Tony Gonzalez
Like a race car you can't put in regular gas. That's what food is: your fuel.Collection: Food
My mother was an administrator at a nursing home, and my first job was working at a nursing home as an activities assistant. She wanted me to do it because it forces you out of your shell, and it's about giving back. That's something that I learned from my mother at a very young age.Collection: Home
You should really cast a big net when it comes to life and learning. In the end, you're so much better for it.Collection: Learning
Everything happens for a reason, and hopefully it makes me a better person in the process.
The first thing I do after I wake up is a morning meditation. It's just as I awake and before I open my eyes. It's where I'm feeding my gratitude and the love in my heart and opening my heart. A good morning meditation is key. It lasts about 10 to 15 minutes. Then I get out of bed.
My mom and stepdad had such open hearts, they taught me to like bringing people into my home. I'm not guarded about it.
Kansas City is dear to me and I am honored to be inducted into their Hall of Fame.
I usually wake up around 7:30 A.M. without an alarm clock. I wake up naturally because I'm huge on sleep. I believe it's the No. 1 thing you can do if you're trying to create a better life.
When you find yourself in those situations where you have to take action in a crucial situation, you just do it.
It ain't how you start out, it's how you finish.
There's a lot of growing you can have when you're in adversity, when you're in a losing situation.
When I came into the league trying to party and having too much of a good time, I found out the hard way how it affected my performance.
While I was playing, I started a company that didn't work out. I got a taste of the business world and realized I'm not going to be a 9-to-5 guy in the office after football is over. When the opportunity came for television. I thought, 'Let's go for it,' even though it was nerve-racking. I enjoyed it.
I remember in my second year in the league, I dropped 17 balls and led the NFL in dropped passes. That made me the player I am. If I didn't go through that transformative power of crisis, none of this would've probably happened for me.
I have a recurring role on 'NCIS' and that's been a lot of fun.
Would I have been a great basketball player? No. But I think I would've been a good basketball player, one of those grinders getting eight to 10 rebounds. I would've been like Kobe and been in the gym five to seven hours a day and never missed a 10-foot jump shot. I would've been a great role player for a team.
The Pro Bowl is an honor, and I don't know why so many people skip it. I skipped it one time because I played the week before, but I always wanted to be out there.
If I can't win a Super Bowl, so what? What would it do for me?
I could have played in the NBA. I would have put up 1,000 jump shots a day. I've got that type of work ethic.
I believe in a higher power. Some people out there don't.
Don't tell me that the rules prohibit you from hitting a guy up top. You have a whole target area above his knee up to his neck that you can hit.
Salaries should be set based on production and contributions, not positions.
I've been very blessed. I don't want anyone to feel sorry for me.
I've always wanted a ring. That's been my main goal as a player over the last 15 years of my career. You're really trying to get that ultimate goal.
I'm so proud to have been a part of the Chiefs for 12 seasons and will always feel like a part of their family.
Of course I want to win a Super Bowl, but at the same time I'm very happy with what I've accomplished and the relationships I've made over the years.
The only regrets I have are things I didn't do.
I grew up in Kansas City. I got here when I just turned 21.
I've been able to play for some of the best fans in the NFL.
It's a little weird thinking I'm going to be an Atlanta Falcon - just saying that.
When you go through those hard times, that's when you ask those questions that normally you wouldn't. If you win, you don't ask questions. You don't worry about it.
I've day-dreamed about raising that Lombardi Trophy. I can see it in my mind.
It's about getting hot, playing good football come playoff time.
Our goal isn't to go undefeated. Like, 'Hey, we're going to have an undefeated season.' Our goal is to win every game we're playing. And there's a difference.
You take it one game at a time because it's the most important game of the season.
I don't want to be one of those players towards the end - nothing against those guys who've done it like that in the past - but I want to make sure that I'm at the top of my game when I do go out.
You can't expect to be better than everybody else if you're doing the same thing as everybody else.
Whether it's in the weight room or extra stretching, you never know when you're going to need that little extra oomph.
You have to learn from your mistakes.
Being considered a dirtbag is not illegal.
I want to go to the Super Bowl and win the Super Bowl.
I love Kansas City.
I can't dwell on the past. It's over, there's nothing I can do about it.
I like to just talk and whatever comes out, comes out.
The hardest things in my life have made me who I am.
I'm so interested in people's journeys and what makes them tick, the movers and shakers.
I read all these books about excellence, and then I went into spirituality, and all these books were really about leveling up. Being the best version of yourself.
I love Oprah, she's my hero in terms of a lot of things - what's not to love about Oprah? When I look at Oprah, I see all heart. She's wide open.
You don't want to see me dance. That's not a pretty thing. Trust me.
There are so many other way more popular athletes than me.