This week, Denzel Washington delivered an inspiring message about perseverance, purpose and teamwork to the University of Colorado football team.
“When you pray for rain, you gotta deal with the mud too,” Washington told the players. “But eventually good things grow out of that mud. Or fame ain’t all it’s made up to be. Power and privilege and fame and wealth. Hopefully you’ll see, but it’s not all it’s all made up to be. So yeah, you can pray that it rains on you, but you got to deal with the mud. You’ll be looking up and look down and realize you’re seven feet deep in mud. It’s thick. People don’t like it.”
He challenged the team to stay grounded and not seek validation from the world.
“We are in the world, but don’t be of it,” he said. “Don’t rely on it for your happiness. Rely on the Almighty. Do not rely on this world for your happiness. Because it’ll tell you Tuesday that they love you and Wednesday that they hate you. They probably said that about your team. You know, it’s not consistent.”
Washington encouraged them to see every challenge as an opportunity to grow.
“Today is an opportunity to be the best you that you can be,” he said. “Whatever comes your way, whatever obstacles come your way, what an opportunity to overcome them and do better. C student, what an opportunity you have to be a B student. A student, what an opportunity you have to help that C student. Help each other. Protect each other. That’s why they call it a team. You’re a unit.”
And in true Denzel fashion, he added a little motivation: “Now I’m not a prophet, but I’mma say this now. If y’all don’t send me a ticket to the national championship when you get there, then don’t ever act like you don’t ever go to none of my movies ever again. I don’t want to know you.”
He left them with one final encouragement: “You are going to the national championship. Now some of you may not go with this team, but you’re going to the national championship in life anyway. God bless you. I love you. Good luck to you.”
Check out the full talk here:
