In 2023, I took a job as the quarterbacks coach at Wingate University, a Division II program where I earned a whopping starting salary of $27,000. Eventually, it was bumped up to $32,000... (Let’s gooo!)
When I arrived at Wingate, I had a one track mind. I wanted to add tremendous value, move on quickly, and continue rising through the coaching ranks.
That is exactly what happened.
In my second year of coaching, I made a significant leap and was hired as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Northern Iowa, an FCS program.
During my time at Wingate, I remember my former high school basketball coach telling me, “Luke, enjoy it all. These are the good days.”
Initially, I brushed it off and went right back to pursuing the next goal. But he was right.
Looking back, there was so much I loved about my time at Wingate: the players, the coaching staff, living in North Carolina, and my development as a coach. I don’t think I fully appreciated that part of the journey while I was living it.
It was the same story for me in college as a walk on. Those walk on days were the good days. The struggle, the grind, the development, the relationships, and the memories I made along the way were all part of what made that time so special.
I think a lot of people eventually come to this same realization. We become so focused on the task at hand and determined to reach the next level that we forget to enjoy the process and appreciate the moments that make up the journey.
The reality is that when the journey is over and you have finally climbed the mountain, it will not be about the picture perfect photo you take at the top.
It will be about the climb along the way.
I want to remember that during every phase and stage of my life.
Right now, we have a three year old and a newborn. We are in the “parent trenches,” haha. But even in the middle of the sleepless nights, the crying, and the chaos, we hear people who have already walked through this stage tell us, “Enjoy it. It goes by quickly.”
So I will end with something I wrote last year and included in my book, The Mind Strength Playbook:
Easy Easy,
-Luke Falk
