Overcoming fear with Nick Foles

What’s standing in your way of achieving your goals, your dreams? What is holding you back from taking that next step forward? For many of us, it’s fear: fear of failure, fear of the unknown. We become our own worst enemy, doubting ourselves into paralysis.

In this episode of the Tony Robbins Podcast, you will hear a very special conversation between Tony and Eagles quarterback Nick Foles. Nick reveals his constant battles with self-doubt and fear of failure. In fact, it was this fear that almost kept him out of the NFL entirely. But through his faith and his family, Nick found a greater sense of purpose and strength that have helped him keep going – and he’s even adopted an entirely new perspective when it comes to fear.

Who is Nick Foles?

Nick Foles is an NFL quarterback who was drafted into the Philadelphia Eagles in 2012. Since then, he has played for the St. Louis Rams, Kansas City Chiefs and Jacksonville Jaguars, and currently plays for the Chicago Bears. He won the 2018 Super Bowl with the Eagles and was named Super Bowl MVP that year. He holds the highest career passing rating for the Eagles franchise, among other NFL records.

This interview happened after Nick helped lead the Eagles to their Super Bowl Championship in 2018. Nick was the backup quarterback, but after starter Carson Wentz was injured, he got his chance to shine – and he made the most of it. It’s clear that Nick has the talent and the mindset to be successful in life. But what you’ll hear in this podcast is that even in spite of his incredible accomplishments, Nick’s sense of past failures and mistakes is never too far from his mind.

Facing life’s obstacles

Nick describes a dark moment when he nearly lost his love of the game while playing for St. Louis. He’d endured heavy criticism regarding his playing, and his wife was quite ill; he considered leaving the sport entirely.

He faced an additional problem: the daily opinions of millions of people who had plenty of thoughts about what he “should” have done or “should” do in the future. When the average person fails, not many people hear about it. When Nick failed, it quickly made national news. Everywhere he turned, he was bombarded by his own mistakes.

Others’ negative opinions quickly turned into negative self-talk. He began to internalize his emotions and the obstacles he faced began to seem insurmountable. Yet like a true champion, Nick managed to turn those obstacles into opportunities.

Recognizing his limiting beliefs

Nick took to journaling to help him clear his mind and slow things down. He realized fear was a recurring topic in his writing, and that fear had seeped into the way he felt about himself and the sport. Nick felt the weight of all those expectations and opinions, and began wondering whether he was worthy of the team and the game: “Fear starts creeping in. Can I do this? Will I let the city down?” He realized that fear had begun shaping about himself.