of the Matrix but you have to
understand what that means getting
someone out of the Matrix is simply to
get them to stop saying I got one I
guess I can't get two sacks that's it
like once you do that you're out the
limit but you yes you have to I have
chills in my face just because this [ __ ]
like yeah but but but but but everyone
thinks it's easy everyone thinks you're
not scared and I tell you and everyone
thinks you haven't had failures I've had
plenty of failures but I don't look at
failure I've never looked at a failure
and said H woe is me oh I don't know I'm
just programmed say it didn't work okay
let's go next thing work harder figure
something else out keep going I'm not
programmed to go it didn't work out and
let me contemplate and feel sorry for
myself and you know and and go over here
and get sympathy I just I don't know if
it's way I was brought up or if it's
from the business of football where is a
win or lose it's like success or failure
and if you lose a football game I don't
have time to think about how I lost it
and what I did wrong because if I'm
doing that the ne the guy I'm playing
next week is getting ahead of me so I
got to worry about what's coming up next
and push for what's next and get better
for what's next not get for what's in
the not not worry about what I wasn't
good enough for in the past right and
I've done sitcom fail um business a fail
you know but you figure it out life is
about figuring it out life is not going
to be perfect and if you expect it to be
perfect you're fooling yourself and a
perfect life without a challenge is not
a perfect life it's a boring life boring
did you see the movie um War Dogs oh The
Gun Runners yeah yeah I did all right
there's a great line in there which they
don't intend this way but when you were
talking it really hit me they say the
money's made between the lines mhm now
in the movie they're talking about
something a little bit different but
when you were saying like I um fail and
I think about okay what's next how do I
learn from this you know what's the
pivot how do I move or you know reinvent
yourself um that's that's the money like
if people want to know how you've had
such astronomical success in so many
crazy different Arenas it's that when
you said life is about figuring it out I
was like no one's going to write that
down like people at home and I'm putting
a [ __ ] pin in it so people will write
it down because once they get that the
magic of Michael Strahan is that that
you take the time to assess and figure
it out like you were saying with GMA and
watching you on GMA has been so cool to
see you really changing from what you
were doing on Live with Kelly and
Michael like what you were calling the
it was personality you know roll up and
shine yeah and then now this I see you
and you've talked about it you talk
about it in the book about I wanted a
challenge and I needed to know am I am I
saying no to this because I'm scared
because if that's it then I'm going all
in because fear is something can
overcome and figure out that dude that
to me like yeah the juice is worth the
squeeze right yeah the juice is worth
the squeeze you read that book but I
definitely definitely was I did more
than read that book
I have notes upon notes of that book it
is really powerful thank you that was
blown away so good well you know the
miss an accomplished then you know and I
I and I don't know man I you talk about
all the accomplishments and stuff but
for me I I really haven't done any like
much like I feel like I'm just like
starting I love that that's tell me if
this is true the reason that you feel
like that is cu you're always looking
forward You're Not Looking Back and
You're always putting yourself yourself
in a situation where you're a little bit
sucky and your goal is to rapidly stop
sucking at that but by the time you're
good at that you're already looking at
the next thing that you're a little bit
sucky at and the cycle repeats right but
that's how you escalate so when you and
I went and we met your mutual friend or
your friend uh who what he does with
homes is unbelievable yeah it it is it
is on another planet and you and I got
in the car and we're like there's levels
to this [ __ ] you know cuz it was like
what is happening we thought we were
doing all right there some level to this
[ __ ] for
real it was it was Bonkers but I felt in
that moment such a kindred spirit to you
because I did not look at that house and
go I can't have it I looked at that
house and thought what do I need to do
what's next what situation now do I have
to put myself in like what is that
construct and I think of that you know
going back to the Matrix I think of that
in in sort of all aspects of my life
like what's that next thing and thinking
about what you're doing the partnership
that you have with JC Penney like how do
you have the guts to kick that off
fashion to to tr like true
entrepreneurship it's no longer
personality driven like your stuff's
going to live and die yeah is that that
next phase for you well you you and I
very similar in that too that I I don't
look at something and think it's
unattainable I look and I go okay I got
to work a little harder if that's
something I want or something I want to
do and and and JC Penney was a perfect
example the you know the collection
which is suits and ties and everything
you need to look sharp like you know
when I'm on GMA everything I wear there
Fox NFL Sunday everything I wear that
everything the guys on Fox NFL Sunday
wear is is my line yeah wow and um Troy
Aman and and Tony Gonzalez so it's
really something but the reason it's
authentic to me and I'm involved so I'm
just not a passive yeah those Fabrics
you guys do it put a suit out there
stamp my name in it and it's good oh I
look at every Swatch of fabric I look at
every dress shirt every tie belts shoes
socks it's exhausting yeah but it's
necessary because I know people who work
really hard with me on that and I want
them to know that I'm as engaged as they
are and from the marketing of it to who
we're going to pick the model
and ads um the direction of that but for
us we were so happy because it was a
start it was a start and I think we
started maybe 200 stores just to get a
little filler I look back now and I
think wow it's only been like a
year but we've been successful enough
that we were 500 and then now we're
going to 600 a year ahead of schedule
and then we kicked off MSX which was
like you know fleeces and casual and
like um athlet Leisure wear so we kicked
off a whole another line with them we
kicked off athesia it has just
completely evolved into this thing that
is like hey why not right why can't we
it's authentic to me I don't do it not
wear it I don't do it you don't see me
in it I'm in it every day so I'd rather
be authentic and and everything that I
do and everything that we do as a
company with we do that is authentic to
whoever we are putting into positions
including myself
that people can stand behind it because
they know that's really you and that's
important yeah there's so a lot of
entrepreneurs watch the show and there's
two things you said there that I think
are incredibly incredibly important for
