being a parent and having having a name and having the world look at you up here and your children they got to be the ones that kind of feel the wrath of being Emy Smith's son or Edan James son like how did you deal with that part when you know you had a son wow you're one of the greatest wow and your son he went to stamp right yeah yeah he go off to school and he got all these expectations and now you got to sit back in the stand with a go back to what we saying expectations are up here you're in the house he's in the house so he's supposed to be a dog yeah so how how do you like even relay it down to him or even kind of put that in them and still let them be them or what do you do in those situations well it's funny because that is a awesome awesome question because the way I grew up is not the same way he's growing up exactly it's just not the same but how do you create the environment for him to be in a competitive environment what I did was first and foremost I put him in the most competitive environment that I could I took him out of the suburbs y was in Dallas or but I put him on Dion's team the the truth okay as a as a little league football team and as an organization and they play select football against some of the best right and I put my son out there and he had to go up against Daren Woodson son and other people's son so they you know how we do it in the hood right it's going to be Oklahoma drill and it's going to be mono mono and you GNA have to do it and my son had to learn just like you and I had to learn right how to compete because I think competition is the one thing that's missing in most people lives right now because most of them are growing up in this place of comfort and then when they run into a place of discomfort they cowed right they the transfer portal yeah they hit the transfer portal and all this bull stuff be because competition they run away away from they're looking for the easiest ride out that's where we are in society today with my kids I put them in the most competitive environment I can put them in even though they were coming out of the suburbs and I'm going to say the suburbs because where we live was the suburbs it wasn't the ghetto where I grew up at it wasn't 138 out of score none of that BS it was it was straight up it was no government cheese they had they had proper food improper drinks they had the bottle water they had all that they had everything that they need but they did not have the environment which I came from that fight that hunger that thirst for Independence that thirst for comp competition so I had to create those moments for them with my kid and all my kids I've always told them you don't have to do what Dad did whatever you do we going to compete we got to be the best at it period period you may not win all battles but damn it you better win some battles or it ain't for you or it ain't for you it's just not for you so you have to understand the mission is not about doing what Daddy did the mission is about putting you in environment so you understand that the world is not forgiving right and it's not equal it's given there it's there for the person who has the drive and the determination to be successful and you have that in you you are my seed DNA is De how can you not want to fight for what you believe in so we got to have a faith a belief and a determination to be successful you you put those three things together then you add in knowledge work ethic and all these other things you have a chance definitely got I didn't say you will you have a chance definitely got that's the beginning because if a boss says the wrong thing to you are you going to fold are you going to listen and hear what they're saying versus how they're saying it right some people get caught up in the how versus what they're saying they don't listen to the message the message is much greater than the how yeah the tone and the the tone Oh you you your tone is different disrespecting me yeah you disrespect disrespecting you you ain't earned the respect yet right so it's those things to me that are very critical to the mindset of the individual because I know your coaches got in your face and say some things that that tick you off I had some coaches get in my face that said some things that tick me off even as a professional athlete but it was for my good right it was for me to reflect upon so but but when you go to your with your child that's going through all those things is like how do how do you keep them into it when the purpose it's different right great here's I'm GNA tell you this story my son EJ I'm G give just give you the context my son EJ was born May 15th 2002 my birthday is May 15th 1969 same birthday same birthday same day I share it with my oldest son you talking about pressure I gave him my name that's pressure pressure because I there was no way I could not give him my name when he was born on my birthday so he is e EMT James Smith ivth his sophomore year in high school I believe maybe his junior year in high school he came to me one day he said Dad how do you deal with depression out of the blue I'm like pressure son tell me it didn't exist tell me what you're dealing with I said what are you feeling he said how do you deal with the pressure with everybody wanting you to do this and expectations of this and that blah blah blah blah and I looked them squared in the eyes and I said let me ask you this are their expectations any different than what you have for yourself that's good right there and he said no I said so where's the pressure that makes so much sense right where's the pressure do you expect to be something special whatever that may mean don't mean that you will replicate what your daddy did but you have a goal to be something right what is that goal what is that mission what is the purpose what is your purpose and he answered that question no I said so where's the pressure you they kind of summed it up right there son I said Son forget what everybody else is saying about you and what their expectations are of you what do you have and what are your expectations of yourself have they missed the Mark or are you missing the mark one or the other it's one or the other I mean they may have expectations but all you got to do is meet what you're capable of doing and develop what you're capable of doing regardless of what other people say I like you first of all you have a built-in Advantage the DNA is there only thing I see missing is the purpose in the drive outside of that that's missing that's the only we have we have like our kids personally have the training they have the experience we've got we we've cut out all the guessing to the game like as a running back there's nothing that can tell you right about that position so you cut all that out and so now it's like I try to look at like you got to really find your why that's that's the only thing to hold because talent wise obviously you have some skill set you got it you got some skill set and you got the proper training and everything else but why are you doing this are you doing this to make me happy or you doing it to make yourself happy because at the end of the day my happiness I love you you are my child and there is nothing in the world going to change that and so I'm here to support you but the one thing I want for you is what you want for yourself I want you to be the best version of yourself what does that mean Daddy what that means if you going to be an engineer damn it be the best engineer you can be always greatness strive for greatness strive for excellence understanding Excellence is never attainable that [ __ ] is a moving Target