Skip to content Unconquered Walk-On: Developing the Grit, Faith, & Determination to Overcome Any Odds with Author & former NFL Defensive Back, Javien Elliott, Ep. 213 Feb 18 · 45 min ...more
Unconquered Walk-On: Developing the Grit, Faith, & Determination to Overcome Any Odds with Author & former NFL Defensive Back, Javien Elliott, Ep. 213
February 18, 2025 · 45 min
From zero scholarships to the NFL—Javien Elliott’s journey is a story of grit, faith, and determination. Growing up in Panama City, Florida, Javien dreamed of playing college football and making it to the NFL. But as a high school graduate with no star ranking and no scholarship offers, those dreams seemed far out of reach. After three years away from the game, Javien made the bold decision to walk on to the reigning national champions, the Florida State Seminoles, where he ultimately earned a scholarship, a starting position, and the chance to prove himself on one of college football’s biggest stages. With only one season under his belt, Javien went undrafted but didn't let that stop him from pursuing his NFL dream. Today’s conversation is more than a tale of an improbably athletic career; it’s a testament to the power of faith in God, resilience, and an unbreakable will to succeed. Javien’s story encourages anyone facing long odds to believe in what’s possible and to pursue their dreams relentlessly. Through his journey, he shows that with grit, faith, and determination, anything is achievable. This episode is perfect for athletes, dreamers, and anyone looking for inspiration to overcome their own challenges. Our prayer is that today’s conversation would serve as a powerful reminder that the road to success is rarely smooth but it’s always worth it! Purchase Your Copy of Unconquered Walk-On Today: https://www.amazon.com/Unconquered-Walk-Unlikely-Scholarships-Florida/dp/B0DPVHYHMN?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER Follow Javien on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/javien._/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.
Series The Built Different Podcast with Zach Clinton February 18, 2025 · 45 min · The Built Different Podcast with Zach Clinton
From zero scholarships to the NFL—Javien Elliott’s journey is a story of grit, faith, and determination. Growing up in Panama City, Florida, Javien dreamed of playing college football and making it to the NFL. But as a high school graduate with no star ranking and no scholarship offers, those dreams seemed far out of reach. After three years away from the game, Javien made the bold decision to walk on to the reigning national champions, the Florida State Seminoles, where he ultimately earned a scholarship, a starting position, and the chance to prove himself on one of college football’s biggest stages. With only one season under his belt, Javien went undrafted but didn't let that stop him from pursuing his NFL dream. Today’s conversation is more than a tale of an improbably athletic career; it’s a testament to the power of faith in God, resilience, and an unbreakable will to succeed. Javien’s story encourages anyone facing long odds to believe in what’s possible and to pursue their dreams relentlessly. Through his journey, he shows that with grit, faith, and determination, anything is achievable. This episode is perfect for athletes, dreamers, and anyone looking for inspiration to overcome their own challenges. Our prayer is that today’s conversation would serve as a powerful reminder that the road to success is rarely smooth but it’s always worth it! Purchase Your Copy of Unconquered Walk-On Today: https://www.amazon.com/Unconquered-Walk-Unlikely-Scholarships-Florida/dp/B0DPVHYHMN?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER Follow Javien on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/javien._/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us. ...more Show the full description Show less From zero scholarships to the NFL—Javien Elliott’s journey is a story of grit, faith, and determination. Growing up in Panama City, Florida, Javien dreamed of playing college football and making it to the NFL. But as a high school graduate with no star ranking and no scholarship offers, those dreams seemed far out of reach. After three years away from the game, Javien made the bold decision to walk on to the reigning national champions, the Florida State Seminoles, where he ultimately earned a scholarship, a starting position, and the chance to prove himself on one of college football’s biggest stages. With only one season under his belt, Javien went undrafted but didn't let that stop him from pursuing his NFL dream. Today’s conversation is more than a tale of an improbably athletic career; it’s a testament to the power of faith in God, resilience, and an unbreakable will to succeed. Javien’s story encourages anyone facing long odds to believe in what’s possible and to pursue their dreams relentlessly. Through his journey, he shows that with grit, faith, and determination, anything is achievable. This episode is perfect for athletes, dreamers, and anyone looking for inspiration to overcome their own challenges. Our prayer is that today’s conversation would serve as a powerful reminder that the road to success is rarely smooth but it’s always worth it! Purchase Your Copy of Unconquered Walk-On Today: https://www.amazon.com/Unconquered-Walk-Unlikely-Scholarships-Florida/dp/B0DPVHYHMN?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER Follow Javien on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/javien._/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.
