What happens when our lives suddenly veer off track? For college football star and former NFL defensive lineman David Pollack, this was the question when he faced a career-ending injury in his second season at the Cincinnati Bengals. In Every Day Counts (B&H Publishing, Apr.) Pollack explains how he relied on his faith to stop chasing the next win and, instead, to find meaning and joy in the here and now.
What is the biggest life lesson you learned as you confronted a new life without football?
For the first time in my life, I was forced to slow all the way down. With that change in pace, I had to get really intentional when it came to setting daily goals. How was I going to win that day? Those goals looked a lot different than they used to, but setting them every single day gave me the mindset needed to overcome.
What was your lowest point as you began to rethink your life, and what did that low point teach you?
I don’t really believe in low points–I just see them as stops along my journey. But the stop that comes to mind is when I was being loaded onto the ambulance after I was told I had broken my neck. In that moment, I realized I had a choice on how I wanted to handle this situation: I could get depressed and admit defeat or I could use it for good. I decided there and then that I would attack every day and believe that whatever was coming next was going to be amazing.
What are two or three key principles from the book that readers can apply when they face difficult situations?
First, you have to know that adversity is coming—it’s just a matter of time, but it will find you. You have to stop worrying about the adversity and focus on what your response to it will be. Will you use it for God’s purposes, or will you waste an opportunity to change your life for the good? You also have to prioritize standards over feelings. It doesn’t matter how you feel in each moment, the standard that you set should determine what you do. And last, choose joy. I refuse to let anything outside of my control ruin my day. No person or thing has that power.
What made you decide to apply these ideas to the page, and write a book?
To be honest, my writing journey wasn’t easy because I’m a big dumb football player! But the book shares my losses and how God has used them for so much more than I could ever have dreamed of. Finding motivation, joy, and passion in life doesn’t come by accident—it takes intention. That’s where Every Day Counts comes in, to journey beside you and give you strategies for living in the “now”. Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow is irrelevant. Today is the only day you get. So let's make every day count.
