How I Found The Power We ALL Have Inside Us.

The “Leap of Faith” story from my point of view.

Have you ever just felt “down”? Kind of like you had a dark cloud over your head following you? I remember I was a young student athlete at a Division 2 college at Northwest Missouri State University. It was 2014 and It was my redshirt freshmen year playing football for the Bearcats. The year before we won the Division 2 National Championship. Although, I redshirted, I was one of the top freshman in terms of performance on the field and in the weight room. I had a great work ethic and hunger to be one of the best. I even won scout team player of the year for defense. I got such high praises. I even was hand picked to go play over seas that summer with team USA to play in Kuwait City, Kuwait. It was there I helped lead team USA to a world title as starting Defensive End and Captain. So, when I got back for my second year in college, I planned to make a name for myself as a Bearcat. Surprisingly to me, I didn’t play that much or at all really that year. This was a shock to me and I started to loose self confidence. I had just gone through a tough break up earlier that year and my home town of Ferguson. MO was still in an uproar due to the fatal shooting of Michael Brown. I felt like no one was there for me. I started to feel isolated and alone. No one was on my side. I started to decline mentally and it translated physically as well. I got a little out of shape and without high praise or attention from the coaches and a decline in my performance. I started to loose hope. I was in a place where the only thing I felt could bring me happiness was failing me, or I was failing at it. Football was the one thing that always made me proud of myself. Its what I was good at. It was all I knew. I had this heavy feeling in my chest, kind of like I was carrying around a weight vest. It got so bad, I couldn’t wait for the season to end. I didn’t even want to play anymore. After the season, the cloud still followed. I even started drinking heavy. I hated feeling this way. Deep down inside, I knew was better than my situation. I went back and forth in my head, because I knew this wasn’t the end for me. I was just so disappointed and down on myself. I knew I could be and do better. And I was going to. No matter what!!!!

I made the decision to go to Northwest initially because that was best option at the time. In my decision making process, my thoughts were to go there and play well enough to get recognized by the NFL. Of course, that is the ultimate dream!! … But I wasn’t playing and this is a Division 2 college. I remember watching the bowl games that year with some of my old teammates. We were watching the Missouri Tigers vs. the Alabama Crimson Tide. I saw my old teammate from little league, Aarion Penton. He was at defensive back playing for the Missouri Tigers. This gave me inspiration and I thought “I should be there playing at the top, I shouldn't be on the bench in division 2.” Not to put any division 2 school or player down, that's just how I felt. Then I started to think “I should’ve just walked on if I knew I wasn’t gonna play”. All in all I felt like I should be on that stage. For those of you who don't know what a walk-on is. Its kind of like being an intern for a company and you work without pay. In normal cases, its playing on a college sports team without a scholarship. Regardless, I believed I should have been playing on that stage. This was the great seed that was planted. So time went on.

It was spring ball time and things started to get a little better for me. I was doing better in the weight room, but still had some struggles on the field. I improved but wasn't where I needed to be. I was still down on my self, but that thought lingered and stayed with me like a seed planted in the soil of my stormy mind. I thought about transferring a lot. I even reached out to a network of people and coaches I knew to see if I can find an opportunity else where. In the summer of 2015, just before I had to report to Northwest Missouri State University, Coach Aaron Brady, Head Coach from team USA, reached out to me to speak in front of a group of kids at a camp team USA had. It was about 300 middle school and high school kids. At the time, I wasn’t to proud of myself and was still lacking confidence but I had a great relationship with coach Brady and I didn't want to say no. He also told me that he had someone he wanted me to meet, someone that may have an opportunity for me. So I took on the challenge. I honestly didn’t know what I was going to say. At the time I was a depressed 19 year old. I just knew I had to give every ounce of belief and motivation to those kids I had. I wanted to inspire them to be great and be the best version of themselves. So I drove down 70 heading west toward Kansas, where I had to speak and it was on the way to Northwest. About an hour and a half into the drive, you pass through Columbia, MO. The home of Missouri Tigers. Who we saw on TV playing in the SEC championship and who my old teammate played for. When you drive past the University of Missouri, you see a sign on the side of the road. That sign said bleed Black and Gold, which are Mizzou’s colors. For some reason, my heart exploded. I had this fiery sensation all over my body stemming from my chest. Like if I could describe God talking, this was it! Those feelings of being down and out were replaced with a full and abundant feeling. And I didn’t understand why, Or maybe I did. At that moment, I was Elevated.

When I finally got in front of the kids. I told them that they had the power to do whatever they wanted in life. I told them to never give up on there dreams and know that everything they need is right there with them. All they have to do is believe. At the end of the speech, I felt amazing and I felt Uplifted. I was Elevated yet again. And at that moment, I realized I was speaking to myself. Soon after the speech, I was connected with a multitude of coaches that were there at the camp, one was a man whos name I cant say. I will say that this man helped me make a decision that Elevated my life. It wasn’t that he told me to do it, it was how he told me he could help me. This man told me that he has the connections to help get me on the team at the University of Missouri. He told me he could help me be a Mizzou tiger if I really wanted it. Much like the head coach from team USA, he believed I was good enough and deserved to be on that stage. They all watered the seed of me playing on the biggest stage. And After passing the Mizzou sign and talking to those kids, I felt like this was nothing but confirmation and that seed started to grow into a bean stalk that has Elevated me to amazing heights.