Series The Built Different Podcast with Zach Clinton
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M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, doctoral student in Clinical Psychology. Host of ‘The Built Different Podcast’ with guests like Kirk Cousins, Albert
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0:02 Life audio. Build different is a production of the American Association of Christian Counselors. To support this podcast and learn how you can help us to promote all our biblical content, spread the gospel, gospel, and0:12 provide mental health resources and training to people everywhere, just go to a a c c foundation dot o r g. Again, that's a a c c foundation dot org.0:23 Have you ever felt like you're behind in life? Like you should be further along or that things don't turn out the way that you hoped? Tanner Olsen's new book, Getting Through What You're Going Through, is a reminder that0:35 you're not behind. You're right where you're meant to be. This heartfelt collection of over 100 poems and reflections invites you to slow down, breathe, and find hope in life's0:47 ordinary moments, a warm cup of coffee, a walk with a friend, even a simple pancake. Tanner reminds us that God is present in both the highs and the lows and that hope is0:59 always within reach. Preorder your copy of Getting Through What You're Going Through Wherever Books Are Sold.1:10 Marriage was never meant to be effortless, but it was meant to endure. Tried and True is a scripture centered marriage guide for couples who want a marriage shaped by faith, not perfection. I'm1:21 Dana Shay, the author. In this book, I explore 12 imperfect biblical marriages, stories marked by struggle, waiting, failure, and restoration. Rather than1:33 offering quick fixes, tried and true helps couples to understand how spiritual intimacy and emotional connection grow through hardship, not the absence of it. With biblical1:44
1:56 dot com or find tried and true everywhere books are sold.
2:08 Welcome to Built Different. I'm Zach Clinton, your host. And each week, I come to you exclusively on the Life Audio Podcast Network. I'm proud to partner with Life Audio and bring you entertaining, life changing, family
2:18 friendly podcast for a new generation. At Build Different, our mission is to provide encouragement, hope, and challenge to help push you past your limits and reach goals you never thought possible. Colossians 2 verse 6
2:29 says, so then just as you received Christ Jesus as lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him. Amen? Now let's roll.
2:37 What's going on everybody? And welcome back in to this week's edition of the Built Different Podcast. I hope and pray each and every 1 of you had an incredible
2:49 weekend and are having a great start to your week. Hey, we're in our month of motivation. We're still in January. And I tell you what, we have an incredible guest for you guys today that has an unbelievable
3:01 story. I mean, an unbelievable testimony. This thing is crazy. It should be turned into a movie. I'm sure it will be in no time. You will be encouraged by it because it will remind you that we serve a God
3:13 of possibility and that you can do anything that you set your mind and your heart to. Today, our guest joining us today, his name is JVN Elliott. From 0
3:24 scholarships to the NFL, JVN Elliott's journey is a story of grit, faith, and determination. Those are the 3 topics we'll really be diving into and unpacking today.
3:36 Growing up in Panama City, Florida, JV and dreamed of playing college football and making it to the NFL. But as a high school graduate with a no star ranking and no scholarship offers, those dreams seemed far out of
3:47 reach. After 3 years away from the game, Javion made the bold decision to walk on to the reigning national champions, the Florida State Seminoles, where he ultimately not only earned a scholarship, but he earned a
3:58 starting position and the chance to prove himself on 1 of college football's biggest stages. With only 1 season under his belt, Javeen went undrafted but didn't let that stop him from pursuing his NFL dream.
