Learn from the GOAT - Nick Saban

Mediocre people don’t like high achievers.

And high achievers don’t need to like mediocre people.

I see this every single day in my work as a drug abuse counselor.

Kids want to go back to their old routines, their old environments, their old people. Not because it’s good for them. But because it’s familiar. Because growth demands a standard, and standards expose who you are.

Here’s the truth most people don’t want to hear:

The environment always wins.

Every time.

You don’t “accidentally” fall back into bad habits. You walk back into environments that support them. Your life is run by habits, and your habits are shaped by your environment.

When I was using drugs and f-ing around, I avoided places and people that held me to a higher standard. I didn’t go to the gym. I didn’t go to school. Not because I couldn’t. Because those environments would’ve forced me to confront who I wasn’t.

That’s not spiritual. That’s practical.

Take church, the gym, school, work, discipline. Strip the labels away. They all represent standards. And if you’re living beneath your potential, standards feel threatening.

Misery loves company. Mediocrity loves permission.

So let me challenge you, man, if you’re reading this.

Start with your environment.

Start with your bedroom.

Start with your phone. Your social media is an environment. Curate it or it will rot you.

Start with your body. Your body is the vehicle that moves you through every environment you’re in.

When my mental health slips, I know the signs.

My hygiene goes.

My purpose fades.

Then I stop showing up altogether.

That’s mediocrity creeping back in.

You don’t fix that with motivation. You fix it with structure and accountability.

Clean your room.

Train your body.

Fix your inputs.

Read something.

Slow down.

Do something hard.

Not because anyone expects it from you. No one does.

But because mediocrity compounds, and so does discipline.

Nick Saban said it best. Mediocrity is a choice.

So ask yourself:

Where am I still being mediocre?

Am I scared to look stupid?

Am I scared to try?

Am I self-handicapping?

Be honest.

Then stop negotiating with yourself.

Be a dog.

Be a warrior.

Optimize your environment.

And get it done.