entrepreneurs to understand and that's
one that you get one of the defining
characteristics of being an entrepreneur
is dealing with the mundane and if you
believe in what you're doing enough to
fight through the mundane like if you
look at this set if you knew what we had
to do to build this [ __ ] thing like
it is it is like one tedious thing after
another I I have on pieces of this set
there is actually my blood because but
that's just right that's what you have
to do to make it happen right so it's
not like wait why am I painting this
it's that's what we have to do why am I
looking at this watch of fabric that's
what you have to do it's like you have
the vision you believe in it enough
you're going to see it through all the
way to the end and when I was painting I
thought this is the part of being an
entrepreneur that people don't
understand yeah like this is not what
they think they think of it kind of like
Fame oh [ __ ] your boy I know we got to
get you out of here here but your boy
Kevin Hart so I'm assuming you've seen
laugh in my pain yes all right so he has
this quote which I just I went I
actually went to the live concert that's
inserted into that film he's phenomenal
dude phenomenal so I didn't know I knew
him as a comedian that was it at the
beginning of the the film version they
do that chant everybody wants to be
famous nobody wants to put the work in
yeah everybody wants to be famous nobody
wants to put the work in and I was like
oh my God Kevin Hart like totally
understand it so I was blown away and I
was like that guy's going to last and
then you mentioned him in your book
about being a guy who puts the work in
and I thought that's so true there are
two guys at entertainment who I know put
to work in and I respect them so much
it's Kevin and and Dwayne Johnson The
Rock yes because I watch these two and I
and I study these two and their approach
to everything that they do um and it's
always
joyful it's always um
they have so much energy and so much
conviction about what they're doing and
a belief yeah and and and I'm feeding
off of them even though I'm in a totally
different business because it keeps me
going to the point of where they'll say
man you know you work too hard I'm like
what are you talking about you guys are
working so I think we all kind of feed
off of each other to push each other
even though we're all in in like
different spaces sometimes to be
successful unbeknownst to the other
sometimes and I think that that is you
got to have have Role Models you have to
have people that you look up to that
that make you push yourself and make you
want to um be better and when it comes
to business and you talking about
painting on this set and doing all these
things if you do something and your name
is on it your name is right there if
it's not successful who's going to get
blamed for it right you if it is
successful who's going to get credit for
it you
and I found that if I'm going to get
blamed for something because it's
happened before that I didn't really put
everything into it I'm pissed that I'm
being blamed for something failing
because I didn't put all the work into
it right but yet for me if I'm getting
all the credit for being successful and
I know I didn't put anything into it I
feel like a fraud right and and you got
to you got to put up with that for
yourself and maybe some people are
comfortable with that I'm just not
comfortable with that so that's why all
the businesses I like to be a part of
because I don't I don't want to feel
like a fraud I want to find someone ask
me about it I want to talk to you about
it I'm real I don't have to make up some
story and then go home and go you know
boy I sure had to lie about that it's
not a good feeling so if you're going to
get blamed for failure accept it hey I
put all my I put everything I had into
it it failed move on to the next but I
know I busted my ass and if you're
getting to credit and everybody get
credit for Success you can feel good
because you truly have been a part of
that too and and that's something that
keeps me involved in everything and and
like I said those The Rock and Kevin are
like bust your
ass bust your ass workers man I
appreciate that yeah no okay thank you
thank you all right one last question
what's the impact you want to have on
the world h i I don't know you know the
biggest thing for me to be honest with
you is just it's like my kids making
them proud let letting them understand
the about hard work
respect for not like not that give me
respect but how to respect people and
just to be nice people and and know
that's that's really my main focus is to
you know make sure that when I'm gone
more people happy that I was here and
that they don't show up at the funeral
to make sure I'm really
dead that's it that's awesome man thank
you so much for coming it was such a
pleas to have you great time all right
guys this is somebody that you are going
to want to dive into in a big way you're
going to want to learn as much as you
can you are definitely going to want to
start by reading his book wake up happy
which is the perfect title he talks
about happiness is not a test that you
take once and then it's done it's this
ongoing Pursuit and the real way that he
talks about it from neurochemistry to
all of the truths of the way that life
is going to knock you sideways and
you've got to find a way to recalibrate
and balance and he talks about all the
different steps and things that you can
do and take to actually find that path
to happiness and actually be somebody
who wakes up happy and somebody who
encounters a negative situation and has
the tools the things that he repeats in
his head the framework to view the world
that will actually help get you back on
track it is super powerful you would
love it watch his induction into the
Hall of Fame speech it is him in a
nutshell from both the just Joy Of Life
to loving the sound that another grown
man makes when you tackle him and
you hear the breath escaping his body
it's hilarious you have to hear it it's
an amazing story and guys you can join
Michael on Sunday February 5th as NFL on
Fox cover Super Bowl 51 live from
Houston anytime this man is live I'm
trying to be there see it watch it
because he does everything with joy and
authenticity and for those of you who
are about to write me and say you never
said what the other thing was that he
mentioned that's so powerful for an
entrepreneur and it's authenticity and
this guy has it from top to bottom in
everything that he does and I will vouch
for him
on camera off camera it's exactly the
same person and that's so [ __ ] cool
thank you mank you so much for being on
the show Michael thank you thank you
guys until next time my friends if you
haven't already be sure to follow at Tom
billu and at impact Theory that's the
new Bad Boy check it out join us thank
you guys so much and until next time be
legendary my friends take care well done
thank you so much man what a pleasure
dude hey everybody thanks so much for
joining us for another episode of impact
theory if this content is adding value
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[Music]