4:10 Our conversation today titled the same as his book, Unconquered Walk On is more than just a sports journey. It's a testament to the power of faith in God, resilience, and an unbreakable will to
4:22 succeed. JVN's story encourages anyone facing long odds to believe in what's possible and to pursue their dreams relentlessly. Again, through his journey, he sheds light on what grit, faith and
4:33 determination really look like and remind us that anything is possible and anything is achievable. This episode is perfect for athletes, for dreamers, but really for anyone looking for inspiration to
4:45 overcome their own challenges in life. My prayer is that today's conversation would serve as a powerful reminder that the road to success is rarely smooth, but it's always worth it. With that being said, let's welcome
4:56 our guest, Javian. My friend, thank you so much for joining us today.
4:59 Hey. No problem, man. I appreciate you for having me on.
5:03 Man, I'm looking forward to this conversation because like I just mentioned to you offline here, man, this is like a movie. Your story, your testimony is incredible. We're gonna be talking about some some big topics
5:14 today. Things like grit, things like faith, things like determination. I think it's important to have these conversations especially around the New Year. Lot of our audience has big dreams, goals, and aspirations heading
5:24 into 20 25. They're praying that this is their best year yet, my friend. But, Javeen, as we begin, dude, I just want our audience to be encouraged, to be inspired by your story and by your testimony. So
5:36 let's hit the rewind button here for a second. Take us all the way back. What was life like for you growing up? Where did you grow up? And when did this love for football really get inspired inside of you?
5:47 Yeah, man. Starting back to when I was 5 years old, I grew up in Panama City, Florida. That's where I'm from. And I started playing football at the age of 5. And honestly, that's really where
5:59 my love for the game came from. Growing up for me, just underdog, always been undersized, always battled with doubt and insecurities and things like
6:11 that. But that's kind of just like my background of how I grew up, but I've always had the 3 things that this episode is about. I've always had grit. I've always had faith and determination. That's kind of
6:22 the pillars of what got me to where I'm at today.
6:26 I tell you what, something that my dad always told me growing up, JV, and he said, it's not about the size of the dog in the fight. It's about the size of the fight in the dog. Right? I was somebody who struggled a lot
6:36 with some confidence, with insecurity growing up as a kid as well. I would say I struggled with sport and performance anxiety. That was something that I kind of fueled me to get into the sports
6:48 psychology space, the mental health space. My greatest fear was disappointing others. Just thinking back to you and your childhood, what was maybe 1 of your greatest fears that you felt maybe kind of propelled, some of
6:59 that anxiety, some of that fear, some of that worry within you as well?
7:03 Man, I will say for me, I never knew if I was working hard enough. Not because I didn't have effort and not because I wasn't putting in the work, but it was just because I
7:15 was never getting the looks. And I actually talk about this in my book. It's the cycles of doubt is kind of some of the things that I hit on where I have these different moments in my life
7:26 where I'm constantly doubting myself and doubting if I'm good enough because I'm not getting the recognition. And also like the size factor, I
7:38 am considered undersized but I don't really see myself as undersized. But just as far as me putting in the work and it going unnoticed, sparked a lot of doubt in
7:50 me like, man, am I doing enough? Like, am I good enough? Like what are they doing that I'm not doing? And those are some things that kind of spark some doubt in me as well as things
8:02 being spoken over my life too, you know, from other people. Maybe it may have been family members that may have said certain things or coaches that may have said certain things and they kinda just stuck with me as a kid.
8:15 You know, I like that idea of these cycles of doubt because I think we all struggle with them. We all struggle with insecurity in some way, shape or form, whether we want to admit it or not. But as you're mentioning, you
8:26 know, growing up then as a kid, just like every kid playing sports, you developed this dream to play at the highest level. Right? For you, it was the NFL. For me, it was the MLB. I played college baseball at Liberty
8:36 University. I had the opportunity of going on to play with the Rays, but I decided to go a different route and a different trajectory for my life just like you are now. But then here I am thinking about your story and I
8:47 wanna hear a little bit more about your middle school, high school career. Clearly, you were a hard worker. Right? But these cycles of doubt came from this lack of recognition. Speak to how hard it is too to maybe a high
8:57 school athlete out there who feels like they're being unrecognized, they're being overlooked. How hard is that process really?
