Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay is a football mastermind, Coach of the Year award winner, and a Super Bowl Champion. He’s reached the mountain top in the NFL, but his comments on a recent “60 Minutes” episode revealed how those accolades and finding his identity in the pursuit of winning, ultimately left him empty.
While sitting down with L. Jon Wertheim, McVay opened up about insecurities and a lack of fulfillment, which almost led to him walking away from coaching to pursue a career in broadcasting. “The lies I told myself were ‘Once we win a Super Bowl, I’ll be happy’,” McVay said. “My identity was so tied up into winning or losing games, and that’s where I felt my self worth lied.”
Hearing this I couldn’t help but think about Tom Brady’s “60 Minutes” interview, which echoed these same sentiments by McVay about a lack of fulfillment in winning awards, Super Bowls and other accolades.
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Even after winning three Super Bowls by the age of 27, Tom Brady admitted that the championships didn’t provide the lasting fulfillment he expected. In a 2005 interview with “60 Minutes,” Brady was asked what he still wanted after accomplishing so much at such a young age. His response was sobering: “There’s got to be more than this.” Brady explained that despite reaching the pinnacle of professional football success, he was still searching for something deeper. Twenty years later in a newsletter, Brady reflected on that statement saying that there is “more to life than playing football and winning championships.”
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McVay later explained, “I was ready to run away from coaching and hide behind a convenient narrative of some media opportunities.” But then his wife told him: “That never sounded like the kind of leader you wanted to be.”
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When I hear stories like this, I’m reminded of all the times I’ve found my worth in what I do, as if that is who I am. My job is not my identity, neither is it for McVay. Our successes are not what define us. For those of a competitive nature, success is never enough. There’s always something bigger and better. There’s always another championship to win, more money to make, and more followers to gain. If that’s what you think will provide you the hope, peace, value, and fulfillment we’re all searching for, it will leave you feeling empty. It’s fleeting, ultimately.
Pursuing excellence in your job is not a bad thing, as long as it is not made into an idol because you consider it the source of your worth and happiness. It will fail you every time. This is why I personally believe that putting your identity in anything other than Jesus Christ may provide satisfaction for the short term, but it will not satisfy you eternally.
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