Nate’s Notes 69: Chad Lewis | Walking On and Counting Your Blessings

Chad Lewis’ Lessons:

I love Chad Lewis and I bet you will too.

First:

Embrace being a walk on. Life is hard. It hits you in the face again and again and again. So, we all need to learn how to walk on. Chad first walked on at BYU. Then he walked on to the Eagles, the Rams, and the Eagles again. There’s no buying your way on to the team. You can’t fake your way in. You have to earn it. When Chad finished playing football, he had to walk on again in his professional career. There’s beauty in earning your peers’ respect, and there’s joy in the hard pioneer journey. In the words of Robert Frost: Life is terrible. There’s no way out. Only through. 

Second:

Count your blessings, not your problems, because whatever we count multiplies. When Chad’s dad got sick and lost the use of the left side of his body, he didn’t sulk. He had a burning desire to walk again, to not complain and to see the good in the world and other people. And Chad’s mom responded in kind. In their most intense grief and pain, Chad’s mom bought a journal from the gift shop of the hospital and created the blessing book. As the family gathered for prayer each night, they wrote down their blessings from the day. And sometimes it was as simple as writing down the cookies they received from neighbors. But by counting their blessings, their blessings multiplied. 

In summary, life is about walking on and counting our blessings all the while…being grateful when you don’t have a locker. 

It’s a simple idea. Please take it seriously.

Chad Lewis Bio:

Chad Lewis radiates positivity and energy. He’s a three-time pro-bowl football player who played tight end for the Philadelphia Eagles and Andy Reid and the St. Louis Rams. Prior to the NFL, Chad made a name for himself at BYU, where he initially joined the team as a walk on, non-scholarship player, and eventually became a scholarship all-conference player. Chad is also the author of the memoir, Surround Yourself with Greatness, a memoir that inspired me to write my own memoir. Chad currently serves as Associate Athletic Director at BYU, he is married to the volleyball All-American and BYU Hall of Fame member Michele Fellows, and together they have five children.

I hope you enjoy learning from Chad Lewis today…and getting inspired by him, because I always do.