The catering was so good.
That’s the part I left out in my story this issue, on discovering a personal definition of success. In that essay, I share more of my background than I ever have in the magazine, and how it led me to become not only the person I am today, but the person I’m working to become in the future. I give some details about my first job out of college, with the Dallas Cowboys, and the things that turned me off from what I once considered a dream job and set me on a different, more meaningful path.
But I left out the part about the catering. Here’s the thing: If you want to keep millionaire athletes happy, you have to feed them well. The Cowboys certainly did that for their players. As an added perk, we staffers got to eat the same food every day at lunch. And I’m not talking salads and wraps—I’m talking steak. Exquisite pasta bars. Pizza as good as you can get in New York City.
And the barbecue… oh the barbecue.
NFL players burn a lot of calories in practice every day, so they need to eat a lot to keep their energy. But 22-year-old desk jockeys like I was? They really don’t need that kind of indulgence. Yet when you’re right out of college, and used to eating like you don’t know when or where your next free meal will come from, you fill up. I gained 25 pounds during my first season working for the Cowboys!
And that’s the backstory to the triumphant part: When the clock struck midnight on Jan. 1, 2009, I went into the most hardcore diet mode of my life. I lost 40 pounds that year. And I’ve kept the weight off ever since. It was the best New Year’s Resolution I’ve ever made, because it stuck not only through January, but for the rest of my life. I don’t eat the same way now. I’m better about exercising. And I’m healthier and happier as a result. I feel like a different person.
This issue of SUCCESS—with its “New Year, New You” theme—is devoted to helping you achieve lasting results all your own. Maybe they’re health related. Maybe they involve launching that business you’ve been dreaming up. Whatever the case, there’s no better person to lead the way than our cover man, Tony Robbins—the greatest motivator on the planet today. He offers a guide to creating your best year ever. You won’t want to miss it.
But I also want to point you toward the column by a new contributing editor, the fabulous Kindra Hall. Kindra is a storyteller first and foremost. In each issue, she’ll connect the dots to help you discover the meaning and moral behind some truly powerful stories. This time around, she discusses the most important stories of all—the ones you tell yourself about yourself. Give her a read and consider the ways you can reshape your thinking to create an exciting plot twist in 2019.
This entire issue is packed with motivation, inspiration and strategy to help you reshape your life in the next year. So dive in, and get excited. It’s going to be a great one.
This article originally appeared in the Spring 2019 issue of SUCCESS magazine.
