Happen to things. Don't let things happen to you.
J.P. Montalvan • February 13, 2023
"Happen to things, don't let things happen to you.”
— Stephen R. Covey
photo courtesy of Bridle Up Hope and All-Pro Reels
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Britain Covey’s journey to the Super Bowl as a Philadelphia Eagle isn’t the story of someone destined to be there. He didn’t let things just happen to him.
At 5-foot-8 and 170 pounds, Britain isn’t someone you’d pick to be an NFL player. He was told he was too small to play high school football, but by his junior year he was the starting quarterback. He was told he was too small to play college football, but by the time he left he was the all-time punt return leader for the University of Utah.
But Britain did have one advantage growing up — his grandfather was Stephen R. Covey, the award-winning educator, author and businessman. Stephen wrote the “7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” which has sold over 20 million copies worldwide.
Of the 7 habits, Stephen R. Covey said Habit #2 was “begin with the end in mind.” That’s the first part of the journey to being your best — a journey I call “Finding Your W.H.Y.”
The journey to finding your W.H.Y. starts by being crystal clear on “What do you want?”
On December 10, 2021, Britain wrote that after going from being a "scrawny" quarterback to college record holder, he was ready for the next chapter. “In pursuit of another childhood dream, I’ll be preparing for the 2022 NFL draft in hopes that someone takes a chance on me.” He went undrafted, but was signed as a free agent by the Eagles.
The second part of being your best by finding your W.H.Y. is “How will you get there?” As I study the best people across various fields, it's clear that your best “how” has 3 parts — a strong mindset, smart tactics and consistent execution.
Britain’s strong mindset was clear. “You kinda had to get your head in the right space because you didn’t want to be motivated by fear of failure,” he said about working to make the Eagles' roster of 55 players. He was smart with his tactics and what his grandfather talks about in Habit #7 — “sharpen the saw.” That’s all about continuously improving.
So he studied his veteran teammates. “More than anything, you watch their processes — how they go about things, the little drills they do, things that no one sees, things that no one is going to write about. That’s what I love to watch about them. That’s a lesson I’ll take out of football as well,” he said.
Then he had to execute his “how” consistently. He was waived during final cuts before the start of the 2022 season, but was brought back on the Eagles’ practice squad. Eventually he was signed to the active roster. “Since Week 6, I think, our unit has been top 3 in the league in punt returns,” he said, with 33 punt returns and a 9.3 yards-per-return average. “You just do what you can, and you learn.” That’s someone who is clearly executing.
The last part of being your best by finding your W.H.Y.” is envisioning “who You will be” and making sure you’re really aligned with that vision. If you're not really linked to that vision, you may need to go back and redefine what you want.
Britain was clearly aligned with his vision. “In a way, I’ve kind of had tunnel vision this whole year, and even this week,” he said leading up to the Super Bowl.
After all his hard work, we may not see Britain play in the Super Bowl — he landed on the injury report late last week with a hamstring injury. But a Super Bowl Championship ring might still be his by the end of the day.
Britain is clearly someone who has found his best by finding his W.H.Y.
As you think about being your best, I encourage you to, in Stephen R. Covey's words, happen to things. Consider spending less time just living and more time finding your W.H.Y.
Here’s to being on that journey with you.
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