9:04 Man, it's a it's a difficult process because you can easily give up. Once you're not seeing the reward or once you're not getting a pat on the back or even someone to say like, hey, I see
9:16 you. From where you're trying to go, like those are things that could make an impact on you. And just from speaking of a spiritual perspective, now it's just like Galatians six:nine,
9:28 right? Like not getting weary and doing good, but at the right time. So that's the thing, just always being able to see things from a bigger perspective
9:40 because a lot of times we could get so caught up in what we're not seeing or receiving right now. But God has great plans for us. So we have to rely on things that
9:53 we have to be willing to go through the unknown. Right? We have to really, we have to be willing to do what's right. Even though we may not see the outcome or we may not know what the outcome is. So it
10:05 is tough. It is tough not being recognized as tough because we all want to be seen and we all want to have almost like little nudges that stand that we're
10:17 doing the right thing and we're going in the right direction. Confirmation. But sometimes we don't always have that.
10:24 It's so true, my friend. And I think that's 1 of my favorite verses as well. Galatians 6 9, do not grow weary in doing what is right for in due time, you'll reap a harvest if you do not give up. I'm gonna stop this right
10:35 there and jump in to say, you're listening to Built Different. I'm Zach Clinton. We need to break for a brief message from our sponsors. I'll be back with our guests to keep the conversation flowing right after this.
10:45 You're listening to Life Audio.
10:48 Have you ever felt like you're behind in life? Like you should be further along or that things don't turn out the way that you hoped? Tanner Olsen's new book, Getting Through What You're Going Through, is a reminder that
11:00 you're not behind. You're right where you're meant to be. This heartfelt collection of over 100 poems and reflections invites you to slow down, breathe, and find hope in life's
11:12 ordinary moments, a warm cup of coffee, a walk with a friend, even a simple pancake. Tanner reminds us that God is present in both the highs and the lows and that hope is
11:23 always within reach. Preorder your copy of Getting Through What You're Going Through Wherever Books Are Sold.
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12:06 But like you said, when you feel like you're putting in the work, when you feel like maybe you're doing well, but yet still being overlooked, still being unrecognized, it's easy to give up. It's easy to throw in the
12:16 towel. It's easy to get discouraged and disappointed and feel deflated and eventually defeated in this life. And, man, for you, I'm interested after you got up done with your high school career, I read even on the back
12:27 of your book, right, that there was a a 0 star ranking. There was no scholarship offers. And for you, how discouraging did that look and what was the next steps? Because I saw, you know, I'm not gonna give up too much of
12:38 the story, but I saw in what we're talking about that you took 3 years then away from the game of football. Like, what was that season of your life like? Did you end up not working out? Did you end up just kind of being
12:49 upset about it and kind of throwing yourself a pity party? Or were you like, no. I believe that God has placed placed this kind of call on my heart and in my life, And I'm gonna keep working for it until my day and my
13:01 opportunity comes. What did that look like?
13:03 Man, honestly honestly, I didn't know like I was I always hope that I played football. This was like, right. I just retired from playing football this year, right? So when I graduated
13:15 high school and I didn't have any scholarship offers and I didn't know what was next. I was technically going through that transition from football for the first time where it's like, who am I? What's my identity? I was
13:27 going through life in a way of where I just felt like I was existing. I didn't really have any purpose. Even though
13:39 didn't I honestly, I didn't know what God's plan for my life was either. Yeah. I didn't have this mindset of like, man, you know what? I'm gonna get to college no matter what because I didn't know any better. I didn't
13:50 really have any guidance on how to even get there. And really what happened, this is how I know this is all part of God's plan was because my dad was the 1 who kinda set set
14:02 that up for me to end up going to Florida State by sending my film out. And for me during that time process, for during that process of when I wasn't playing football, I was just working, man. Just trying to find a
14:13 job, just working at Lids, working at TJ Maxx, going to school as a regular student at a community college back home and just trying to navigate life after football. That's that was really
14:25 what that process was like.
