It was my freshman year at USC.
Coach Pete Carroll walked into our team meeting—same energy, same grin.
He paused, looked around the room, and said something I’ll never forget:
“Boys, it’s November… and that means it’s the 4th quarter of the season. And we don’t lose in the 4th quarter!”
That line hit different.
Because he wasn’t just talking about football.
He was talking about mindset. About life. About finishing.
In football, you can be losing after three quarters and still come back to win the game.
But only if you decide to.
The same is true for life and business.
You can start slow, face setbacks, or get knocked down—and still win.
If you commit to finishing the 4th quarter strong, you give yourself a chance to carry momentum, confidence, and clarity into the next year.
That’s how championships are built.
That’s how greatness is earned.
YOUR PURSUIT OF GREATNESS
Most people let the 4th quarter happen to them.
They get comfortable. Distracted. Tired.
They say things like,
“Let’s just get through the holidays,”
or, “We’ll pick it back up next year.”
But when you pursue greatness, you don’t live by chance—you live by choice.
You choose to show up when it’s cold, dark, and inconvenient.
You choose effort over excuses.
You choose to finish what you started.
When I think back to my time at USC, we had a record of 19–1 in the month of November over five years (including my redshirt season).
That didn’t happen by accident.
It happened because we decided that when others were slowing down, we were going to turn it up.
That’s what finishing looks like.
The holidays are coming.
The year’s winding down.
You’ve got two choices:
You can coast…
or you can finish.
One leads to regret.
The other leads to results.
So keep your foot on the gas.
Keep your focus on the goal.
When the clock strikes zero on December 31st, you’ll know—you didn’t wait for next year to start strong.
You finished strong.
And that’s how you enter the new year with momentum already on your side.
P.S. If you’re ready to start 2026 with clarity, connection, and confidence, join us for the Winning Edge Retreat this February in Palm Springs—a weekend built to help you reset, refocus, and reignite your pursuit of greatness.
