Motivation For Solopreneurs From Football Coaches: “What Are You Waiting For?”

F ootball coaches are some of the world’s best motivators. They have to be motivators, because football is a violent, painful sport that requires extreme sacrifice and dedication. You have to be a little nuts to be a football player, just like you have to be crazy to be a solopreneur.

So as part of Solopreneur Motivation Month I thought it would be cool to create essays for you that are adapted from motivational speeches given by football coaches. This one is based on a speech delivered in November 2012 by Kerry Coombs. Coombs was a very successful Ohio high school coach who’s now an assistant coach at Ohio State. He gave this impromptu speech to prospective players and their parents. If you want to listen to Coombs’ give the speech, it’s at the bottom of the article.

Solopreneurs refuse to lose. They cannot be beaten. And it isn’t because they’re the greatest business minds in the country. The reality is they’re not. They win because they have the kind of heart and soul that is unique in America today.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it now: the solopreneur life is hard. You better believe it’s hard. We don’t apologize for it being hard. We don’t apologize for that one bit.

You will work harder at this than anything you’ve ever done in your life. You will work harder than anyone you know. We don’t apologize for that. We celebrate that.

It’s not going to be easy when you choose this life. Why should it be?

It’s not easy to do this. It’s not easy to step out and be different. It’s not easy to be special. It’s not easy to make the world a better place. You have to give your best every day.

When you follow your calling, you’re going to meet people just like you, people who want to make a difference.

When you become a solopreneur, you won’t believe how you will change. It happened to me when I chose this life. I can’t wait to be at work every day. I love knowing that what I’m doing is special.

You’ve been invited to join the great fraternity of solopreneurs who want to make the world better. What a great thing.

I promise you this, when I lay my head on the pillow each night, I ask myself: “Was I the best I could be today? Was I a better solopreneur than I was yesterday? Did I make the world a better place?” And if the answer is yes, then good, I’ll get up tomorrow and continue to get better. If the answer is no, then I have to ask myself, “Why not? Why not?”

I want you to change the world. I want you to fulfill your destiny. I want you to be the person about whom everybody else says, “I want to be like that.” You have the opportunity to be one of those people.

If you’ve already decided to adopt the solopreneur life, I congratulate you. If you haven’t decided yet, I’m going to ask you again: what in the world are you waiting for?

That’s Kerry Coombs (center) with Stacy Elliott (left) and Ezekiel Elliott (right).