““That’s the main takeaway from things for me: to not limit yourself. I never played football until I was 29 years old. I never long snapped a football until I was 31, and I somehow had a shot in the NFL. And I’m not a good athlete; I’m an OK athlete - I just worked hard. And that’s just one example, but we’re all capable of that.””
Why Listen:
Today’s episode originally aired all the way back in February of 2017. I was just getting my feet underneath me with Beyond the Uniform, and this was one of my first big episodes. I still think of this episode today. And, I have to disclose that I don’t follow football… I’m not a football fanatic… my appreciation of today’s guest has nothing to do with what he did in the NFL and EVERYTHING to do with two things that helped him get there:
Failure - Nate has achieved the impossible - repeatedly in his life. He talks about being a grinder, of just working hard to go after his dreams. And he talks about how it's not about not having fear - it's about having the courage to realize that there is no downside, that the only risk is not taking an opportunity. There are far too many incredible words of wisdom to summarize here, but believe me - it's a lesson every single veteran will benefit from hearing.
Passion - Nate talks about how many veterans fall back on what you know. He talks about how tried many things - and failed at many things - in his journey to find his calling and what he enjoys most. Again, these are lessons I found inspiring and hope you do too.
About Nate:
Most recently, Nate Boyer was the long snapper for the Seattle Seahawks, but his is also an actor, public speaker and thought leader. Nate started out as a relief worker in Sudan, building camps for refugees of the War in Darfur. He then joined the Army, where he served for six years with the Green Beret as a Sergeant and earning a Bronze Star. After he transitioned from the Army, although he had never played a down of organized football in his life, he went to the University of Texas and was a walk-on to their football team. He became the team's starting long snapper, and played 38 consecutive games for the Longhorns. He was an Academic All-American in 2013-14, Academic All Big 12 from 2011-2014. After Texas, Nate played with the Seattle Seahawks as a free agent.
Selected Links
Audible is offering one FREE audio book to Beyond the Uniform listeners. You can claim this offer here, and see a list of books recommended by my guests at BeyondTheUniform.io/books
Book Recommendation: Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman
Conquering Kili Waterboys.org - Nate was cut from the Seahawks and was disappointed. Literally the next day, while trying to think of his next mission, Chris Long (Rams, now NE Patriots) had started a clean water project - Waterboys.org - and reached out to Nate
Merging Vets and Players - Nate co-founded this with Jay Glazer to connecting veterans with transitioning professional athletes. These groups face similar challenges - going from a position of sacrifice to a dramatic life shift, the locker room and team environment feel, fighting for the person next to you... there's a lot each side from learn from the other and share in common.
Nate talks about a Shia Labeouf video that's cheesy but strangely motivational. You can check it out here. This remixed version is even better after you've watched the original
Show Notes
2:20
Joining me today from San Francisco, CA is Nate Boyer. I love that you’ve really made your career your own.
In the military, you learn how to adapt and overcome and get stuff done. We are the masters of finding a way. It’s not always pretty but we accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. That skill is extremely transferrable to nearly any position out there. To limit yourself because you don’t have prior experience or you think you’re too old or unqualified is BS. If you want it, you can learn anything.
In the NFL, the people that end up being great are usually the ones that put the work in are not necessarily the ones that have the most natural talent. I never played a down of football until I was 29 and started playing in the NFL at 31. I’m not that talented of an athlete but I really wanted it.
7:30
I love that you were able to create structure out of otherwise unstructured situations.
As veterans, we had a team around us in the military that we were able to rely on. To be honest, I don’t have a ton of close friends. I like to do work on my own. But when I have a big project, I pick other people’s brains and ask for advice. Whenever I’ve accomplished a big project, I’ve been able to do it because of the assistance of those around me.
People like to be part of teams. So if you have a goal you want to accomplish, let people know. Most likely, they’ll be willing to help you out.
