Beyond Success | A Conversation With Author Paulo Silas Pereira

On today's episode of Inkspired, Bailey sits down with Brazilian football pundit, coach, and former professional player, Paulo Silas Pereira, to discuss purpose, mission and true success, as well as the release of his new book, "Beyond Success"!

AVAILABLE NOW FOR PRE-ORDER  on AMAZON
https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Success...

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

At the end, winning or losing is not that important as giving your best. For us soccer players, uh, the traditional success, it's being in the good clubs. For me, it's uh much more than that. It's been a man and uh a gods man, uh a good husband, and a man with uh purpose in life.

SPEAKER_01 0:37

Well, welcome back to another episode of Inkspired. We are so excited. We are joined by the one, the only Silas, who is has an amazing soccer story and soccer really career and legacy. Um, but you wrote a book not too long ago called Beyond Success: One Athlete's Outstanding Pursuit of Goals, God, and the glory. And Silas, thank you. Thank you so much for being here.

SPEAKER_00 1:05

My pleasure.

SPEAKER_01 1:08

Well, let's let's get right into it, Silas. I'm so excited. I mean, you've lived an amazing soccer career, and your faith journey throughout that has been incredible. Would you mind telling us what inspired you to start writing this story?

SPEAKER_00 1:25

Yes, sure. I I have a friend, and also uh it's Mike's friends. Uh his name is Alex Diaz Ribero. He's uh uh a former uh Formula One race driver, and uh he he uh used to be as a uh a teammate uh Nelson Piquet, one of the the champions uh in the Formula One in the world, and also uh Emerson Fittipaldi and Alex uh it's uh uh inspired me uh for his life also and his career. And he wrote a book also. Uh and and and he told me, uh Silas, why don't write a book? Uh, because you have a uh a beautiful story uh in in your life as an athlete and uh in family, uh as a man. And then uh 15 years ago, I I started to to write the book. And then four years, uh more or less four years ago, my youngest one uh asked me, uh dad, why don't uh restart the project of the book? And then uh here's it.

SPEAKER_01 2:45

So a couple people in your life kind of prompting you that this was going to be super great.

SPEAKER_00 2:52

Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_01 2:56

So this talks a little bit about beyond success. And you know, typically in the world that we live in, successes can come down to accolades or money or fame, but you talk about success in a whole more special way, talking about how it really comes from God. Can you talk a little bit about how that mind shift happened to looking at success maybe through God's eyes?

SPEAKER_00 3:18

Yes, I I I think uh this the traditional success, it's uh being a very good uh athlete in in his modality. Uh for us soccer players. Uh the traditional success, it's being in the good clubs here in Brazil, uh at my at my beginning in Italy, and also uh wear a Brazilian national uh t-shirt in a World Cup. I think uh this is traditional uh success for in when when you think in this means. But uh for me it's uh much more than that. It's being a man and uh a God's man, uh a good husband, uh a good worker, and a man with uh purpose in life. So uh I I think this for me in uh uh this is the the the goal I I I would like to achieve, even now.

SPEAKER_01 4:26

Yeah, it's how you know you talked a little bit about in your book how you going back and forth of making sure you're honoring what God is asking of you and and following you know God even through some of the ups and downs of of the soccer career and things like that. Um, so was there a specific moment in that athletic journey where your priorities started to shift from maybe achievement, you know, that goal-driven base to finding that purpose?

SPEAKER_00 4:57

I think that uh because I am uh surrounded by uh God's people or good people in life, my dad, my dad gave to us uh a lot of principles and values to to live our lives. And uh I think because of that, uh I I was uh as young men, maybe 16, 17, 18 years old, uh more mature than the guys at my age. And and and then I think this is uh helps me to put the priorities in in order and pursue it then uh only at a time. I think this helps me a lot.

