Lifestyle

Chasing Greatness, Not Money: J.J. Watt Is The Hardest Working Man In Sports

by Julian Sonny

Anyone who's ever achieved any level of success in any industry has one thing in common: hard work.

Unfortunately, these days, the ordinary run-of-the-mill hard work that your granddaddy taught you just isn't going to cut it anymore. Why? The same reason you need a billion dollars and not a million.

If there's one person who embodies everything it means to be the hardest-working man in the room, it's Houston Texans defensive end Justin James Watt.

At just 25, Watt has created one of the most untouchable reputations in the NFL simply by keeping his head down and, you guessed it, working like a madman.

J.J. Watt takes no days off -- never has, never will -- and as he keeps climbing towards the pinnacle of his career, he's showing even more focus after every milestone. His dedication is so intense, however, that teammates are beginning to question his sanity.

None of that fazes Watt, though. He's focused one one thing and one thing only: Being the greatest football who ever lived.

So pay attention... because the athlete is more than just a 6'5" monster.

Meet the Houston Texans' 25-year-old defensive end superstar, J.J. Watt.

He just signed a $100-million contract, making him the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL.

Unfortunately, he didn't know what to buy after breaking the bank.

Good thing he's a humble dude and chose to just stick to his work instead.

Watt never parties, so the Texans will never have to worry about him getting in trouble off the field.

Every #NFL Rookie needs to read this and learn. Well said JJ Watt. pic.twitter.com/D3q4k2487F — Ben Leber (@nacholeber) July 8, 2014

Hell, he doesn't even want a girlfriend right now. He knows he needs to stay completely focused.

During an interview with ESPN's Michelle Biesner, Watt said:

It’s not that I don’t want to [have a girlfriend], it’s that I haven’t yet. I haven’t been able to make it happen yet. I obviously would love to have a girlfriend, but a girlfriend deserves so much of your time and energy, and she deserves to be treated like a princess because that’s how you should treat your girls. And if I can’t give them that time and that devotion because of my dedication to football, then I don’t feel like I should almost waste their time. If I find the right girl and she steals my heart then it might be a different story. It’s very difficult and I’m not overly optimistic about it, but I would love the opportunity.

Still, that doesn't mean he's not meeting women...

He's even taken his game to the next level this year, scoring touchdowns for his team.

Touchdowns so far this season: J.J. Watt - 2 Calvin Johnson - 2 Arian Foster - 1 Jamaal Charles - 0 Matt Forte - 0 pic.twitter.com/AJIsojqKA5 — NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) September 28, 2014

Pick-sixes are cool, too.

He can even line up on offense and snag a goal-line score.

But it's the touchdowns off the field that he's most known for.

He's well-known for busting his face open during games and playing through the pain.

Once, he even compared Ray Rice to a burrito.

But don't just listen to us; this is what his peers think about him:

This year, he fulfilled a life-long dream that had nothing to do with football.

I've wanted to be able to do this my whole life. For all you've worked & sacrificed, you deserve it. Happy B-Day Mom! pic.twitter.com/oP1AWQwGwu — JJ Watt (@JJWatt) October 1, 2014

His teammate Keith Browner agrees, J.J. Watt is an inspiration to us all.

In an interview with HoustonTexans.com, defensive end teammate Keith Browner praised Watt:

The main guy I look up to is J.J. Watt because his work ethic is ridiculous. He’s just a working horse. It’s like he never tires out. When I see him working, that makes me want to work harder because I say to myself all the time, ‘Nobody can out-hustle me and nobody can work harder than I can.' So when I look at J.J., I try to compete with him and try and stay up there with him.

And while all of that's cool, he's actually in the gym right now going HAM.

Top Photo Credit: Getty Images