Anyone who’s climbed the hockey ranks knows what this is all about.
We all start out as the big fish in the small pond —
Best player on the team.
Most goals.
Most confidence.
I lived that in my little northern Wisconsin town.
I was the big fish. And I knew it.
But I also knew something else…
If I wanted to grow, I had to leave the pond.
I had to go where I wasn’t the best anymore.
I had to be the small fish again —
surrounded by sharks.
That’s where it got real.
I learned to swim harder.
To chase the big fish.
To study them.
To watch how they skated, how they trained, how they led.
And slowly… I grew.
So here’s the challenge to every player reading this:
No matter what pond you’re in, and no matter how big of a fish you think you are — there is always a bigger fish.
Even the best in the world — the NHL stars — they know this.
That’s why they’re the first ones on the ice and the last ones off.
That’s why they train like they’ve got something to prove, even when they’ve already made it.
Knowing there’s always a bigger fish keeps you humble.
But it also keeps you hungry.
Stay humble.
Stay hungry.
And never stop swimming toward the next pond.
—Bobby Robins Driveway Warrior. NHL Enforcer. Savage Motivator.