“Don’t go to the grave with life unused.”
– Bobby Bowden, 2-Time National Champion Coach
Bobby Bowden, one of the winningest coaches in college football history, passed away on August 8th. During his 44 seasons as a head coach, Bowden won two national championships, 12 conference championships, three national Coach of the Year awards, and 377 games.
Bowden will always be remembered for taking over a struggling Florida State football program (the team had won just four total games in the three seasons before Bowden arrived) and turning the Seminoles into a national power.
The Hall of Fame football coach will also be remembered for his authentic Southern charm and his “never-met-a-stranger” brand of kindness, which helped him become one of the nation’s top recruiters.
In honor of this legendary coach, here are my 10 favorite Bobby Bowden quotes and the lessons they teach us about living a successful life…
“No one becomes wise by accident.”
Success and wisdom don’t happen by accident. We get to choose what we focus on, what we do each day, and what we feed our minds. What we feed our minds most determines who we become.
“Get mentally tough or get out of coaching.”
Any type of leadership role requires mental toughness. You will have plenty of naysayers and second-guessers with every decision you make. Have the courage to make tough decisions and own the results they produce.
“Never allow success to make you lax or undisciplined.”
As many great leaders and coaches have pointed out, you’re always either moving forward or falling backward. The moment your goal becomes “maintaining” a certain level of success is the moment you begin falling backward. You must always be striving to improve.
“The greatest mistake of all is to continue practicing a mistake.”
When problems arise, don’t put them off and hope they go away. Deal with them immediately and adapt as you go along. You will be wrong sometimes and you will make mistakes, but don’t hide from those mistakes or try to blame someone else for them. Admit your mistakes and learn from them. You can’t cling to a mistake just because you spent a lot of time making it. Be willing to admit when something isn’t working in your life and don’t be afraid to change your ways.
“Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison, Winston Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt, Blanton Collier, Paul Brown, and Vince Lombardi all made mistakes, but they shook them off to succeed. At times they were downright losers.”
This rule is all about GRIT. Great achievers don’t become great achievers by avoiding mistakes and obstacles. They become great achievers by overcoming those obstacles, learning from their mistakes, and refusing to quit. The road to success is paved with perseverance and determination.
“Why worry…when you can pray?”
Worry will add nothing but stress, fear, and illness to your life. When you find yourself worrying about something you have no control over, give those worries to God. You simply have to do the best you can and leave the rest in God’s hands.
“When two partners always agree, one of them is not necessary.”
Great leaders realize they don’t know it all. They’re not afraid to ask questions and consider new options that may go against their previous ways of doing things. They’re open to new ideas and they don’t get defensive when someone challenges their ideas or offers a new solution. They never stop learning, adapting, and improving.
“Don’t pretend to be someone you’re not. Just be yourself and do your job as best you can.”
It’s important to learn from those who have achieved what you want to achieve, but you must also remain true to yourself. Borrow what is helpful from those you admire, but don’t try to copy everything about them. Make it your goal to become the best version of YOU, not the best version of someone else.
“I don’t believe in playing without a scoreboard.”
Results matter and the scoreboard never lies. Hold yourself accountable and adjust your actions based on the results you’re experiencing. Don’t bury your head in the sand or lie to yourself. Face the truth and adapt as necessary.
“Don’t go to the grave with life unused.”
Bobby Bowden was the head coach at Florida State up until the age of 80. He LOVED his job. Bowden lived his life to the fullest and his example is a reminder to think big, follow the dreams in your heart, and live out your passion. Become the best version of yourself and make every single day count.
