Leadership

Tim Tebow: Don’t do these 3 things if you want to be successful

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EXCLUSIVE: Tim Tebow on leadership, apologizing and getting people to like you
VIDEO4:2504:25
EXCLUSIVE: Tim Tebow on leadership, apologizing and getting people to like you

Former professional quarterback Tim Tebow is part of a small group of athletes who have played in both the NFL and MLB. Over the years, Tebow says many people have questioned his ability to be a quarterback, let alone a baseball player.

Today, the 30-year-old athlete credits his personal and career success to his determination.

"I think it's important to strive for what you want and to strive for what you really believe in. So when I'm 50, 60, 70 years old, I can look back and say, 'You know what? I gave everything that I had for this,'" Tebow tells CNBC contributor Suzy Welch in a wide-ranging interview.

Here are three things you should avoid doing if you want to achieve your own goals, according to Tebow.

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Why Tim Tebow says you should never be afraid to apologize

Don't let others define you

While Tebow had dreamt of being a quarterback in the NFL since he was six, the athlete faced naysayers who said he would never accomplish that goal.

"It was always a dream of mine. And so it was more important for me to strive for my beliefs and my dreams than it was to settle for what other people thought I should do," Tebow tells Welch.

Tebow began his standout athlete career with University of Florida's renowned football team, the Florida Gators. In 2007, he made history as the first college sophomore to win the Heisman trophy, an annual award presented to the country's most outstanding college football player.

In 2010, the Denver Broncos caused a stir when they selected Tebow as a first-round draft pick for the NFL team. He would later play with the New York Jets, New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles before wrapping up his NFL career in 2015.

"Why do we have to be defined by what other people want us to do?" Tebow says. "I think that's one of the silliest things that people get in their brain is that they let the rest of the world tell us what we can and what we can't do."

"If you live like that, you're always gonna be defined by other people, and no one should give them the right to define your life and the choices you make," Tebow adds.

Don't fear failure

In 2016, Tebow switched from football to baseball when he signed a minor league contract with the New York Mets.

In a 2017 interview on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," Tebow said that playing baseball at age 4 was his "first love." While he faced criticism for recently starting to play baseball, he chose not to let it prevent his dream from coming true.

"If you have a dream, if you have a goal, if there's something that's been placed on your heart, then strive for it. What's the worst thing that's gonna happen? You don't make it? Oh well. But at least you get to say, 'I tried,'" Tebow tells Welch.

"Other people will see us trip and fall, other people will see us not make it, other people will see me in baseball, whether I make it to the [big leagues] or I don't, and they'll judge that," Tebow tells Welch. "But at least I got to live it out for a little while. At least I got to enjoy it every day."

Tebow adds that when people question his desire to play baseball, he turns their doubt on them: "My question to them is do you actually do something you enjoy? Are you passionate about it? Or are you hiding behind these walls of fear, and doubt, and the unknown so you're not actually living at all anyways?"

Don't live aimlessly

Tebow says his main goal is to live a life he will be proud of decades from now.

That way, "you can turn and look back and say, 'I wasn't just living aimlessly, I was living for a purpose, I was living for significance, I was living for meaning,'" Tebow adds.

But he tells Welch it won't be easy.

"You still have to have that positive outlook. You still have to be encouraged. You still have to encourage yourself and go back and remember those hopes, and those dreams, and everything you were striving for," Tebow says.

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