Trade corporate success for entrepreneurial ownership. Every Saturday, receive one essay — to help you navigate the complex shift from the default path to an authentic life powered by a premium business, with bold thinking and grounded conviction.
Watch Your Game Film
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By Matt Doan · Oct 11, 2025 · 3-min read Watch Your Game FilmTom Brady was never the most athletic guy on the field. Not the strongest. Not the fastest. Barely drafted at all. But he went on to become the greatest quarterback of all time. Why? Because he watched the game film. Religiously. Ruthlessly. Relentlessly. He poured over every angle—his throws, his reads, his protection, his failures. But he didn’t stop there. He looked at his body as a system. He noticed how inflammation and injury were creeping in… how his traditional strength training wasn’t holding up. So, he fired his old trainer. Hired a new one. Changed his entire routine—daily stretches, pliability work, radical nutrition shifts. He even restructured his contracts to take less salary—just to surround himself with better protection and weapons. He didn’t cling to the past. He studied it. And then used it to make decisions his future self would thank him for. But most people never look at their game film. They can’t stomach it. Too hard. Too personal. Too revealing. So they avoid it. Or worse—they rationalize it. That last quarter at work?
“It was just a busy season.”
That extra 20 pounds?
“Life’s just stressful right now.”
That nagging sense of misalignment?
“No job is perfect.”
That business you keep saying you’ll start?
“I just need more clarity.”
But results don’t lie. And they don’t improve without inspection. Look at results. Results talk. If you haven’t reviewed your past week… If you haven’t journaled about what actually matters… If you haven’t asked for honest feedback about your trajectory… If you haven’t looked squarely at what your patterns are creating… Then you’re not watching your game film. And you’re certainly not using it as a tool. Truth time: Lessons are repeated until they are learned. But this isn’t about beating yourself up. As Brené Brown says: “It’s better to get it right than to be right.” There’s no value in being upset with your past self. The past doesn’t define you. You’re not that person anymore. Your past is something to love, but not to live. But if you fail to review it—if you fail to sit with the hard truths—it will cost you. The opportunity cost of not watching your game film will become the most damaging bottleneck of your life. It quietly robs you of time, energy, wealth, fulfillment, family, and freedom. One of my mentors once told me: “If you’re not embarrassed by who you were a year ago, you’re not growing enough.” That line stuck. Not because I’m addicted to hustling—but because I believe I’m here to live a remarkable life and do a ton of good. Here’s the truth: Too many of us—especially in corporate life—haven’t had 20 years of growth. We’ve had one year of growth, repeated 20 times. Ouch. Yep, that was me. Let's adopt this reframe: The past is data, and that’s a great tool. But the future? That’s a power tool. A vivid, emotionally charged vision of your future has a magnetic effect on your present-day behavior. It forces better decisions from you—today. It makes you eat better. It makes you speak bolder truths. It makes you say no to distractions and yes to what matters. Your past shows you what to leave behind. Your future shows you what to step into. And it’s in the tension between the two—past and future—that your most powerful decisions emerge... in the present. Decisions like:
These aren’t surface-level “habits.” They’re breakthroughs waiting to happen. But you’ll never choose them… Until you watch your film. And decide that your next act deserves more than a rinse-and-repeat performance. —Matt This forces powerful actions: shifting course, building a premium business, and making corporate 100% optional. Smartly. Strategically. Permanently. Go HERE → Don't miss this private workshop. See how deep the rabbit hole goes:🎧 Dive into our podcast for bold strategies on Corporate Graduation™ and how to build your next chapter. 👀 Scan the feed. Get inspired. |
Corporate Graduation™
Trade corporate success for entrepreneurial ownership. Every Saturday, receive one essay — to help you navigate the complex shift from the default path to an authentic life powered by a premium business, with bold thinking and grounded conviction.
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