Hut 1 - Hut 2 - Learning From Pro Football

Well football season has finally begun.  The lockout has ended.  Training Camp is in full swing.  And, the first exhibition games have been played.

Every year, it seems, I always hear someone make the same statement regarding professional athletes.  The statement usually goes something like this, “Those players make too darn much money.” 

Are they really making too much money?

For one thing, they are not getting paid for playing a 16 game season plus a few exhibition games. 

They are getting paid for a solid week’s worth of work – that the vast majority of us could not endure…..no matter how “in shape” we think we are.

They are getting paid for the hours they spend in the gym, at the camp, on the practice field, learning new offensive or defensive strategies, watching game films, and honing their individual craft.

They also are getting paid for keeping their bodies in professional shape – even if they are a huge lineman.

They are also getting paid for the level of talent they bring to the field.

AND, they are getting paid for the thousands of hours they put in from midget football through high school and college ball becoming a stand out athlete.

They have made countless sacrifices in life to have a remote shot at achieving their dream – becoming a pro athlete.

Of course – all that work, sweat, time and effort has an average life span in the pros of about 4 years.

So what?

You may be asking, “So what does this have to do with me – a salesman, an executive, a laborer, an average person?”

Tons!!!!!

We can learn a lot from these pro athletes.

·        They have a dream

·        They have set a goal

·        They have charted a path to reach that goal.

·        They have sacrificed

·        They have put forth the effort

·        They have pushed through the pain

·        They have overcome the struggles

·        They have played hurt

·        They’ve stayed focused

·        They’ve listened to coaches and mentors

·        They’ve studied their craft both on the field and in the classroom

…all while we sit in our recliners and condemn them for dropping a pass.  Or, we sit at the local sports bar sipping a lager and eating nachos putting them down for throwing a bad pass.

Truth is, if we applied the same effort to our jobs as the pro athletes do to their – we could be the all stars in our own profession.  We may not be offered a million dollar contract – but we may be on our way to the top pay in our field.

What if…………………….

What if we walked in to work tomorrow with the same passion an NFL player has?

What if we had that same desire?

What if starting tomorrow – you set a goal with a date to be just 10% better than you are today?

I challenge you to push yourself to be beyond average.

You can do it!  I know you can.

I dare you to raise the bar on yourself.

Feel free to comment and let me know how you are doing.

Have a Super Bowl week.

Ron Orendi