14:27 Dude, so your dad sends your film to Florida State. Is that correct? Correct. And that's and that's kinda how they see you and they see what you're capable of, and they see how talented you are.
14:39 And then you go, and is it your it's technically like your senior year? What is what does that look like? Were you just draft eligible, but it was your first year at Florida State? What did that look like for you when
14:49 you actually showed up on campus and you go to this walk on tryout? Take us back to that day.
14:54 Yeah. So I will, but I also wanna provide some context like
14:59 Yeah.
14:59 Before I got to Florida State, as you mentioned, I did go 3 years without playing at Florida State.
15:04 Right.
15:04 I went 3 years without playing football in general. And so when that seed was planted for Florida State, giving me the chance to walk on, I had to
15:16 wait 2 years in order for me to even get to Florida State because I had to graduate with my AA. So it's like, yeah, there's this idea and this plan, but it's so
15:28 far ahead. But at the same time, it's like that doubt that's Florida State. Like this is Florida State that's winning bowl games every year for 30 years straight.
15:39 And by the time that I got there on campus was the weekend that they won the national championship. So throughout this whole process of me waiting to get to Florida State,
15:54 talk about God's plan versus my plan and dealing with insecurities and dealing with doubt. My whole thing was without technically giving the story away. I
16:06 had plans for to play football, but I wanted to take my route. So instead I ended up going to this smaller school to satisfy for
16:18 instant gratification. And I went there didn't work out was just going my plan, going my way and taking the
16:30 longer route. God already had a route that was set up for me that was gonna be not necessarily easy but smoother than the route that I took.
16:40 And
16:42 so a lot of time I sold myself short because of doubt and insecurities by choosing to go to a smaller school to play football right now versus just waiting on God's plan, which was Florida
16:53 State. And as we know where I'm here now, going to Florida State earning my scholarship playing 4 years in NFL. Yeah, that's about me. But
17:05 God's plan is so much bigger than what we can come up with because I doubted myself. I'm like, man, I don't I know Florida State wants me to go but it's like I'm a 0 star.
17:16 I Florida State said that I can walk on in 3 years but I didn't play. I haven't played football in 3 years. So for me, that's
17:28 how I was when I got on campus. It was always this constant battle of God's plan and being confident in who he made me to be and and fighting that
17:40 insecurity and, you know, not selling myself short by going my own route.
17:46 Yeah. And that's something I love to remind athletes of ultimately is that their worth and their value and their identity is detached from their performance. Because like you said, I think so many of us, the longing that
17:57 we all have in our hearts is to belong and feel like we are accepted. Right? So like for you going through that season, what it sounds like to me is that you were really questioning, like, do I actually belong here?
18:09 Right? Like, I I can I find myself here? God's opened the door potentially to be at Florida State, but, like, do I belong here based on my past, based on my track record? Like, is this really where God wants
18:20 me to be? But at the same time, my friend, it's evident that that's exactly the story that God was writing for your life. That he is the perfect author because ultimately, like you said, not only did you get to walk
18:32 on, but you earned a scholarship, you earned a starting opportunity, a starting position, and on top of that, you earned all of these opportunities to really be platformed on the biggest stage of college football going
18:44 on being undrafted, but fighting and pursuing this relentless dream of playing in the NFL. And like you said, you had a 4 year career. You got the opportunity to playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Carolina
18:54 Panthers, brother. As you look back, what was the experience when you dressed up for that first time in the Buccaneers uniform? What was that like? And what was going through your mind? Because you're literally living
19:05 out your childhood dream.
