There are a couple things that are a must in my locker room, first and foremost is my headphones. Nothing special about them, just the normal set you get when you order your new phone. That way I can plug in and listen to music before the game, the variety of shit I listen to is insane and it can vary from blues music to European dance depending on what I'm feeling. Second most important thing in the locker would be the photo of me when I was a kid, my very first football team: the Flint Wolves. I'm about 7 years old in the pic, sitting on a field with dead, brown grass and a big ass grin on my face. It reminds me of where I came from, a broke town in the middle of the Great Recession but more importantly it reminds me of what's remained constant throughout this life I've lived: the love of football. When I look at that young photo of me the first thing I notice is how happy I am to be there. Now, I make millions of dollars playing the game I love, but for that to happen there was all of those miserable 2-a-days in the middle of Michigan, there was the end of season games in -10 degree weather where it felt like your feet would break every time you hit the cold, rigid turf. I've always been a simple man, give me my music and my memories and maybe a book of poetry and I'll get my mind right before the game. Motivation has never been an issue for me, you don't need to be motivated to do what matters to you, and this game has always mattered to me.
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