Unlocking Your Full Potential: Why Hard Work Beats Natural Talent

Unlocking Your Full Potential: Why Hard Work Beats Natural Talent

What stands between you and your greatest potential? According to Braxston Cave and Jake Fine of the Go All In podcast, it's not a lack of talent, resources, or opportunity—it's your willingness to outwork everyone else while playing the long game.

Braxston shares a powerful personal perspective, reflecting on how he bristled when people would comment on his "potential" growing up. This launches the hosts into a candid conversation about achievement that dismantles the myth of natural talent. "I didn't get to where I'm at today because I'm special. I'm not special in any way, shape or form," Braxton reveals, explaining how his Notre Dame success came through relentless effort, not innate gifts. His admission about using countless note cards to learn both playbooks and academic material humanizes the achievement process.

The discussion evolves into a compelling exploration of value-based decision making, with Braxton breaking down his four core pillars—faith, family, fitness, and fortune—that guide every choice. This framework provides a refreshing alternative to aimless living, which both hosts contrast with scenes of people wasting potential in bars without purpose. The most thought-provoking segment arrives when they distinguish between contentment and complacency: "You are happy where you are, but you're not satisfied with where you are." This subtle but crucial difference encapsulates the mindset necessary for continuous growth without perpetual dissatisfaction.

Ready to stop settling for mediocrity and unlock your full potential? This episode provides the mental framework to help you sprint toward an unknown finish line—because that's where true achievement begins. Listen now and ask yourself: What potential are you leaving untapped?

Send us a text

Support the show

To show support please share the show, check out the Be Better Brand apparel.

Share the pod! Word of mouth is what we ask. Thank you!

Check us out on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEYU3Qf8uXjshfHAjofie8w

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:22):
Welcome back to the Go All In podcast.
I'm Jake Fine.

Speaker 2 (00:25):
And I'm Braxton Cave and on today's quick hitter
episode, we are going to betalking about unlocking your
potential.
And, jake, I told you this aweek ago.
One of my biggest pet peevesgrowing up was when people would
talk to me or people would talkto my dad and they'd be like

(00:46):
man, braxton is so talented, butBraxton has so much potential.
But and I used to get so pissedabout that, and not so much of
like someone saying like youknow, braxton has, braxton is

(01:07):
doing well by Braxton could beso much better, but I think it
was more so like the people thatthe info would come from, of
like, who are you?
What are you doing?
Right, and I don't say that tolike be a dick, but it's like
man, if you're going to givecritical feedback there better
be some substance there and notjust taking a dig on somebody,

(01:32):
and so I want to start from that.

Speaker 1 (01:35):
I want to start with this, and it's I'm going to stop
you Because this happened withLSU basketball coach, the woman
I forget her name she's afirecracker by the way A
journalist was asking herquestion and it was basically
like yeah, I just know we justlost.
But he's like asked her youknow, this is the second time

(01:56):
you've lost an elite eight.
And she's like what have youdone?
So, oh yeah, so you gotta, yougotta YouTube it is so oh yeah,
so you got to, you got toYouTube it.

Speaker 2 (02:12):
It's good.
So, but that's basically thesame thing.
So you may continue.
I had to throw that in therebecause that fit perfect.
So I look at it like this andit's.
I've come to the realization andI and I do a lot of, I study
myself a lot.
So, like I know Braxton prettywell and you know, what I know
is that I want so much more outof my life than what I currently

(02:32):
have, and I know I'm capable ofso much more.
But the thing that gets me is Ihear people all the time say
they either tell me this orthey'll tell my wife Brax,
you're psycho, Like you're crazy, your husband's obsessed, Like

(02:55):
that's the kind of things peoplewill say.
And I'm like my wife, you know,does a good job of like
shrugging it off or, you know,telling the story from her
perspective.
But for me it's like you cancall me whatever you want, but
what I know is that I didn't getto where I'm at today or
accomplish some of the thingsthat I've accomplished because

(03:18):
I'm special.
I'm not special in any way,shape or form, Like I'm just
like every other person.
The difference is like I workedmy ass off to get everything
that I've ever gotten.
Like I think I don't come frommoney, I don't come from a
background of parents who playedsports or professionally or any

(03:40):
of that, nothing.
And so you know I wasn't gifted, I wasn't handed anything.
I'm not a genius and people belike, but you went to Notre Dame
, Like you have obviously likehave these crazy athletic gifts
or this crazy athletic or thiscrazy, you know brain power, and
I'm like no, I don't like, Ihad to work my ass off, I got to

