Myron Rolle is relatively young, yet he has worn—and wears—multiple hats. This accomplished man is an elite runner, Rhodes scholar, humanitarian, and neurosurgery resident at Harvard.
The ex-NFL player, now 35, has had to overcome many difficulties and face insecurities. He also had to deal with low self-worth. He was able to take only 2% of what he needed at a given time, which helped him succeed.
Myron can break down seemingly impossible tasks by taking small steps, making them easier to accomplish.
Myron has shared his journey of self-improvement in his upcoming book, “The 2% Way: How a Philosophy of Small Improvements Took Me to Oxford, the NFL, and Neurosurgery.”
Myron opens up about his life philosophy, and the secrets that led to his remarkable success in the book due to be published on May 17.
“You have small wins every single day, and then a month from now, two months from now, a year from now, you say, look how much better I’ve gotten, and look how much more I’ve improved,” he explained to People.
Myron was raised in southern New Jersey and born in Texas by his immigrant parents. They originally hail from Nassau, Bahamas. He is the youngest boy of three.
Myron, then 11 years old, was involved in a physical altercation that would prove to be his turning point.
“I had a huge temper, and I beat up a kid because he called me the N-word,” he recalled. “The pivot point for me was standing in that courtroom in front of that judge and having him admonish me for beating up this kid so badly that he had to get medical treatment for his injury.”
Myron was afraid that his family would be sent back to the Bahamas due to his misbehavior. He was almost placed in juvenile detention at the time. This experience taught him a valuable lesson that he would remember for his entire life.
Myron earned scholarships to two prep schools in New Jersey, and was a top-rated Florida State University recruit. In his senior year, Myron was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University.
The 2% strategy isn’t Myron’s idea—he learned it from his football coach at FSU, Mickey Andrews.
“He wanted us to make these small tangible, practical goals of improvement every single day and would challenge us to get 2 percent better — for example, in our back peddling, our ability to tackle, our ability to catch the ball,” he explained.
“And then when we got off the field, he’d actually go into the locker room and write on the board: Myron Rolle. “Did he get 2 percent better?” he continued. “It helped keep me accountable, and I extrapolated that ideology for life.”
Myron was selected by the NFL to play with the Tennessee Titans and the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2010. After three years, however, Myron was fired by the Steelers.
Myron believed he could have played for another eight to ten years in football and struggled to accept that his career was ending suddenly.
He did not forget his 2 percent life, which helped overcome the adversity.
Myron followed his life philosophy and took each step one at a time. He completed the Medical College Admission Test, spoke with neurosurgeons, visited his pastor and prayed. These small steps were crucial in getting him accepted to medical school.
Myron is now a fifth year resident in neurosurgery at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, and Harvard Medical School.
His success has inspired him to give back. Myron established the Caribbean Neurosurgery Foundation in 2021 to provide private funding for neurosurgery research and training in Caribbean countries.
Myron’s wife, Latoya, is a pediatric dentist. The couple has two sets of twins: Zora and Zayed, Zanzi, Zafar.
Myron stated that Latoya encouraged him to write his book.
“I think we wanted to make this book one where you can find yourself in my story, in my journey, and then take from it the 2 percent way process of improving yourself, edifying yourself daily, and mitigating some of those challenges we all face,” he told the Tallahassee Democrat.
The book provides an intimate look into Myron’s mental inner workings during his most challenging moments, including his self-doubt, insecurities, family issues, workplace challenges, and spiritual dilemmas.
Click here to pre-order your copy of “The 2% Way: How a Philosophy of Small Improvements Took Me to Oxford, the NFL, and Neurosurgery.”
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