SPEAKER_01 5:48

That makes a lot of sense. Yeah, yeah, that's beautiful. That's beautiful. And you've included, which I thought was so fun, I love a picture both. And so I do love that even at the back, you include pictures of your family and of some of the people that were very important in your life. So I just think that's a great little visual to help tie in your story because you talk about so many incredible people who have helped get you here to where, you know, to your your amazing soccer career. Um, did you ever experience any burnout or pressure or maybe even like loss of passion throughout your extensive career that you had to maybe shift that to allow God to kind of re-reignite you? Or how did that journey go?

SPEAKER_00 6:37

Yes, I I uh uh I think that uh uh as a as a soccer team, uh we used to share with others. Uh because we are a group, uh we share with them the victories and we share with them the losses and uh the setbacks also. Uh so uh I I think I I try uh every time to give my best in the in the matches and and then understand that uh at the end uh winning or losing is not that important as gaving your best in all the time. Try to trying to to to to do your best for you and helping uh others to do the same.

SPEAKER_01 7:41

Yeah, absolutely. Does that that kind of ties into um something else? Just you know, did you ever wrestle with finding your identity as a soccer player, as a teammate? And how do you wrestle with that of knowing your true identity comes from the Lord and you know God's called you one of his children?

SPEAKER_00 8:00

Uh can you ask me again this one?

SPEAKER_01 8:03

Yeah, yeah. Sorry about that. So, you know, it's oftentimes with such a big name and the amazing career that you've had, it's often sometimes easy to get wrapped up in the identity of a soccer player or your position as a teammate and that how that can affect kind of maybe your position, but knowing that our position is in Christ, how did you manage that of keeping your you know, your soul focus and your soul title as a citizen of heaven, even amongst all these other titles that you wear?

SPEAKER_00 8:36

Yeah, I think uh uh it's important uh in a f in a in a first moment we tried to do uh uh as a as a in in my case as a soccer player, uh reach the the right position I could, like uh playing an World Cup. But uh when during the the the the career, uh I also learned how to be uh a God's man, how to be a family man, how to understand uh my position in the team, uh, and how to to to help them to face uh good moments and bad moments. Uh I think it's is the is more than only winning trophies or uh personally trophies or in a group or winning uh leagues, things like that.

SPEAKER_01 9:41

Yeah, I think that's that's beautifully put, and especially coming from you, where you have quite a few very impressive trophies. You and your team has done some pretty extensive great things. This is just a little bit, why don't you tell us a little bit about some of those wins? You know, doing the amazing, you know, World Cup champion, like and you know, MVP winning. How how was all of some of that um loud loudness going with what God is saying about you? How did that all work itself out?

SPEAKER_00 10:15

I I think uh uh uh for me uh I tried also to be uh humble when the things goes uh good and and and also uh be uh fighting uh when the the things goes not uh as we wish to. Uh being my imitators as I am God's imitator. So this is I think is is uh a way to maintain the I I I don't know how can I say niggas, the feet on the the the floor. No no no leave these things ghosts uh in uh in a bad way in your in your mind and and think that you you are more uh than others.

SPEAKER_01 11:11

Absolutely, absolutely. Thank you for for sharing that with us. And there are so many great um life lessons, right? We've get to we've got to see your career, how you started in soccer, go through, and even now getting to be a coach and things like that. How have you been able to see um your um your abilities and your skill sets translate into so many different areas of life?

SPEAKER_00 11:40

I think uh it's uh uh in the first when I was a kid, uh 12, 13 years old, the oldest one uh used to say, uh, you can you can be a professional soccer player. So goes uh uh and and and and goes for that. And when I was a professional soccer player, uh my coaches used to say to me, uh you can uh be a coach also, because you ask a lot, you it's uh uh concern about the the things that coaches do. So and because of that, I I uh uh goes to being a student of uh a red coat's career, how uh how the things they do, how they think about uh uh uh techniques, and uh and and the transition for me was uh easy. And at a time I went moving from the the soccer player for a coach and and then now for a uh uh sports TV commentator uh and in the SPN, that's uh what I do now.

