Tackle What's Next

ERIC WOOD played as an NFL Center for the Buffalo Bills. He was drafted in the first round of the 2009 NFL draft and retired in 2017 due to a neck injury. Now, Eric serves as the Buffalo Bills Radio Analyst, host of the “What’s Next with Eric Wood” podcast, and a motivational speaker.

• Foreword xiiiBy Sean McDermottPreface: You’re Right Where You Need to Be Right Now xv1 The Pivot Point 12 Examine Your Gifts 13Question 1: What Are You Good at Naturally? 15Question 2: What Have You Learned to Do Well? 16Question 3: What Do People Who Love YouSay Your Gifts Are? 17Question 4: What Are You Resisting? 20Adversity Is a Gift 23Key Takeaways 243 Choose a Greater Perspective 25Setback 1: Not Succeeding in Football Until Late in High School 28Setback 2: My Joe Theismann Leg Break 29Setback 3: My MCL Injury 33Setback 4: The Career-Ending Neck Injury 36Ways to Shift Your Perspective When You’re Stuck 38Key Takeaways 414 Create a Vision for Your Future 43Seeing Past the Moment 46Contemplate and Write Down Your Thoughts and Feelings 48Conquering Obstacles in the Way of Envisioning Your Ideal Self 50Key Takeaways 545 Examine Your Core Values 57Finding Your Core Values 58Getting Back into Alignment with Your Core Values 60Seeking Others Who Model Core Values You Want 61Define Your Hard Boundaries 63Once You Have Your Core Values, Write Them Down 64Design Your Life and Schedule Based on Your Core Values 67Having the Courage to Reach Out 68Key Takeaways 706 Focus On Your Health 71Your Unique Health Focus Requires Vision and Perspective 72Early Health Sacrifices in My Football Career 73After Football: Getting My Long-Term Health Back on Track 74Developing New Habits 75Dealing with Traumatic Brain Injury 76The Three Pillars of Recovery 77Key Takeaways 847 Get into a Routine That Sets You Up for Success 87The Built-In Routine of the NFL 90The Struggle of Finding a New Routine 92High Performers Have Similar Routines for Success 93The New Routine That Works for Me 94Intentionality: You Get to Decide How Your Day Will Go 97Gratitude Changes Everything 98Intentionality the Night Before Can Enhance Your Whole Next Day 101Become a Super-Learner 102Habit Stacking 103Key Takeaways 1048 Starting Your Day with Wins and Building Momentum 107How Small Wins Add to Your Momentum 108Building Confidence Through Wins 109How Morning Wins Can Help You Mitigate Small Setbacks 111Remembering Big Wins Can Get You Through Significant Setbacks 112Gaining Momentum from Wins Requires Accountability 113Boundaries and Systems: Built-In Accountability for Wins 115Maintaining Unstoppable Momentum Part 1: Daily Process 117Maintaining Unstoppable Momentum Part 2: Support System 118Maintaining Unstoppable Momentum Part 3: Removing Distractions 120Standards over Feelings 121Don’t Let Positive Momentum Seduce You (Keep Doing the Thing!) 122Overcoming Negative Momentum 123Growing Your Confidence and Process Goals 125Looking Back at How Far You’ve Come 125Key Takeaways 1269 Serve Others 129How I Came to Adopt a Serving Others Mentality 130My Challenges with Serving Others After My Pivot Point 131The Long-Term Benefits of Generosity and Serving Others 132The Unexpected Benefits of Serving Even When You Are at a Pivot Point 136Finding Ways to Serve in All the Buckets of Your Life 137Internal Challenges of a Serving Mentality 139Servant Leadership 140Key Takeaways 14310 Fill Your Mind with What You Want to Show Up in Your Life 145The Sea of Thoughts 146Self-Limiting Beliefs 146The Power of Media 149The Power of Choosing Your Thoughts 150How I Filled My Mind in College Football 153How I Filled My Mind in the NFL 154How to Start Filling Your Mind Intentionally 155Don’t Limit Yourself 157Key Takeaways 15811 Examine the People You Are Spending the Most Time With 161The Profound Influence of the People You Spend the Most Time With 162Your Profound Influence on Others 164Spend Time with People You Can Learn From 166Find Groups to Learn from Others at an Advanced Level 169Moving On and Letting Go 173Key Takeaways 17312 Be Coachable 175First, Be Accountable 175Be Willing to Be Uncomfortable 179Practice Humility and Confidence at the Same Time 181Hold Yourself to a Higher Standard by Seeking Coaching 182Push Your Limits 184Pivot and Be Flexible 186The Best Coaching Is Ongoing 188Key Takeaways 18913 Control What You Can Control 191Intentionality and Self-Discipline: How Badly Do You Want It? 193Consistency Comes from Preparation 195Be a Champion for Your High Standards of Performance 197With Great Preparation Comes Great Confidence 198Key Takeaways 201About the Author 203Index 205