and what does it take to be the best
everything everything you can't you're
gonna have self doubts you're gonna have
tough moments you're gonna have
everything you know you're gonna have
people talking bad about you people
putting you down getting caught you know
it takes getting up in the morning and
doing the same thing you know I
understand people talk about a lot of
mental toughness right
many toughness you meditate and stuff
for me honestly mental toughness is
getting up in the morning and doing the
same thing day in and day out
Dane and they are for whatever you take
whatever that goal is you know and by
doing that you became the best you know
and it takes everything I mean you have
to I mean the three aces that I love you
know suffer you know a sacrifice suffer
sacrifice equal success you gotta suffer
you know it's gonna be it's gonna suck
you know like I mean I worked what 15
hours a day I'll get up you know and
then trying to stay in shape imagine
that as yeah the 17-year old European in
Boston spoken English it was a lot of
suffer a lot of sacrifice you know I
don't have any friends or girlfriend or
anywhere to go right I was just working
working working working and then success
can be you know later because I build
this foundation so takes everything you
know but it's not for long you know
people think that to be greater to be
something really good it's a lifetime
it's not no because once you achieve
that that's another thing right but by
building the right foundation day in and
day out you achieve something and that
leads to another thing opens up to a
different
it takes everything you know and what is
everything is your mind in your body you
know people are wishful thinkers you
know I want to be the best I want to be
rich I want to lose weight whatever that
you know the wishful thinking is you
know but I hate to take the steps or
they take the steps and it's hard you
know change is hard you know changing
your body changing your mind is very
hard and people stop and people come to
certain point they bring
so everything is making up your mind
mentally and not giving up but also
physically pushing through your hearts
if you know when it hurt to be an
Olympian right you spent four years for
two weeks or maybe one week because you
might lose and get out so it's a you
know it's a crazy work work force and
discipline and mindset right so to be
able to play in Greece and then go have
a chance to go to China I was blown away
by my by my ability right when you call
about self-doubt I'm like there's no
self-doubt I know I'm the man so I was
the captain I was at peak of you know
the peak of my career we just lost him
in Athens and as a group we were young
group that joined the team in 2000 we
were young in Athens and then we made a
pact to ourselves that we're gonna win
gold in China we actually made a plan
how when why right and we went to work
we went to work and slowly you know
build that the foundation in 2007 now I
was in Italy playing for the best team I
was the captain making ton of money and
then I turn and then my achilles snap I
fall down in tremendous pain because
there's two ways to actually actually
this one comes out we can walk and go to
the doctor the second one is the hardest
thing it snaps in half so I fall down
and I seen my foot hanging and I can
move my toes I mean my toes I'm like I'm
trying to my cane I'm just crying
because there's so much pain and shock
the doctor comes in and are persisting
in that he leaves and just
it was harsh and I was like oh it's your
Achilles and I knew read untold that
vision is done I mean when he said that
I was like no and I just burst into
tears
seven years to build this and you know
the truly American Dream and hardship
it's over in a matter of one minute
myself dad was like I'm done with you
SAT and that scared me you know because
for me what that was most important
thing not professionally not the money
you know being part of the USA team and
a group of guys and that you know that
amazing tournament is just you know
there's nothing like that in life you
know it was all the experience it in
Greece and now I'm the captain of a team
so there was the number one self doubt
and that you know kind of stroke of fear
I mean I had to sit 26 days with a leg
up above your heart not move anything
and a lot of thoughts came to my mind
you know I mean thoughts about quitting
out of 32
thank God wasn't social media back then
so you know can be good you know
couldn't bad right but you know friends
were supportive but they're like you
know man 30 to maybe take the
real-estate test you know maybe think
about the future maybe think about that
and then once all these people start
doubting I start pushing me away you
know even my parents you know my parents
were still conservative in working on a
small job you know in the small town say
you know sound I mean awesome and you
made it like what else you want you know
like
you're the man like you know for bein
Ian that you're God that's it but I want
to be the best player in the world and I
didn't achieve that dream you know since
11 since 9 I thought my dream has been
to be the best in the world so why this
injury will stop me so I started
researching I said what is the comeback
time for Achilles I start doing a lot of
research and I start I made a bet with
myself was weird one of his knights you
