Thomas Williams: Former USC Linebacker, NFL Athlete, Motivational Speaker, Author

Apr 11, 2017

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Listen to the incredible story of Thomas Williams, who began with a young dream of baseball, to dominating the football field under the legendary Pete Carroll at USC. Once a struggling student, Thomas surrounded himself with successful students, bringing his 2.3 GPA to 3.5 in the blink of an eye. He realized that the right focus and mentality will get him the results he wanted. Backed by the support of his Mother, there were no limits to Thomas’ goals. Former USC Trojan (2x champion, and 3x Rose Bowl player), former NFL athlete, a motivational speaker, and author; please welcome Thomas Williams to the IMNOTYOU Sports Motivation Podcast!

Episode 146 Time Stamps:

(2:10) Thomas' introduction

(3:47) Beginnings of professional dreams, in Oakland's Stadium | Bad student turned overachiever | Football = discipline, hard work and dedication

(17:16) "At 12 years old, I made a promise to my Mom; that we were going to get tears of joy"

(20:03) IMPORTANT FOR UPCOMING ATHLETES: Leverage your recruiting process! | Why I verbally committed to USC over Notre Dame

(23:48) Thomas' inspiration through his Mom's work ethic

(25:13) Shoutout to Ken Norton Jr! "If you wanna be special, you gotta play special teams"

(27:09) The best advice from Coach Pete Carroll: "If you give something everything that you've got, and it still doesn't work out, then maybe the opportunity doesn't deserve you."

(33:30) It's the small things...

(35:19) The legendary Pete Carroll, Pt. 1: GO there, before you GET there.

(37:59) The legendary Pete Carroll, Pt. 2: Playing amongst mentally unbreakable teammates (Carroll's competition aspect)

(38:49) The legendary Pete Carroll, Pt. 3: There's never a moment that's "TOO big"

(40:31) "Second time out, first time up"

(43:00) If you want to influence, you must live that life!

(43:37) Leadership isn't a position; it's based on decisions.

(47:32) Elite to average... (for the normal athlete)

(49:32) "You listen to learn, and we gotta learn to listen."

(52:11) How to transition successfully, outside of sports.

(55:30) This year's mentality: Happiness > success

(58:40) Zig Ziglar's, "See You At The Top" | Don Miguel Ruiz's, "The Four Agreements" | Paulo Coelho's, "The Alchemist"