Vital Life Lessons Pro Football Taught Me ft. Mark Parson Summary: Watching a football game will teach you some vital life lessons. Not all of them will be pretty. But these learnings will help you steer your ship of life through the good and bad. Our guest for today is former American football cornerback, Mark Parson who shares with us his thoughts on resilience, fortitude, and how to successfully pivot in your profession. You may know the trajectory of Mark’s football career. But, in today’s show, you will learn how he struggled to gain a foothold after quitting his sports career. From being a highly-paid elite athlete to mopping floors at the local IHOP, Mark has successfully navigated extreme highs and lows through the course of his life.  You will learn how, over time, Mark has managed to evolve into a successful digital entrepreneur with significant investments in the gaming industry, We hope you enjoy this show! Key Takeaways: 00:00 – Welcoming Mark to the show 01:34 – How does Mark manage to stay fit after transitioning out of NFL? 02:57 – What’s the atmosphere like in the Super Bowl locker room? 04:08 – Who is the best receiver that Mark has covered? 09:30 – What is the ONE thing that Mark has learned from NFL that is helping him in business today? 11:27 – Was it difficult for Mark to transition from college football to NFL? 17:09 – What are some of the most important things that Mark learned from New Orleans Saints coach, Sean Payton? 19:19 – About Mark’s YouTube channel, and his zest for helping high school and college cornerbacks 23:34 – Shop with a Jock – Mark’s social endeavor for underprivileged kids  25:43 – Bouncing back from the lows – Mark shares how he struggled after quitting the NFL 30:09 – How did failure catapult Mark and help him realize his vision? 31:53 – Mark talks about his investments in gaming 34:25 – Leveraging patents to monetize a business 39:57 – Can you successfully exit a business that is valued mainly on the basis of the patents it owns? 41:58 – The reason WHY Blackberry is still valued at $600 MM 44:53 – What does Mark prefer doing after work? 47:35 – Mark spills his diet secrets 49:23 – What advice would Mark give his 16-year-old self? 55:34 – Mark’s all-time favorite food 57:24 – Which musician or band would Mark love to hang out with? 58:32 – Connect with Mark! Quotes: “What I tell myself I would say to not fear failure and lean into it, basically dive into it, dive into as much information to become great at what you do, and try new things”. “Never lose energy and always imagine. So, imagine, imagine, imagine, go for it”. “What's the next layer of the internet, you know, decentralization and just where people, communities having more control”. “In order to create success, you have to fail, you have to take risks. And can you see that from going through those experiences, how they create the fabric of who Mark Parson is” Resources: Mark’s YouTube Mark’s Instagram Connect with Ben! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therealbenreinberg/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benreinberg Twitter: https://twitter.com/realbenreinberg FB: https://www.facebook.com/TheRealBenReinberg/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@therealbenreinberg Check out Ben's firm here: https://alliancecgc.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices