Fernando Mendoza Shows Us It's Cool To Care
Be Yourself and Go All The Way.
Fernando Mendoza went from being a barely recruited 2-star prospect, to a third-string college QB, to winning the Heisman trophy and College Football National Championship.
In an era where people are afraid to be called “cringe,” Mendoza led the Indiana Hoosiers’ historic turnaround with his heart on his sleeve and a captivating earnestness.
After leading the Hoosiers to an improbable Big 10 Championship over Ohio State, Mendoza barely held back tears in an emotional post-game interview, which had a commentator opining, “Did Mendoza just lose the Heisman with that interview?”
A week later, Mendoza won the Heisman Trophy. He cried during that speech, too.
He said, “I want every kid out there who feels overlooked, underestimated, to know I was you. I was that kid too. I was in your shoes.
The truth is, you don’t need the most stars, hype or rankings. You just need discipline, heart, and people who believe in you and you need to believe in your own abilities."
Perhaps Mendoza isn’t the best player in college football in spite of how much he cares; perhaps he is the best player in college football because of how much he cares. And that he isn’t scared to be seen caring.
Mendoza may cry at pressers and be earnest in interviews, but that doesn’t make him any less tough. With the game on the line in the fourth quarter, on fourth down and five, he ran up the middle, took a major hit, and dove into the end zone for the touchdown.
Mendoza didn’t waste time or energy playing a certain part. He needed every heartbeat to rise from a little known afterthought to the best college football player in the world.
The point isn’t that we should try to be more like Mendoza. It’s that we waste so much time and energy worrying about what others think and mimicking them instead of owning who we are and harnessing it for greatness.
The variety of caring that living an excellent life requires is neither saccharine nor solely focused on outcomes. It’s a process of laying it on the line and giving something your full effort, and it must be renewed every day.
It means that in success and even in failure you can be proud of the effort you gave, the guts you showed, and the person you are becoming.
Fernando Mendoza is a great model for young athletes (and really, all people).
Worrying about what others think is an enormous black hole of energy. It keeps so many on the sidelines and short of realizing their potential.
It’s cool to care. Being comfortable with who you are and giving it your all is a superpower.
At its best, excellence is an expression of authenticity. You pour who you are into what you do. You don’t need to fit someone else’s idea of what it means to be great.
What you need is to put in the work.
Be yourself. And go all the way.
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This post was excerpted from the chapter on caring in my new book, The Way of Excellence. It comes out in just a few days. Pre-order your copy here and fill out this form for great bonuses—including an interactive workbook, online masterclass, reading lists, and more.
Loved your article. Fernando Mendoza is really changing what is perceived as cool these days. Changing times ask for a change in a successful mindset.
As Michael Gervais even wrote a whole book about this FOPO(Fear of people's opinions). The fear of what people would think. But isn't it that is what we are thinking that they might be thinking but they are a lot consumed balancing their own lives.
The whole of your post felt like a reality of millions of Indians and reminded me of my present scenario & the vicious loop of inaction I have been going through for the last 4-5 years. Now is the time to be Bold & not Timid.
I have been running since June of 2020 and have run multiple 24 Hour Stadium Run where I ran 176 KM. This is just one race and if I look it from third person lense I am pretty good. Till date I don't feel like I am good enough. Everybody keeps telling me after the races- You did pretty good and I am like I fucked it up again and internal monologue turns to n number of things cussing in a way of self flagellation digging quite a deep hole for my self esteem and a lot of the times it is nowhere to be found.
But then the point is YOU CAN'T SELL YOURSELF SHORT. All energy should be focused on putting in the work day in & day out for multiple years and controlling the controllables. As Seneca puts it-We suffer more in imagination than in reality.
Yeah others might think & say but do they really embody what you want out from your life. No one will come close to what you think and want even though you covey it to them. As you mentioned in the first couple of minutes on Rich Roll podcast that you want to deadlift 600 pounds but you core values mastery in craft & process and community as well. Everyone who listened to podcast listened to your long term goal but no one can come close to the way this goal has been embodied in your body & mind and the real significance this holds for you, not even your partner can fully understand. That's why we got to be keeping ourselves as priority and as Kamal Ravikant says Love yourself like your Life depends on it. I is no philosophical kin dog quote, rather a reality.
We should not care much about what others think or feel outside our loved ones circle. As they really don't matter, their thinking of us makes us doubt our selves, make us timid and which id opposite of what we want to feel throughout the whole process. All of this is way easier said than done.
Every individual needs to held up their heads high with confidence to the level of delusion. Sitting in the cocon/shell no opportunity will come, one needs to just be bold enough to tell their story even if the chances are slim as even the mountaineers go to climb 8000 meter peaks even when their fatality has chances.