19:07 Mhmm. Man, the first time I will go to the first time I actually dressed up in a game uniform was the preseason game. I wanna say we played the
19:18 Jaguars in Jacksonville, which was cool because, you know, I got a chance to like, Jamis was my teammate. We got a chance to play against Rashad Green and just
19:29 Telver Smith, some other guys, Jalen Ramsey, some other guys that were on the Jacksonville team that are former teammates. And it honestly, it was just a blessing for that. But the first time that I actually played in an
19:41 actual NFL game that counted, It was my rookie year. It was 8 games into the season, I think. And I ended up being able to play against
19:52 this San Diego chargers. It was San Diego at that time. And man, 1 thing that I remember during that time period was I didn't know that my
20:04 name was gonna be called during that game. I knew that it was possible because I was on the active roster. But just the things that led up to that
20:16 man, just trusting in God's plan. Even though I didn't know, I remember that year that upset that I didn't start
20:27 from day 1. And I get it like I went undrafted, was a walk on all these other things, but I dream big. And I had to go through this like developmental process for a few weeks. And
20:39 just be and and letting all of that pay off to when I actually got the chance to play. And that that everything that I went through was a learning experience, man.
20:51 Everything I went through was a learning experience. It was great to play in that first game, playing in San Diego and they ended up starting the rest of that season, my rookie year. But like as I reflect on those
21:02 moments, I just think of how like what led up to that and what lesson did I learn, you know. So those are a lot of things that that's how I really reflect on my past.
21:12 I love that, man. Know, I I love to do this with current and former professional athletes. I wanna ask like, what was your favorite game? Any specific memory that sticks out to you? I did see and I read a little about
21:24 your story when you went to the Carolina Panthers, you faced off against the Buccaneers and you picked off former teammate Jamis Winston. Is that correct?
21:31 Yeah. Yeah. It is. It is. But but the crazy thing is that that is 1 of my favorite games actually. In the NFL, I would probably say my favorite game will probably be when I
21:43 was in Tampa the year before. And I ended up picking off Carolina.
21:49 Come on.
21:50 So the reason the reason that's 1 of my favorite games is because I'm from Panama City, Florida and
21:55 Oh, yeah.
21:56 We got hit by hurricane Michael really bad in 20 18. Category 5, completely demolished the city. And that game when we played Carolina, they had we
22:07 had like the my cause my cleats game. And I on 1 cleat I had like represented Panama City. And then on the other cleat I had my uncle Cager who was a pastor
22:20 at a small church back home. And he had passed away from cancer. And so on 1 cleat I had Panama City from Hurricane Michael and on the other cleat I had my uncle.
22:32 And when we went and play Carolina that game, actually ended up getting my first career interception that game that I wore those cleats. And it was against Carolina with Cam Newton. And
22:44 then Wow. You know, that that that that was really significant in my career.
22:48 Yeah, dude. I mean, first and foremost, I appreciate you mentioning just with vulnerability, some of the challenges that you're experiencing leading up to that game. Clearly, you live life on mission and on
23:00 purpose. And I appreciate that because it's so much bigger than you, right? It's not just about the interception, it's about what you were doing it for. I believe life isn't just about what we do, but it's about how we
23:10 do it and who we do it for. Clearly, that speaks a lot to you as a person. But then also in recognizing that you like you said, that moment was probably very big for you in your career because when you pick off someone
23:21 like Cam Newton, right, it's like, dude, I belong here. You know what I mean? Like, that's a big play. That's a game changing play. JV, you know, I wanna ask this too because this is another fun question for our audience
23:31 out there. Who is 1 of the hardest receivers that you had the opportunity of defending in the NFL?
23:38 Well, I'm a start with, starting in house, man. I I every day I competed against Mike Evans. Oh, yeah. So him being, you know, 6 4, 6 5 and having 1000 yards,
23:50 1000 receiving yards every year for 11 years straight. Future hall of famer, right? Battling with him every day got me it made me better. Deshaun Jackson, legend.
