When you get older and you need that extra motivation, you’ve got to start looking for things that motivate you. One of the things that has always motivated me is the fear of failure. I hate failure, and I’ve always kind of had a chip on my shoulder that I use as motivation to do all the little things that nobody wants to do. It takes those little things, though, to really be great.

Sometime this spring, I was paying my entry fees and had no idea how much I had won because I wasn’t in the top 50 listed on ProRodeo.com. I got on my PRCA account online, and it showed I was 63rd in the world. So I put that on my morning alarm—just the number 63. If seeing that you’re 63rd in the world isn’t enough to get you out of bed, then I don’t know what will. For me, I need to go to the gym to keep up my strength and endurance and maintain my back—and that’s one of those little things I’ve really got to stay motivated to do if I want to be better than 63rd in the world.

Before I made the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo the first time, I might have kept the goal of the top 15 in my head, but now, it’s about being the best team roper I can be and supporting my family. I want to provide. When a guy runs out of things that motivate him, that’s when he doesn’t have the drive anymore. For me, I don’t want to let my family down and I want to be the best I can be. 

Whether it’s using an embarrassment number or a picture of my wife and kids, it’s what gets me up in the morning and keeps me motivated. I would slam that alarm off when I got out of bed, and I’d listen to motivational music on my way to the gym, work out and come home and be ready to get after it saddling horses as soon as I pulled in the driveway.