(04:01):
put in the work, and I mean Ino, I don't, I had to work my
ass off.
You still got to put in the work.
I'm not naturally smart.
I've used more note cards in mylife than I care to admit,
whether that was learning aplaybook or learning a biology
textbook.
I had to study and I was ahorrible student, Not because I

(04:31):
don't like learning, but becauseI just wasn't really interested
in the material that I washaving to learn.
And so I pushed through allthose things and I had a goal in
mind and I knew that if Iwanted to be able to play
football then I had to get thegrades to be able to be eligible
.
So there was an ultimatemotivator there.
And at the end of the day Iwalked out of Notre Dame with

(05:01):
the same piece of paper as allthe other kids that came in with
a 4.2 GPA and all these otherthings.
Because once you get there, it'sa level playing field.
It's who wants it.
And I want to make it veryclear I would not have been able
to go to Notre Dame had it notbeen for football.
And just because that's not, Iwasn't the greatest student.
But at the end of the day, what, where I made up for that was
I'll just outwork you becausethat's that's what I do have and

(05:25):
you know, I was willing to wakeup every single day and sprint
to a finish line.
That was where the distance wasunknown and I, from the very
first time I heard that quote,like that was it?
Like, are you willing to sprintwhen the finish line is unknown
?
Yeah, that's what makes it.

(05:47):
You got to answer that questionbecause you don't know how long
it's going to take.
You're going through it rightnow with your business.
Like Nick asked you the samequestion Are you willing to do
this for the next 30 years untilyou get your breakthrough?
The answer is yes.
Then hell, yeah, go all in, doit.
But for me, it's like I want themost out of my life, not just

(06:12):
for me, for my family, my wife,my kids, my future grandchildren
.
Um, you know, my, my life isbuilt upon my four core values,
my four pillars faith, family,fitness, fortune.
And if, if anything in the dayto day doesn't fit into those

(06:33):
four, I'm not doing it.
I'm just not, and that rubs alot of people the wrong way.
I try to do that asrespectfully as possible.
But if I want to unlock all thepotential that I have within me
, like I had to stay true to mycore four because I know that

(06:55):
that's what's going to get methere.
And the last thing that I willsay is if you want to, if you
want to take full advantage andunlock your full potential, the
last thing you can do is settlefor a mediocre life.
And I was reminded of this acouple weeks ago.

(07:17):
I stopped in at an event to seesome old friends and some family
.
I told them I'd stop by and sayhi, and I walk into this room,
into a bar, you know, and I walkinto this room into a bar and I
see all these dudes rightsitting there slouched over the

(07:37):
bar, drinking beers, them, andyou know, just a bunch of
doodlers.
I didn't see one dude with hiswife or girlfriend, like you
know.
And so for me, hey, family,family.
It's not happening.
And I'm not saying I'm not likesaying I'm not like casting down

(07:58):
drinking right, like I'll goout and have a drink with my
friends.
But when I go out with myfriends to do that, like we're
either celebrating a win,someone accomplishing a goal,
like we're talking about youknow we're networking over, like
you know, businessaccomplishments or business
goals or family, or you knowwe're talking about, hey, what's

(08:19):
we're pushing each other like?
What are we going to achieve?
Like I, I'm not going to sitaround and just watch a sporting
event of something that haszero influence over my life
right, I love noradame footballjust as much as the next crazy
fanatic noradame fan.
I grew up that way but before Iwent there.
But like people ask me I'm like, did you watch?

(08:42):
You know noradame lose, did youwatch it?
I'm like, yeah, I watch some ofit, like these late night games
.
I'm not standing up.

Speaker 1 (08:51):
What are?

Speaker 2 (08:51):
we doing, um, but I just feel like, if, if you truly
want to unlock your fullpotential like, don't just talk
about it, like your actions haveto show that that's really what
you want.
And if you're not willing to dothat, if you're not willing to
give some things up, you know alot of people will give up what

(09:14):
they want most, for what theywant right now, and I'm all
about playing the long game.
Mm-hmm because I've made enoughmistakes in my life of choosing
the short-term, the feel-goodthing versus what was going to
be the long-term win to knowthat it never works out.