know immediately as I got better I'd
wait to three months to fly back to USA
I was drinking wine you know and I
couldn't walk so you know still with
with crushes and I say you know what
it's gonna be a test between me and I
kidding
honestly I mean that was like I made a
bet with myself I'm like who's gonna win
so my mind started working on that
moment in a moment of like okay how long
does it take what work do I have to do
how to do it where and then once I had
the plan I just wake up every morning I
was the first one at the USA team and
eyes and stretch and the last one to go
so was just a simple bet near near the
leg and I want
at the Olympic team every four years the
summer of Olympics the cost comes in it
brings all the guys about 30 40 guys I
try out for you know four years and then
she sits down and tells the team who
makes her or not it's a very very
ruthless decision right and the coach
comes in and he said you know put a list
of a team and I I got upset the first
time Tom that I became Albanian man I I
the Albanian of me came out now just
became angry and loud you know like why
do you know while cutting me like you
know stupid I crazy and I'm cussing at
the coach he's like he gets it thank God
you know he took the high road you know
just coming down and we're just talking
for two hours and and I was crushed you
know like I kind of went back to that
old mentality you know and that summer I
kind of give up you know that summer I
was drinking playing beach volleyball
for fun it was weird it was just very
odd mix of feelings and I didn't know
how to control them I had no idea back
then I was engaged and then break up
with my with my fiance - I start dotting
everything right and my Italian team
that I was playing had a big contract
for three years massive amount of money
and they cut me they said we're gonna
pay you you know you're not ready yet
I'm like I'm ready look at me I'm
jumping I'm running no you're done
so that month of August was was very
dark 2008 I made the dream I was top of
the mountain and the newest matter all
the course I went took a second of
nobody
I just wanted to kind of get lost
forget about Europe USA team and
everything I shall should be on my own
it was the best medicine ever you know
because that's when you really find
yourself you gotta hit rock bottom when
they say right and I realized that I was
painting everybody else by myself I was
like man I plan to coach my fiance the
team the Italian manager everybody but
me first time in my life that I was
maybe I'd become too cocky or confident
I don't know but I realized I was
blaming everybody else by myself so I
made another bet with myself I said I'll
never
from this moment on I'll never allow
anybody or anything else to dictate my
life it's gonna be my way and I called
the coach like I wanna try out I'll
study 3:30 for the coach that are you
crazy I'm like I wanna try out you
couldn't look at the bottom of the list
I want to learn it that and went to work
instead of getting a crappy contract I
went to Italy got a cheap contract and I
proved myself again and I became the
rest of the world
you gotta hit that you know it's about
experience so I think like if you don't
have that experience if you're not
confident to go through this experience
there are people when the people when
people go through tough times they
protect themselves they go into this
show right it goes and we as humans as
you know you know our mind you know from
back back in the day was to protect
yourself you know from fire from
fighting so human mind is always kind of
like being to be no risk it's not good
for you you know to go hike over the
mountain right it's bad for you right
everything is bad and I was like no no
no I mean I could be I have to take this
raise I have to push myself out to
suffer you know after sacrifice in order
to achieve that success otherwise I'll
never be that guy that I wanted to
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first of all to get up every day and not
work others you know being a great
teammate you know being great part of
whatever team that is you know whatever
wherever you are at school with your
friends
that's force you know being a great
person around your teammates you know
and lastly it's like don't burn bridges
I told my kids you know cuz hours I went
through a lot of ups and downs you know
I I you know I burned few bridges by
mistake you know I had mental those
bridges now you know I went back and
apologized you know because I was in a
dark space but you know I say you know
it's you as good as a person next to you
know you as good as that mentor or
business person or teacher or coach you
know you know you know alone is very
hard to make it you know people will
actually help you if you ask for help
but you got to show them that you are
hardworking a good person and then
success always comes whatever that is
monetary or passion or whatever that is
for you you know it always comes if you
do that work it's not going to come to
you nobody's gonna give it to you
but you know when things are hard when
you're in a dark place they're still
light you know it's just a matter of you
know switching your mentality and I was
switching that thought process and
continue to work for the right thing and
it's not scary just because they sound
scary they're not scary you know it's
just the way you look at them