Is there a right way to live life? For thousands of years, this question has been at the heart of some of the most influential shapers of modern living.

World religions and philosophical leaders, ranging from Plato to Epictetus to Immanuel Kant, have thought deeply about the ethos of living “right.” Even before Pythagoras first coined the term philosophy, many have worked to articulate principles designed to guide thoughts and behaviors.

In the purest form, the search for wisdom is at the heart of forming and/or committing to a philosophy. A philosophy is the most basic beliefs, values, and guiding principles that impact your thoughts and actions.

Coach Pete Carroll has a philosophy. It’s clear to him. He’s found it to be extremely powerful to help himself and others to become the very best version of themselves:

Always Compete.

For him, his philosophy to compete guides him to be-his-very-best as a father, a husband, a coach and a friend. In his words, he’s “on a relentless pursuit to do it better than it’s ever been done before.” That includes building relationships and building cultures that can drive repeatable success.

Coach Carroll has been down the windy path of mastery. He can speak from an authentic place of both success and the external and internal setbacks and obstacles that accompany the striving to understand. His relationship with football is marked by the regard his has for his coaches, players and opponents.

Pete Carroll is the head coach and executive vice president of the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. He is a former head coach of the New York JetsNew England Patriots, and the USC Trojans of the University of Southern California (USC). He has a list of accomplishments that provide evidence of his understanding of what it takes to generate repeatable success. He is one of a very small number of coaches who have won both a super bowl and a college national championship in football.

He doesn’t talk about past success.

He doesn’t become consumed with what is yet to come.

He lives engaged in maximizing wherever his feet are.

“When we’re at our best, there isn’t a future and there isn’t a past, you’re just there in the moment.”

In This Episode:

  • Why having a chip on his shoulder helped shape him
  • The importance of being present
  • How competition fuels him
  • Why you can’t be afraid of failure
  • Creating your own reality
  • Helping others become optimistic
  • The moment he knew he had a different vision for coaching
  • Relationship-based approach to coaching
  • Why he doesn’t need to talk about winning
  • Dealing with difficult outcomes
  • The moments between the moments
  • The importance of the Seahawks culture
  • How he instills a risk-taking mentality in his players
  • Getting to the truth of what went wrong when mistakes happen
  • Why it all comes downs love

SeaCarolOct15-109 (1)

Quotables:

“When we’re at our best, there isn’t a future and there isn’t a past, you’re just there in the moment.”

“When you’re a competitor you don’t rest, you’re either competing or you’re not. You’re either working at doing better or you’re going the wrong direction. You can’t be easily satisfied. There’s more fun to be had.”

“The magic begins when somebody decides I think this can occur.”

“To help someone find their best, I need to figure them out. I need to figure out how to best communicate with them. What do they need that they don’t even know they need?”

“Being caught up in the result of something, whether you won or you lost, can affect your next outcome as well. Let it go and forget about it.”

On Seahawks culture: “If I’m not living it, how can I expect anyone else to? It’s about being as available and involved as possible. You can’t sit on your butt and do that.”

“Being able to take risks is what gives you the chance to do great things. How do you deal with it? By building and constructing a foundation of trust in yourself and in those around you.”

Listen, Watch & Subscribe

Related Episodes

For a complete list of all Finding Mastery sponsors, vanity URLs & discount codes, visit Our Sponsors.
Stay up-to-date with the latest high performance and wellbeing podcasts and content with the Finding Mastery weekly newsletter.