Stay in the Moment: NFL’s Johnathan Flowers on His Journey to Entrepreneurship | Episode 23 of Twist of Fate 

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Johnathan Flowers has an endless string of accomplishments behind him. Going from the military to college to professional football to entrepreneur, he’s racked up too many successes to count. But Flowers is also candid about his struggles and failures too, which is what makes this special podcast so relatable to entrepreneurs. 

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Host Douglas Younger III of Twist of Fate is friends with Flowers, and enamored with the lessons of his story. They cover losses, wins, and everything in between, as they talk about the ups and downs of personal and professional life. 

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Growing Up

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Like many kids, Flowers found himself drawn to cartoons at a young age. Unlike most kids, he took his goals a step further. He didn’t want to just read the Peanuts strip every day, he wanted to be Charles Schulz. Flowers might have ultimately chosen a different path, but he didn’t stray as far as you might think. After injuring his leg, he used his design degree from San Jose State to start and scale creative agencies, and leaned on his technical background to help design graphics that sold. 

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Staying in the Moment 

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This podcast was jam-packed with helpful tips for entrepreneurs, but one of the most important takeaways was Flowers’ advice to stay in the moment. When he was in the NFL, he was reminded at every turn that his career could be lost at the drop of a hat. 

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Whether he was cut from the roster or injured, his goal was to enjoy every second he had on the team. That didn’t mean he didn’t plan ahead, it only meant that he didn’t let himself get wrapped up in worrying about everything that might go wrong. 

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This is solid advice for anyone trying to get something going. If all you can see is the sweat and tears, you have to pause and appreciate the magnitude of your dreams. Getting promoted, getting clients, getting recognition: none of it’s easy. There are people out there who want it just as badly as you do. But if that’s all you’re focusing on, it can be debilitating for your willpower. 

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Instead, try going at it from another angle, much like you would if you found a rushing quarterback coming toward you to steal the ball. You’re thinking big, and no one can take that away from you. Even going down in smoke is not going to destroy your dreams — even when it feels like it will. It’s just a small step in a much longer journey. 

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In 2008 and 2009, Flowers experienced an inordinate amount of loss. From a lay-off to a divorce to a death in the family, he understands that life can be one crush after another — often through no fault of your own. He reminds people that while they can and should reach out for help, we’re the ones in charge of getting up and dusting ourselves off. 

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Younger and Flowers both learned so much of their philosophies from their families, and they’re happy to pass on tips to anyone who didn’t grow up with the same support. Flowers says that he learned to act like someone was watching him at all times, largely because it helped him get a handle on his daily activities. It’s hard to get up, make the bed, exercise, and eat a balanced diet, but there’s also no one else who can do those thing for you. Relying on yourself doesn’t mean you can never ask someone for help, it means that you care for and value the lifeskills that will drive you toward success. 

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