The Mindset of a World Cup Champion | Carli Lloyd

Carli Lloyd was cut from the U.S. under-21 national team in 2004. She thought it was the end. Instead, it became the dividing line in her life. "I kind of break up my life into two halves," she says. Before the cut, she relied on talent, coasted, and blamed others. After it, she committed to a different way of being. This conversation with Ryan Holiday on The Daily Stoic is not really about soccer. It is about the moment a person decides to stop being a dilettante and start being a professional—and what it takes to sustain that decision for a career.

The Cut That Changed Everything

Lloyd describes her younger self as lazy, with a poor work ethic and a habit of pointing fingers. She was the best player on every team she played for, and she never had to work for it. When she was cut from the under-21 national team, the easy path was to quit. Her parents would not let her, and she eventually realized that "the only way through any challenge and obstacle in life is through it." That moment forced a complete reorientation. She started running, which she hated, and began working on the things she was not good at. She divides her life into two halves: the first, coasting on talent; the second, digging deep and learning the tools to stay at the top. "Talent only gets you so far," she says.

The Discipline of Being All In