Mental Fitness
"You either win or you learn."
Winning is a mindset that requires losing to develop. If you study the greats in any field, you’ll uncover a universal truth: growth is forged through adversity. Back in 2020, I spent a lot of time on a series called "Name Your Hero," unpacking “the hero’s journey” and exploring how one cultivates a #heromindset. This year, Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles have shown us, over the course of two years, what that journey looks like on the world stage.
To truly appreciate the lesson of winning in 2025, we must first look back to 2023. I’d argue this is a lesson every great writer should internalize, notarize, and hold dear. It’s one of the reasons I admire interviews with champions like Hurts—they offer rare insights into the mental fitness it takes to step into the arena: to train, to lose, to win, and to handle the pressure of it all. It’s about developing the perseverance to endure both the highs and the lows. As writers, we should aim to bring that same heart and confidence to the page, especially after facing multiple rejections. After all, one man’s Poe is another man’s Twain.
I came across two YouTube clips of Jalen Hurts that perfectly capture this journey and highlight the kind of leader he is. The first is from the 2023 Super Bowl, when the Eagles faced the Kansas City Chiefs. The game ended in a loss for Philadelphia, and the clip shows Hurts fumbling the ball—an epic mistake that ultimately cost his team the game. But what followed was the true test of mental fitness. In the immediate aftermath, during the post-game interview, Hurts sits at the press conference while a reporter asks, “How do you feel?”
A question that must have hit like vinegar on an open wound. But how does our hero, Jalen Hurts, respond?
No tears. No anger.
He looks the camera in the eye and calmly says, “You either win, or you learn.”
Fast forward two years—through teamwork, sacrifice, and relentless hustle—and the Eagles are back in the 2025 Super Bowl, facing the same team. What did Jalen Hurts and his teammates learn? Oh boy. Like the predators they’re named after, the Eagles unleashed a defense so dominant that I found myself cringing on the couch, feeling the pain on the screen. Then came the offense, led by Hurts, who guided his team to greatness, to unity, and ultimately to victory—because he did exactly what he said he would: he learned. After securing the elixir, as confetti rained down, a reporter approached Hurts on the field and asked the same question: “How do you feel?”
Hurts first gives glory to God, who is greater than all the highs and lows, then credits his team: “I couldn’t do any of this without the guys around me. We have a special group this year. We learned from the past, got some new pieces, and got over that hump.”
It’s a sentiment that echoes something Tom Brady once said: “When a quarterback loses, you take all the blame. When you win, you give all the credit.” Success leaves clues, and champions like Hurts and Brady share a #heromindset—a commitment to the journey of self-actualization.
As writers, the wins, tests, and rewards will be different, but the #heromindset required to achieve your personal greatness is the same. It reminds me of Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick. When it was first published, the book was largely ignored, and Melville himself died without seeing it hailed as a masterpiece. But much like Jalen Hurts and his journey, Moby-Dick teaches us that greatness often comes with struggle, rejection, and time. The rewards of perseverance may not be immediate, but the lessons learned along the way—whether in football or writing—are invaluable. Go Birds!