24:02 Adam Humphreys is slot receiver. Some people may have heard of him, just every day going to battle with those 3 was was great. But then on the outside, I have a a an unconventional
24:14 answer that most people probably wouldn't, you know, agree with, but I will say Cole Beasley. I always say Cole Beasley because I I played in the slot and Cole Beasley man
24:26 in a blink of an eye, he'll get missing. Know, that's so so, you know, I I played against a lot of great receivers. I played in the slot and as the nickel and, you know, that's that's that's really
24:38 my answer, man. I I wanna guess him probably every year that I was in the league. So
24:43 Man, dude, that's fun to hear. I love hearing those answers because like you said, dude, in house, you guys were loaded when you were there in in Tampa Bay. And so being able to compete like that, that only makes you
24:53 better for the games when you're having to go up against guys like Cole Beasley and so many others. So that's encouraging to my heart. But something I wanna mention now as we kinda make a transition is your new book out.
25:03 It's titled Unconquered Walk On, My Unlikely Path from 0 Scholarships to Florida State and the NFL. Javian, what's at the heart of this book? And what are some of the lessons that you want every reader
25:15 to really walk away with upon the completion of its pages?
25:19 Man, I start off with this book by saying this is my testimony. This is my story of what God has brought me through, but, it's it's meant to inspire. This this book is meant to inspire
25:30 sharing my story of how I went from a 0 stars and 0 scholarships and going to walk on the Florida State. And honestly, the challenges
25:42 that I faced is what it was about. We all have dreams, we all have goals, but my unlikely path is the obstacles that were set in front of me
25:55 that I had to overcome. And I want people to walk away from this book, not just looking at me like, wow, this is what he did. It's like, okay, this is what I can do. I want people
26:07 I wanna give people that encouragement, that inspiration to whatever it is that they wanna go after. Just know that it's gonna come with some adversity know that it's gonna come with you having to rely
26:19 on God. You having to trust God because he's gonna put you in some situations where you aren't gonna know until it's time for that blessing to happen. You don't
26:31 know what's next. It's uncertain. There's gonna be some uncertainty and it's not gonna be until that moment that he opens that door when you
26:42 realize what's what's gonna happen.
26:45 Your story reminds, I think, all of us that we serve a God of possibility. That with God, nothing is impossible. All things are possible. And Philippians 4 13 is probably 1 of the most
26:57 cited verses in all scripture, especially in athletics. I can do all things through Christ who gives me the strength. But we truly can do all things when we recognize that Christ is the ruler, that he is the center, that
27:07 he is the anchor of our lives. Your story reminds us all that again, nothing is impossible in and through him. Your book is really built upon 3 concepts, 3 topics that I really wanna dive into now, Javeen. It's
27:19 built on grit, it's built on faith, and it's built on determination. 1 thing that I really appreciate, there's a book out there on grit by Angela Duckworth and she defines grit by saying it's really perseverance and
27:30 passion for long term goals. Essentially, ability to maintain motivation and determination over a long period of time despite setbacks and challenges signifying a key factor in achieving
27:42 success beyond just talent or intelligence. You know, I really appreciate a lot of those words. Something that we're learning in the mental health space is that perseverance is actually something that can be wired inside
27:53 of our DNA. Can become kinda like a character trait. When we do hard things, it makes it easier to do other hard things. Passion. Right? When you break down the word, it actually means to suffer. When you love something
28:05 so much, you're willing to suffer for it. But the words that stuck out to me about her definition is the word long term. Right? Because when we start to see things in a long term perspective, it helps us to
28:16 stay true or to stay committed to the things we said we are gonna be committed to far after the feeling we said those things in has left. JVN for you, speak to the importance of having dreams, of having
28:28 these long term visions, of having these long term goals, and why it's so inevitable for us to then stay true to them when we can see things through that different perspective.