SPEAKER_01 12:55

Do you do you ever sometimes as you're watching the game get that same thrill or that same like excitement as bringing back to when you were on the field?

SPEAKER_00 13:04

Yes, yes. We have to, because of uh uh uh the work I do. We have to to follow matches, and we have to we we must know uh names and uh referee names and uh coach names, uh players, club presidents' names, because uh we have uh 30 seconds to explain uh some things, some players plays, and uh it's uh it's uh interesting.

SPEAKER_01 13:36

That's exciting. So you still get that same excitement bringing you back to when you were on the field and you were getting close to being there with the team.

SPEAKER_00 13:45

Yeah, yeah. Uh and uh it now it's it's a little bit uh complicated to analyze because uh the the times changed. Changed a lot. But uh we we we we think if I were uh him, I'll do that or do this. And but uh it's it's another time.

SPEAKER_01 14:11

I bet I bet that would be really hard to turn off you know as the player brain and switch into the you know the watching and being able to call all the different games. Um your your story is is one of that really highlights your your soccer career, but also talks a lot about has a lot of good principles for people who might not be athletes. So if someone who might not be a professional athlete or maybe not be athletic at all, what is something that you would still hope they would gain from your book?

SPEAKER_00 14:45

I think uh uh uh I I am a good athlete and I reach uh high position as an athlete, but I am a man and uh uh a family man, uh God's man, and uh an ordinary person uh with uh fears and uh the same uh feelings that uh they they have in life. So uh uh when when they read uh uh the Beyond Success, my idea is that uh they they they put themselves in my place and think if I if I were sealers, uh what did I uh do about this or that, and uh being a man, a community man, uh thinking about others and uh uh uh living a purpose life. I think I think this is this is uh uh also important too. And if people that read the book, uh I think uh if they can if uh being uh uh an inspiration for them, I think that's it's uh this idea.

SPEAKER_01 16:11

Yeah, and I think you you've laid out a perfect book to be able to see to see those different things. Um if someone finishes your book, they love it, and they want to live more purposefully, what is some of the very first steps you would encourage them to take?

SPEAKER_00 16:31

I I think the the success I had was because I follow my father's advice about uh uh read reading read read the Bibles and uh uh prayer times and uh also uh fasting times, uh about uh uh uh faith with the the difficult times in life, but with the spiritual um how can I say arms? Uh yeah, arms uh weapons with the spiritual weapons, not uh not uh only uh with my strength or my my intelligence, uh my force or so uh I think even if they are young like I I were when I start uh trying to have a relationship with Jesus and then learning from uh the the the the Bible from the parents or or even the friends about the the the true values and principles about the the stages of life. I am now I think in the three on the fourth stage, but that's the first, the second. So in each one, uh see what's is the is the is the best choice. And uh I think if you you you are surrounded by God's people, the chance to succeed, it's it's it's more well thank you so much.

SPEAKER_01 18:25

If if our listeners have more questions or they want to get their very own copy of the book, where's the best spot for that?

SPEAKER_00 18:34

Whoa. I I don't know. I I maybe uh in uh in the world of uh the soccer world that 78 percent of the former players are failure uh when we think about money, are divorced and unemployed uh two years after their retirement. I think uh my my uh my my my my my my journey with my wife it's about uh thirty eight thirty-eight years marriage yeah the the chance to build a family uh three kids and uh and uh grand uh daughters and a grandson and uh this is this is uh this is uh uh important to me. And also the people can reach the book in Amazon. Uh can get a book in in Amazon.

SPEAKER_01 19:42

Wonderful! Well, thank you so much for being with us all the way from Brazil. Thank you for um giving us some time today. It's been incredible. Thank you for your book, thank you for consistently pointing at us back to Jesus. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 19:57

Thank you. You're welcome. God bless you.