It’s a Hard Knock Life

I reeled you in with this photo but, this article is not about the musical Annie. Or Jay Z. But please stick with me!

Over the years I have had the honor and indeed the privilege to speak to a handful of college students about my entrepreneurial journey.

By the way, if you ever get the chance to do this, do it. Even if it scares you. Actually, especially if it scares you. And tell the students that standing in from of them scares you. I’m a big believer in admitting you're nervous, scared, unsure, whatever to your audiences of 1 or one thousand. It's a quick way to get them on your side. They become a little sympathetic, they soften a bit, and they lower their expectations of how they think you should perform.? You’ve now positioned yourself to promptly exceed their expectations and win them over.

One of the questions that I'm asked by students most often is what motivates me. So I share with them my top five motivators:

1, Rent is always due

2. I enjoy eating

3. Shoes?bring me joy

4. Happy hour is my happy place

5. My unrelenting need to use the gifts, talents, abilities, and insights I've gained for a purpose beyond my own enrichment. This last one is usually where I go a bit deeper. But not today.

Now, when I am asked how I stay motivated, my answer is that I watch Hard Knocks.

Hard Knocks is a sports reality documentary series produced by NFL Films and HBO. Since 2001, cameras have followed a team as they prepare for the upcoming season. We see them train, recover, get injured, recover, learn the schemes, learn the coaches, and learn each other as teammates, and recover. The physical demands, the mental preparedness, the all out work they put in to be their best against the other bests in the world is incredible to watch.? Words of affirmation and motivation are written along long hallways. The trophy cases, banners, and floor to ceiling murals remind players and employees of their organization’s legacy. Getting a look at player's families, their homes, and their passions outside of the hashtags further humanizes these athletes and I am just enthralled by it all. Every frickin' season!?

In 2024, they released Hard Knocks: In Season With the AFC North. The AFC North is comprised of four teams: the Cleveland Browns , the Baltimore Ravens , the Cincinnati Bengals and the Pittsburgh Steelers . Mike Tomlin, Head Coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers had me wanting to put on pads and run through a brick wall! I kept notes in my phone with Tomlin-isms that I will now live by. One that has been screaming out to me lately is this one:

“We sweat in training so that we don’t bleed in battle”

General George Patton is credited for saying this or a close version of this originally.?

What this means to me is that practice makes better. We do the hard work now so when the hard knocks of life come pounding on our door, life be life-ing, and those inevitable challenges arise,?we’ve prepared ourselves physically, mentally, and emotionally to withstand any attempts at a fatal blow or a slow bleed out. Sorry if this has become too graphic I just think it’s so powerful! And true for most things we are challenged with in life.

I've committed myself to meditating everyday. The payout for that training comes when my peace, my joy, my ability to stay grateful are tested and I don’t lose my shizznit. It's easy to meditate during the good times. You'll know it works during the bad.

I've committed myself to living a faith-filled life. The payout for that training come when I don’t give up, I don’t backtrack, I don't surrender to doubt when things don’t go my way on my timeline. I’ve trained myself to remember all that I’ve accomplished, all the things I’ve overcome so when the next battle shows up, I'm walking in faith.

I’ve committed myself to pursuing my purpose. For me, an element of that purpose is putting these words out and into the world. I have to be disciplined. I have to accept criticism. I have to reveal some things about myself that some may think belongs in my personal journal and not for public consumption. The payout for practicing what I preach comes when I’ve done just that. This. Putting my words out there.

I promise, I am not getting paid to talk about Hard Knocks. (although if HBO or NFL Films is looking for a Brand Ambassador holler at your girl), I just feel lucky to have a thing I can watch, a place I can go to be reminded to leave it all out there on the field. ?To be reminded that even people that are the world's best in their field need visual reminders of their greatness, support from their peers, recognition from their coaches, profound belief in themselves, and an internal fortitude to get up and get after it week after week after week against people determined to stop them in their tracks.

I encourage everybody to find a book, a song, a saying, an NFL football coach that, when the hard knocks of life come, it/they will make you want to run through a brick wall.

This is a draft excerpt from Ask Olivia Volume III. Click here to get a listen to Volume I and Volume II.