True Grit is the Key to Success?

Why would an article on Tom Brady appear on a therapist’s website? What does football have to do with mental health?

Everything.

Tom was assessed as a mediocre at best NFL prospect having been drafted 199th. He was considered too slow, not having a strong throwing arm and per one scouting report, “he is too easily knocked down.”

Tom developed a huge chip on his shoulder. He said to himself that whichever team chose him, he would show the other 31 teams in the NFL what a mistake they made. And so he did. He could not have more emphatically proven his point. He won 7 super bowls and broke every passing record. Tom has one quality that made it happen: true grit. He did it by determination and refusing to quit. He was not a particularly gifted athlete. But Tom focused on his strengths and ignored the critics. He believed in himself.

I see this same quality in my clients. Those who are determined to get better do so. I have had the honor of working with clients who have overcome horrific childhood trauma. They have done so by showing courage and refusing to be shaped by their trauma history. Treatment helps, but the client does almost all of the work. As in football, the coach encourages, inspires, supports and gives guidance but the players on the field do the work.

The same goes for therapy. The therapist is similar to the football coach. The therapist gives guidance and encouragement but realizes that the client does all of the hard work. I have tremendous respect for clients who are counted out in the game of life, but through determination, perseverance and believing in themselves overcome all the odds. Just like Tom, they have true grit. They are known as winners.