Tackle What’s Next

About the Author

Eric Wood, a former NFL player and accomplished podcaster, is a motivational speaker who has inspired countless individuals to own their story, stack wins, and achieve their goals in both business and life. With a successful career in football, Eric has experienced firsthand the highs and lows of professional sports, which has equipped him with unique insights into resilience, preparation, and personal growth. His book, Tackle What’s Next: Own Your Story, Stack Wins, and Achieve Your Goals in Business and Life, is a testament to his dedication to helping others navigate life's challenges and emerge victorious.

Main Idea

In Tackle What’s Next, Eric Wood presents a comprehensive guide to embracing life's transitions and challenges with a proactive mindset. The book is built on the premise that everyone can prepare to win in any endeavor, but not everyone does. Through a blend of personal anecdotes, practical advice, and motivational insights, Eric provides readers with the tools to examine their gifts, create a vision for their future, align with their core values, and establish routines that set them up for success.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction: Your Time is Now
2. Examine Your Gifts
3. Create a Vision for Your Future
4. Examine Your Core Values
5. Get into a Routine that Sets You Up for Success
6. Starting Your Day with Wins and Building Momentum
7. Fill Your Mind with What You Want to Show Up in Your Life
8. Examine the People You are Spending the Most Time With
9. Control What You Can Control

Introduction: Your Time is Now

Eric Wood begins by addressing the reader directly, emphasizing that now is the perfect time to get prepared for what’s next. Whether you are going through a rough transition or feel on top of your game, this book aims to help you make the most of your current situation. Eric's philosophy is rooted in the belief that everyone is right where they need to be, even if it doesn’t make sense at the moment. This chapter sets the stage for the rest of the book, encouraging readers to embrace the present as an opportunity to prepare for future success.

"No matter how comfortable or uncomfortable you are, or what the circumstances of your life might be, no matter where you are in the world or what you have done or not done, now is the perfect time to get prepared." - Eric Wood

Examine Your Gifts

Eric Wood emphasizes the importance of recognizing and leveraging one’s natural gifts as the foundation for achieving success. He introduces four questions to help readers identify their unique strengths:

• What Are You Good at Naturally? These are the things you seem born to do or were born with by luck.
• What Have You Learned to Do Well? These are skills developed from natural talents honed over time.
• What Do People Who Love You Say Your Gifts Are? Often, those closest to you can see your strengths more clearly than you can.
• What Are You Resisting? Sometimes, resistance indicates an area of hidden potential.

"You have more tools in your utility belt than you give yourself credit for." - Eric Wood

By answering these questions, individuals can gain a clearer understanding of their capabilities and how to use them effectively to overcome challenges and achieve their goals. Recognizing and embracing adversity as a means to reveal and strengthen one's gifts is a recurring theme in Eric's message.

Adversity as a Tool for Growth

One of the biggest challenges in life is to see beyond the adversity that life throws at us from nearly the moment we start breathing. Eric believes that adversity is a gift in and of itself that can reveal more of your other gifts. Having a greater sense of perspective and learning how to interpret and use adversity in a positive way will fundamentally improve your quality of life. Success is nearly impossible without this skill.

"Adversity is a gift in and of itself that can reveal more of your other gifts." - Eric Wood

Eric’s insights encourage readers to reframe their challenges as opportunities for growth and to use these experiences to uncover and develop their innate talents.