I immediately went to my best friend and most trusted advisor, my mother. She agreed, supported, and believed in whatever decision I made. I was determined to prove to myself how good I was and nothing was going to stop me. I figured out what I needed to do. The only way to get on the Mizzou football team was to be admitted to the school and hope they had a spot. So I left NWMSU and applied to be admitted into the University of Missouri. Immediately I started to focus all of my attention and energy into my goal of playing and starting at Defensive End for the University of Missouri. I started training and working like I never did before. My body and mind was Elevated to new heights.

There still were challenges. Many things came up. The man who I met, his connections weren't as strong as I thought. I got in contact with a couple of coaches but nothing truly came through. Doubt tried to creep in but no matter what, I had a feeling that everything was going to be okay. Like it was going to happen. I believed it would and I knew it would. Again, I can’t say there wasn't challenges, both physically and mentally. but I started to notice myself do certain things. These things helped me deflect any negativity that came my way. For example, I had this surge of energy every morning at about 5:00am. I would wake up and watch highlights of Missouri’s Defensive Line. All I did was visualize myself playing and making plays in that black and gold uniform just like them. I trained like and embodied what it meant to be a starter in the top conference in college football, if not harder. I couldn't stop. I was OBSESSED, but I wanted it. I wanted it so bad. I believed I could do it. It was all about getting on that team. On that stage. The only problem was I had no guarantees at all.

I tried endlessly to get in contact with coaches and use the connections giving to me but nothing worked. until one day my mother and my two (not so little anymore) sisters, Jazmin and Jayla, drove me up to the University from our home at the time Saint Louis, MO. We were on a mission to get in contact with the coaches at the university and get me on the football team. I will never forget the day. It was July 13th 2015. We were lead to the Mizzou Athletic Training Center( MATC). When me and my family arrived to the MATC parking lot, the first person I just so happened to see was Coach Craig Kuligowski, the Mizzou Defensive Line coach. He was headed towards the MATC from the parking lot. I said to my family “That's the D-Line Coach right there!!!” My mom said “Go!!!” . And I hopped out the car and went straight up to him. I was a shorter Defensive End, standing at 6'2. So, to make a good impression, I wore my famous red Timberland boots for a height boost. I introduced myself, shook his hand, and told him I wanted to walk on and play for the University of Missouri. He sized me up, looked me up and down, and walked me straight to Coach Nick Otterbacher, the Director of Recruiting at the time. And the rest was history. Later that year I was admitted into the school and eventually joined the team officially in August of 2015. From then on, my entire being had transformed. For such a short summer, a lot of things happened. I trained my ass off and pushed my body to the limits, I sacrificed so much for this. It was the new start of everything and I got in. After I got in, I knew it was more to do. I had to Elevate more and more.

My first year as a Missouri Tiger I was ineligible because of me transferring up a division. My first Mizzou Football Game was in the stands, and I was on the team at the time. I was Sixth string and had a lot of work to do. But I was determined. And I believed in myself. I continued with the same drive and determination I had when I was trying to get into Mizzou. My mind had started to elevate more and more and my body followed. I changed the way I think, the way I eat, and even some things I listened to. I started to monitor my intake, feeding my mind and body healthy and fruitful things. I focused on the positives and controlled what I could control. I learned to stay present and have complete faith. I acted on that Faith. I worked endlessly at my craft and it paid off. The second year, I was a starter and by the Third year, I was a starter and a captain!!! This was unheard of!! Being a walk on, earning a scholarship, becoming a starter and then a captain was my greatest accomplishment. Not because of what I did, but because of the journey I took to get there.

I found myself living an amazing dream and wouldn't change it for the world. I gained everything in this process. Because it wasn't easy at all, it was a lot of mental battles and self discipline needed to be instilled. As long as I continued to work on my goals and relentlessly believe in myself, I was able to do anything I wanted. I was able to prove people wrong. I found a power deep with in me, I continuously try and tap into that power and that power continues to stay with me in my life today.

Everything was a stepping stone to where I am right now. Because that power I gained many opportunities. And Life continues to be amazing. I am now a professional football player for the Calgary Stampeders of the CFL. I also created a nonprofit, Athletes Looking For A Shot (ALFAS) where we aim to bring together and connect other athletes on the same path that I have been on to maximize resources for opportunities to achieve their dreams. And all of this was and continues to be amazing.

To learn more or become apart of the community, click the link below.

Related posts:

Staying Healthy is the top most priority of all living being in this Planet it can be a Dog or it can be human Like us, It is Equal to all of us. Most of the people underestimate being healthy and…

Research from the Institute of Fundraising suggests charities in the UK have a fair way to go before the donor experiences they provide are as good as they would like. Do your charity’s supporters…

I have always bene interested in mythology, which prompted me to take this course. Since I was not too familiar with the gods, I did some research. First, I familiarized myself with the names of the…