HOUSTON – Inside his Houston home, JJ Moses is wearing a suit while seated in front of a large wall displaying his framed Texans jersey, along with trophies, game balls and photographs.
It’s a collection of personal mementos that tells part of the story of Moses’ journey from the small town he grew up in, Waterloo, Iowa, to play wide receiver and return kicks in the NFL as one of the most diminutive players in the game, in terms of stature at 5′6″ and weighing 175 pounds.
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For Moses, 43, his journey in football included his time after retirement building an NFL top-ranked professional and personal development success program as a director of player development for the Texans and in his life as a deeply spiritual husband, father, philanthropist and leader, is something he wanted to share.
That’s what motivated Moses to author a new book: ‘Focused: The Prepared to Win Mindset.’ The book is being released on Oct. 17, and already ranks first on Amazon’s new releases for business and professional growth in July. It’s available for preorder through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target and others.
“I am so excited I have a new book,” Moses told KPRC 2. “It’s been a long process, of course, with me working in the NFL for many many years and transitioning out of the NFL. I’ve been meeting, going out to Fortune 500 companies. When I was with the NFL, I made a program called the ‘Prepare to Win Mindset,’ and the NFL ended up ranking the program as the No. 1 professional and personal development program throughout the whole entire league.
“This book is really insight providing information to individuals to grow whether it’s through their personal or professional career so I’m so excited for this book release. It was a surprise for us when we decided to share and let others know on social media that we have a book coming out that, in the first few hours, it went to No. 1 on Amazon as far as new book releases.”
J.J. Moses @JJMoses84 retired #Texans player and former recognized director of player engagement has authored a new book 'Focused: The Prepared to Win Mindset' the top rated new release @amazon in #business #professionalgrowth @KPRC2 link https://t.co/X0XJq7qeAc pic.twitter.com/eLcl7sKk7x
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) July 25, 2023
Moses characterizes the book as a blueprint for success.
“This book is to help individuals to grow in every area of their life,” he said. “If a person wants to achieve their goals and be able to let go of the past, whether it’s difficult situations or things people have said to you, to be able to let go of all the negativity and balance life and work and have healthy relationships, guess what, I think this book is just for you. It’s a book that helps people to grow in every facet of their life. I started out with the word ‘focused’ growing up in a small town in Iowa. That word really helped to prepare me to make it to the NFL. I had so many statistics and odds against me. I read a study that said 99 percent of athletes won’t make it into the NFL. By having that word ‘focused’ propelled me and helped me prepare for those opportunities.”
Moses’ goal-achieving book, which includes a foreword from Joel Osteen, is centered on careers, healthy relationships, moving on from adversity and striking a balance between work and life and making sound decisions.
“I think it’s so important to share the message that professionalism in today’s workplace is so vital,” Moses said. “There’s a survey that says three out of every four workers are distracted. Being distracted can reduce professionalism in the workplace and affect productivity. When people have a system to remain focused, the stats are amazing. A survey says that 75 percent are able to remain more productive and motivated and feel more purposeful and focused on career. Relationships are focused on health and how you interact with people.”
Moses’ personal example is one of perseverance, overcoming obstacles, and the importance of having mentors.
“Once I transitioned out of the NFL, it allowed me to land my dream job working within the NFL,” Moses said. “We all go through obstacles and we go through challenges: dealing with the death of a loved one or a job loss or health problems. I had to deal with scenarios in my life in which I lost my job, I lost my best friend, my dad. He died unexpectedly.
“It felt like I was dropped in the middle of the ocean and I didn’t have a life jacket. I couldn’t swim. By remaining focused, it has allowed me to propel myself and move forward when it seemed like all life was pretty much shattered. But that word has allowed me to continue to grow and move forward and inspire others along the way.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com