Describe your ideal reading experience (when, where, what, how).
peace! I need peace. I usually read books in my office. There is a special peace and joy there, and no one can disturb that moment. I read books to gain deeper meaning, deeper understanding, and to edify myself.
What book (fiction or non-fiction) best captures the game of football as you know it?
Bible. This book has been a lifelong guide – on and off the field, in and out of the boardroom, and throughout the home.
What’s the best book you’ve ever received as a gift?
“The little engine that can.” This book completely changed my life and is my favorite book after the Bible.
Several engines passed through that train. Because it was too good or too powerful. This and that were the same. And since it doesn’t fit the ideal description, I didn’t dare waste my time. Some of you in life don’t “fit the ideal description” and are trying to get over that track. Sitting on the side of the road, on that track, waiting and saying, “I think I can do it, I think I can do it.” What are you going to cling to in life to get to the other side where you can bless others? many Do people believe in you?
You wrote a book about winning after a losing season as a coach. Why should our readers take your advice?
See, my definition of winning is a lot different than yours. If we win on the field but lose some of our players in the classroom — have we won? If we win on the field and excel in the classroom, but none of us make it to the pros — have we won? If we have done all of the above and yet some players find themselves in trouble and foolishness in life — have we won? Winning has nothing to do with the scoreboard. Winning has to do with the inner feelings of life. I’m here to help drive change and drive people’s lives on and off the field. What is your definition?
How would you guide a writer who is having trouble with their work?
I need to find out first. WHO he or she and what they. What are his goals and ambitions? What is the purpose of their writing? Because everything in life must have a purpose. As I say in my book, you need a reason, a rabbit. It’s something that’s right in front of you and achievable so you can keep building and reach your destination.
Is this a book to read or a book to listen to?
both! Personally, I like to have a physical copy so I can jot down notes and go back and remember specific passages that caught my attention. That said, it was also very important to me to be able to record audio with my books. Straight from the source, raw and intimate.
How do you know this book is a success?
You might not know it 10 years later when you’re passing through the airport or the grocery store and someone tells you that they read your book and stay on the right when they were ready to go left.
Which member of your football team would you most like to see write an autobiography?
Tim Green, who I played with on the Atlanta Falcons, has written several books. I love him, I respect him, he is a great novelist. I want to read his autobiography.
Who would you like to write your life story to?
my man! The one and only John Maxwell.
Why him?
Because John Maxwell is an informative, inspiring and intelligent man. He is an amazing storyteller. He is wise…he is thoughtful…he is exciting!
You are organizing a literary dinner. Are you inviting three writers, one dead and one living?
John Maxwell, Clarence Jones (Martin Luther King Jr.’s orator), and Don Yeager, who wrote my book with me.