(09:36):
And so I know there's a lotthere in that long rant, but at
the end of the day, if you wantthe best life you can possibly
have, you have to make it veryclear of what you want best life
you can possibly have.
Like you have to make it veryclear of what you want and then
you gotta go get it, becausethat's the only way to do it
yeah, you pretty much nailedeverything in a nutshell right

(09:57):
there.

Speaker 1 (09:59):
But I mean back to your long game.
I mean, I think the long gameis well worth the wait, you know
, because obviously everyonewants the quick fix, the, you
know the, the pill overnight.
But I think the, the longjourney, is worth the weight.
Um, you've heard numeroussuccessful people talk about it
and and you've heard a lot ofthem say they would go all,

(10:19):
they'd go through it all overagain.

Speaker 2 (10:21):
Right, you know, um, and not because it was fun no
right, yeah, because it's notanyone that tells you that the
journey is fun.
They're lying because it sucksit.

Speaker 1 (10:33):
Yeah, and I'm not even I'm not even begun and it
sucks.
It sucks, um, but it's part ofthe journey, it's what you got
to go through, you know it's.
They tell you it's thefive-year game, you know, and
some people it's the five-yeargame, you know.
Some people it's the seven-yeargame.
I mean, ghost took them what?

(10:53):
Seven years to finally get out.
You know, and look at wherethey're at now.
Their energy drink is like itwas like number two below Red
Bull, you know, and theybasically set the standard for
supplement industry, bringingout energy drinks for supplement
companies.
But you know what I'm going togo into a lot of people put

(11:17):
limits on themselves and theysettle for average, and that's
one thing I will not do.
I will not ever be complacent.
I fear that I will not ever becomplacent.
I fear that People that fearand doubt and comfort keep them
from going to their fullpotential.
For example, growing up, wewatched Disney movies.

(11:44):
What's the main plot of Disneymovies?
Love, and we grew up watchingthat, you know.
Oh, you're going to be 30 yearsold and you're going to get
married at 30.
Well, I didn't.
I have a different journey.
I'm on.
It's like you know.
I get asked.
I've been asked.
I haven't been asked recently,but I've been asked, you know,
from my mother why aren't youmarried?

(12:05):
Why aren't you when are yougoing to get married?
I'm like it's not really on my,my vision right now.
You know, I'm kind of focusedon on one path right now.
I said I want to give my full,100% attention to what I'm
building and when I'm ready tosettle down with that person and
get married, I want my full, ahundred percent attention on

(12:28):
them.
So if I feel like I'm givingthat a hundred percent attention
on my business and stuff I'mbuilding, I'm not giving them
the full a hundred percent.
That's not fair to them.
That's how I feel and that'swhat I told my mom the last time
she asked me that.
And, um, but yeah, I feel likejust a lot of people were.
They go with the motions andthey're like they go with their

(12:51):
basic life and they live thatcomplacent life and, um, you
know, and then they end uppassing away with all that
potential that they had and theydidn't unleash that they could
have.
You know, they might've had thecure for cancer, you know, they
could have, you know, had likea new design or something like
that.
That would have been amultimillion dollar design or

(13:13):
something like that and theywent to the grave with it.
You know, I just feel like a lotof people hold back and you
know, and settle and or theyreally fear of doing their full
potential.
And you know, number one thingit starts with your mindset.
Um, if you don't have thatright mindset, you're not gonna,
you know you're not gonna doanything.

(13:33):
You know that's the thing of 75hard, you know you starting it
off every year.
I think that gets you set andready for just for the full year
and gets your mind locked in.
I highly recommend doing thatprogram because that gets your
mind right If you do itcorrectly and do it right.
But yeah, I mean, a lot ofpeople just they don't, they

(13:58):
don't open up that door andunleash their potential.
A lot of people just hold backand you got to.
You got to either do it or just, if you want to be that
complacent life, that's fine,you know.
So that's my short summary ofthe unlocking it.

Speaker 2 (14:16):
Yeah, I think, I think a lot of times people
confuse contentment yes,complacency is not even in my
vocabulary.
Contentment Absolutely.
I am content with my marriageand my children and my job.

(14:40):
Do I want more out of all thosethings?
Absolutely.
But it's not like I'm sittingover here like looking for other
stuff.

Speaker 1 (14:49):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (14:50):
Right.
I think that's the differencebetween contentment and
complacency is you are happywhere you are, but you're not
satisfied with where you are.

Speaker 1 (15:00):
That's it, man.
That's it Short and sweet we'reout of here.
That's it Short and sweet we'reout of here.