I’ve had the opportunity to speak with really impressive people. Often, they’re not these brilliant minds. Almost always, it’s just people that work really hard. Things are usually that complicated. If you’re willing to work for it, you can find a way to accomplish it.
We say in the military, “Right time, right place, right uniform”. That applies to other industries as well. Just showing up being ready to work is more than half the battle.
13:30
What motivated you to join the Army?
I was in my early 20’s and had previously thought about joining the military but decided that wasn’t the right time. I was living in LA and interested in the film industry but hadn’t fully committed to that either. As my day job, I worked with autistic children. I loved it but knew that wasn’t what I wanted to do with my life.
I came to the decision that I wanted to go overseas with some sort of mission in mind. I read an article in Time magazine about the tragedies going on in Sudan and Darfur. I called every NGO I could trying to get placed in a refugee camp. I was told ‘no’ because I didn’t have a college degree. I ended up buying a ticket to go to Chad and talked my way onto a UN flight into Sudan. I ended up being put to work in the refugee camps there. That experience changed my life. I gained a lot of perspective. I also developed a patriotism for the United States. That ended up motivating me to join the Army and being part of Special Forces.
I encourage people to not worry about taking steps that might lead to failure. As I see it, we’re all going to end up six feet under one day anyway so why not try. To me the real failure is to live a life and look back wondering ‘what if’. I fail all the time. But I chose to look at instead as a moment to challenge myself and look at it differently. You can’t control outcomes but you can control your reaction.
26:30
How do you look at your career now?
Sometimes veterans leaving the military know what they want but a lot of people don’t. So a lot of times, people will fall back on what they know. They’ll try to find the civilian equivalent of what they did in the military. I don’t think that’s necessary, though. I recommend just going out and trying things that you’re interested in. There’s a lot of things I've tried that I discovered weren’t from me and I just moved on. When you do find that thing that keeps pulling you back to it, you need to go after it.
I used to competitively ski growing up. I remember one of my coaches would tell me, “If you’re not scared, you’re not skiing”. I try to take the same attitude with my career. If you’re not a little bit scared, you probably won’t be fulfilled. You need to find things you are passionate about and a little bit afraid of. Then do something good with that.
33:00
What resources do you recommend to other veterans that have inspired you?
I’m not a big reader. I’m more just inspired by other people and how they live their lives. I prefer to just listen to what others have to say. When I’ve been interested in certain topics, I try to just reach out to people that know a lot about that topic. Everyone wants to help and feel like they’re making a difference. They want to help. So don’t be afraid to reach out.
35:00
You climbed Mount Kilimanjaro last year. Can you talk about that?
I got released from the Seahawks. The next day, I was trying to figure out what my next goal would be. Chris Long, another NFL player, had started Waterboys. He asked me if I wanted to take part. Then I decided to take a wounded veteran with me to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. We raised money for Waterboys in the process. Next March, I’m going to do it again with a group of NFL players and wounded veterans.
Wallowing in your shortcomings is not attractive and not inspiring. It’s a choice that you make to not pity yourself and just pick yourself up when you fail and find the next opportunity. Adversity is an opportunity to do something great. You never know what’s around the corner.
43:30
Can you tell us about the MVP organization?
MVP stands for Merging Vets and Players. The organization was started by Jay Glazer. He realized that young NFL players transitioning out of their playing careers can be similar to the transition of veterans leaving the military. He wanted to create an organization that brought together veterans and athletes that were transitioning to a different phase of their life.
We’re able to build a sense of community amongst these groups. I believe that’s deeply important for veterans that leave the military. They need to find a new community of people they can depend on.
50:45
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
In 2016, Shia LaBeouf released a video that’s theme was ‘just do it’. He’s kind of crazy but I really like the message. He talks about making your dreams come true and I think there’s some wisdom in what he’s saying. He talks about just going for it instead of continuing to wait. If you fall on your face, you’re going to care more than anyone else.