Mount Vernon High School

April 25, 2025 Nobody Cares One important step in becoming the kind of person winning requires you to be is accepting what you might call the harsh realities of high achievement. All of us have big dreams and high hopes for the things we want to accomplish, but a key difference between the dreamers and the doers is their willingness to accept what can feel for any of us like those tough pills to swallow. In whatever area of life you want to win, here’s one of the most challenging to choke down: nobody cares. You aren’t feeling your best? You are sick or tired or sore? Nobody cares. You’re stressed, fatigued, or frustrated? Nobody cares. Conditions today aren’t ideal for peak performance? Someone or something has complicated your winning pursuit, either intentionally or unintentionally? There are what feel like a thousand different reasons why success just doesn’t feel like it’s in the cards for you? That sounds tough, and I hate to hear it, but you know what? Nobody cares. I don’t share that sobering message today to offend you, although I will admit - for me at least - those words, "nobody cares," sting a little. When things get tough, we want people to care. And of course, for each of us, including you here today, there are people who care - people who want the best for you, who love you unconditionally, and who are willing to empathize with the challenges and obstacles you face. But honestly, that list is probably shorter than you think, and because most of them have their own problems to deal with, they've probably already forgotten about yours. Ultimately, what we’re talking about here today is accepting the hard truth about what kind of person winning requires you to be, and what kind of mindset it requires you to develop. Most of us are pretty good at creating in our minds this naive picture of effortless success, where everything goes just the way we want or the way we expect. But the harsh reality of high achievement is that most days are filled with challenges and obstacles that complicate our pursuit. In the important areas of life and performance, there is almost always a reason for why you can't win, if you look hard enough to find it. It's our approach and our response that determines whether we'll get the job done. There is almost always a reason for why you can't win, if you look hard enough to find it. Winning in spite of the challenges and obstacles requires what you might call some extreme ownership. That’s really what that message - “nobody cares” - is challenging each of us to develop. Our mind naturally encourage us to adopt a victim mentality, to point to the long list of reasons why winning can't be done, and to settle for something less than our best. That weak-minded approach encourages us to feel sorry for ourselves, and to spend our time doing what losers do - blaming, complaining, and making excuses. This is undoubtedly the easier, more comfortable, and more convenient option, and it’s available to each of us every day - including you here today. It might make you feel better in the moment, but it’s not an effective formula for earning the success you say you’re after. The success you say you’re after requires you to perform, not in the absence of those challenges and obstacles, but in spite of them. That means if you’re reading along here today feeling sick or tired or sore? If you’re stressed, fatigued, or frustrated? If conditions aren't ideal, or if someone or something has complicated your winning pursuit today - either intentionally or unintentionally? If it feels like there are a thousand different reasons why success just doesn’t feel like it’s in the cards for you today? Then you've got a choice to make. You can of course take the easy way out. You can blame and complain and make excuses. Or...you can choose the way of the champion. That means taking extreme ownership of your performance, ditching the victim mentality, and accepting the harsh reality of high achievement: that doing what you say you want to do isn't gonna be easy, but you know what? Nobody cares. Dig deep. Validate today that you are the kind of person winning requires you to be. And get the job done. -Travis