Denzel Washington: What Will You Leave Behind?
During his 30-minute chat, Denzel Washington reminded athletes that football is “the platform for your real purpose.” No matter their eventual profession, he said, “You all have that God-given ability to be great.”
But Washington emphasized that greatness isn’t found in wealth or fame. “You’ll never see a U-Haul behind a hearse,” he said. “I’m worth hundreds of millions of dollars. On the last day of my life, I can’t take it with me. But I can leave it here—and I’m not just talking about money.”
Washington asked the team members to consider what gift they each plan to leave. “Love, you can leave here. Grace, you can leave here,” he said. “What you do for others is much more important than what you do for yourself. Sharing, giving, loving, being patient is the most important gift that you have.”
During a Q&A session, one player asked at what age young people need to “have things figured out.” Washington, who said he flunked out of college and never planned to go into acting, said God often reveals his plans over time.
In 1975, sitting at his mother’s beauty parlor, Washington received a prophecy from a woman he didn’t know. “She said, ‘You’re going to travel the world and preach to millions of people,’” he recalled. “She didn’t say, ‘You’re going to be famous.’ She didn’t say I was going to win an Oscar.”
‘Rely on the Almighty,’ Advises Denzel Washington
Another player asked how the actor maintains his focus and excellence. Washington then told the athletes to prepare for challenges that can accompany blessings.
“When you pray for rain, you got to deal with the mud too,” he said. “But eventually good things grow out of that mud.” Fame, wealth, power, and privilege aren’t all they’re made up to be, Washington added. Often, other people “don’t like seeing you do well.”
The actor advised the young men:
We are in the world, but don’t be of it. Don’t rely on it for your happiness. Rely on the Almighty. Do not rely on this world for your happiness, ’cause they’ll tell you Tuesday that they love you and Wednesday that they hate you. [They’ve] probably said that about your team.
Washington told listeners to talk to God just like they talk to their earthly fathers. He also recommended getting up in the morning and being quiet. “It’s a good discipline,” he said, to breathe and listen before your mind starts going for the day.
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