28:38 Yeah. Man, that's that's that's hitting home for me in a different way because I'm currently going through that with life after football. Right? It's easy for me to say,
28:50 hey, if you wanna go and be this scholarship player, if you wanna go to the NFL, here's how you do it. But now I'm having to hold myself accountable to the dreams and aspirations that I want with life after
29:01 football and staying committed to it. Being able to go through these things no matter what obstacles are set in front of me persevering and also having
29:13 passion, thinking long term. It took I've been playing football since the age of 5. Yeah. I I I've got to the NFL when I was 21, 22. Not saying, you know, so just
29:25 thinking long term, I have to have that same mindset with life after football. And anyone who has dreams and goals of
29:38 bigger things in life. That's 1 thing that I'm having to tell myself now. When the word commitment, right? How are you I'm reading this book now, the miracle morning and it's
29:50 talking about writing down affirmations, but not in like the the weird way of affirmations. But it's like, hey, what are you committed to doing? Like not just saying I'm a millionaire or
30:02 like, know, speaking things and to that way, but it's like, I am a great leader and here's what I'm going to do to be a great leader.
30:10 Yep.
30:11 So I believe that, you know, being able to write down what you're committed to doing and what you're what you're willing to do to make that happen.
30:23 It's so important, my friend. And really to go along with grit, Denzel Washington has that famous quote where he says, commitment is where you start, but consistency is how you finish. Right? Continuing to push on,
30:34 continuing to persevere, like you said, with passion, but staying true to your commitments every single step of the way. That's that concept and that understanding of grit. The second 1 then is faith. And even to tie a
30:45 lot of this in, I remember I was speaking at a very small, it was almost like rural islands in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay. I was speaking in multiple churches for a friend of mine. And there was an Uber driver that
30:56 picked me up that was taking me from 1 island to the next. And as I'm there, this Uber driver, we were just catching up, talking about honestly how difficult it was to live on the island. And I was asking him and as we
31:07 were talking, was like, man, that has to be difficult. You have to be a really strong individual. And I'll never forget, he looked at me and he said, son, you don't always have to be strong as long as you're willing to
31:17 be stubborn. And that's that idea of that stubbornness in a good sense. Like that I've stick to itiveness, I'm never going to give up. Faith, my friend, 1 of my favorite quotes by John
31:29 Gordon is that, faith and fear have 1 thing in common. They both believe in a future that has not yet happened. While fear believes in a negative 1, faith believes in a positive 1. Hebrews 11 1 says, now faith is
31:40 confidence in what we hope for and assurance in what we do not see. Javeen, you, you've talked a lot about the Lord and what he's meant for you in your life. But I I would love for you to speak to our audience today just
31:51 about the significance and the importance of your faith and your relationship with Christ and how that truly has been an anchor for you in some difficult and really some uncertain waters in your own personal story.
32:02 Man, like for me, I've always believed in God, had a relationship with God. It wasn't until I will say
32:14 last year and now that we're in 20 25 where I got baptized, will say I've been fully submitted to God for quite a few years now. But right now my
32:26 faith is on a different level, not meaning like higher in a sense of like, I've elevated, but it's like my reliance on
32:37 God is deeper than anything because man, right now, will say that I went through all the things in a physical
32:49 and mental with football. But now that I'm done, I'm having to go through these challenges and building up my endurance from a spiritual
33:00 standpoint. And I know we're talking about football, but I just I hear you. It's just in me to say this right now.
33:08 Absolutely.
33:08 Like with me getting baptized last year, the challenges that I faced are far more superior than anything I faced on a
33:20 football field.
33:21 Amen.
33:22 But I say that in a way of like God is building me up with my endurance in general of having faith in him. Because I can sit here and say have faith that he's gonna
33:33 give us the dreams and the goals that we're, you know, we're desiring for. But I think the ultimate thing that stood out to me is when you said faith is the assurance. I think I was listening
33:45 to pastor Daniels, pastor Darius Daniels 1 time and he broke it down in a way that I never thought of it. Was like, because another translation says like faith is the substance.Show more
Zach Clinton
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