Ndamukong Suh, originally from Cameroun, has a reputation for fierceness on the football field. He is probably one of the top five defensive players that offenses fear in the NFL. It would, therefore, surprise most football fans to know that he has a caring side too
Tampa Bay Buccaneers nose tackle Ndamukong Suh (93) laughs while talking with defensive tackle Beau Allen (91) between drills while on the field during mandatory mini-camp on June 5, 2019 at the AdventHealth Training Center in Tampa, Florida.
Suh revealed his intellect and softer side this week when he shared 10 principles for making daily progress in life. His principles cover how a person prepares for professional success and how to achieve balance in life.
To be caring is what Suh is paid not to be on a football field. He lines up on the first defensive line (or D line) of team and runs down opposing ball carriers or neutralizes the big bad men who protect those ball carriers. Although people who play his position are usually anonymous, Suh has a reputation for running down (or sacking quarter backs) before they have a chance to throw the ball.
Prior to tweeting about the principles, Suh, whose Twitter handle is @NdamukongSuh, rarely tweeted more than two sentences at a time. Below are his 10 principles
10 principles for making every day better than the last:
1) Consistency
Trying to get fit? Grow your twitter following? Win a Super Bowl?
Show up every day, do what you got to do, and everything will come into place.
Nothing great gets achieved over night, it’s all the little moments that build to the big ones.
2) Balance
The only thing non-stop hustle accomplishes is burnout. .
Know when to sprint and when to rest.
Everybody should know when to take a break, recover, and come back harder than ever.
3) Emotional intelligence (EQ)
Nobody has ever made it on their own.
The best leaders understand what motivates everybody else in the room.
Everybody works different.
A lot of EQ lets you click with whoever you need to for the task at hand.
4) Bias for action
Nothing beats experience.
Learning is a good foundation, but greatness is found through doing.
Prioritize making it happen over thinking about it.
5) Adaptability
The only thing more important than having a good plan, is knowing what to do when the plan doesn’t work out.
Nothing ever goes the way you think it will 100% of the time.
Be ready to pivot.
6) Break the mold
Do things differently and don’t be afraid to challenge norms.
Often times, the most successful people are the ones who see that a system is broken and take action to change it.
Learn from those who came before, then make it your own.
7) Focused curiosity
Curiosity is a beautiful thing, but it can be distracting.
The world is full of things to see, do, and learn.
Understand yourself, your interests, your desires, and target your curiosity so it’s in line with what you want to achieve.
8) Mentorship
Learning from the mistakes of others is the best way to avoid making them yourself.
Find the right mentors to help you achieve your goals, and don’t be afraid to ask questions.
Then, pay it forward.
9) Long term vision
Always be thinking in years and decades.
Nothing is fatal on a long enough time scale. You can always rebound, come back, do better.
It means avoiding reactionary thinking and short term gains, at the expense of long term growth.
10) Introspection
Always put aside time to check in on you. Understand how you’re growing and changing over time.
Reward yourself for the gains, understand the losses.
You can’t know anything until you know yourself.
And once you do, everything becomes easier.
