In 3rd grade I wrote a letter to my future self which I’d receive at 22.

Inside was a declaration, “I’ll be the starting point guard for the Chicago Bulls.”

I wasn’t PG, but I did have my dream job. So how, 15 years later, did I end up in.. tech?!

Who’s up for a story?

1/ Growing up in the Jordan era, the thought of anything other than playing for the Bulls never really crossed my mind.

Evident to everyone but me, that unfortunately wasn’t in the cards.

Still, rather than give up my dream, I thought it wise to have a back up - just in case...

2/ Even with no scholarship offers, I worked on my game every day, certain I’d walk-on.

Meanwhile, I began crafting my “backup plan” to be a strength coach for the Bulls by 35.

Unsure where to begin I eagerly took a job wiping down equipment and folding towels at my local YMCA.

3/ Still uncertain how to get there, I knew this was my “in.”

I sought out anyone gracious enough to withstand my barrage of questions, from the strongest guy at the gym to the old timers.

I had something to learn from everyone. I soaked it all up and read everything I could.

4/ I realized knowing was only half the battle. For the other half; success leaves clues.

So I studied the best in the world. What was their path? I beat down doors, unwilling to settle for “no”

2.5 years of no’s w/ @UWBadgers, til finally they relented. I had caught my break!

5/ This was my chance.

I worked with every team I could from 5am & again in the evening. Often skipping class to coach training sessions.

While my professors may not have seen much of me that year, the Bulls noticed.

Upon graduation, I had landed my dream job.

6/ Always one to dream big, even in my excitement, all I could think was, “what next?”

I realized I had set the bar too low and in the process unintentionally created a ceiling for myself.

So while I soaked up every second in Chicago, I continued to edit the vision...

7/ After 4 years living my dream, @BoilerBall came calling and it was time to build a program of my own.

Little did I know the impact the next 7 years would have on my life and career.

I wrote in-depth about the program and culture we built, here https://leadersinsport.com/performance/art-relationship-based-coaching/

8/ Despite all the success, I knew my story was still being written.

And so, for the first time since 3rd grade, I dared to think what I could accomplish in another 15 years.

Rather than being an @NBA strength coach, I thought, why couldn’t I be the General Manager?!

9/ Drawing from my childhood journey to the @chicagobulls I knew I had to start by building the path.

Again, I studied the best. And who better than the man who broke the two biggest curses in baseball, Theo Epstein.

Two things stood out; his grind and the JD behind his name.

10/ So, the scholar I was not, I decided 2 months was plenty of time to prepare for the LSAT.

This was my new path. I was all set, even getting accepted to several prestigious law schools.

Then, as life so often does, I was thrown a curveball...

11/ An astrophysicist, a guy who helped build the first ever iPhone, and the first employee at some company I’d never heard of called @DoorDash wanted me to help them build a fitness tech company.

It would revolutionize healthcare they said, and improve the lives of millions.

12/ Surely this was some scam to get my bank account, I thought.

Still, as crazy as it sounded, I had nothing to lose. After all, I was going to law school to follow in Theo’s footsteps.

One conversation, and yet again I realized I had set the bar too low.

13/ I was quickly swept away in the vision to build something that would change the world.

But there was also the reality, 99% of all startups fail. Why would this be any different?

Law school was going to be hard, this was going to be impossible.

Plus, law school was safe...

14/ Leaning on the counsel of trusted friends & mentors, I was told to expect this would fail in one year. No matter what.

So naturally, I chose to bet on myself. Because, what if it didn’t fail...

And as @andrewRM3 said, “I’d hate for you to read about @futurefitapp one day.”

15/ Most days I didn’t think I’d make it a year. Still, I kept showing up.

Nearly 3 years later, I’ve hired 100 amazing coaches, we’re helping 1000’s of people, and we’ve raised millions of dollars.

What’s next? I’m still figuring that out, but til then I’ll keep showing up...

16/ Before I begin sharing more lessons I’ve learned, I thought it important to first tell my story.

I hope you enjoyed it!

And for more inspiration on Theo’s story I highly recommend ‘The Cubs Way’ by Tom Verducci.

It literally changed my life! https://www.amazon.com/Cubs-Way-Building-Baseball-Breaking/dp/0804190011

17/ And for more on the power of showing up, check out my recent thread here.

I’m just getting started, but I hope this provides a bit of inspiration to “just start” and take a leap of your own! https://twitter.com/jbonhotal/status/1332489362739609601