A Legacy

Have you ever thought about your legacy and what you would like to leave in this world? I am driven by how I want to be remembered by my wife, my children, my closet friends, by my relationships within the National Football League and the community at large.

I want to live a life that matters, I don’t just want to exist. It’s all about making a difference in this world having close enough relationships with my wife and friends to hold me accountable for my actions and giving back to my community even if no TV cameras or reporters are around because the word gets out about what you do and why you do it. It’s never about the money and always about the opportunity to change a life for good.

As far as my legacy in the National Football League, it goes without saying, when you make the Hall of Fame you are immortalized – end of story! But if I live to be 85 years old and all I do is point people to when I played football, then that would be a travesty. My life has got to be deeper than just what I did in my 20′s and early 30′s. What has staying power and ends up being a life well lived is your character, what you do when no one is around, your conversation, what comes out of your mouth, and lastly your conduct, how you live your life.

Finally, I want to pour into my children a legacy of health, wellness, and a prosperity not easily acquired. I want to show them the value of doing the right thing even when it hurts. I want to set examples of how to work through life’s ups and downs by aiming high enough that when the gravity of life starts to pull them down they can still hit the mark. I want my children to live a life with no regrets spending time on things that are near and dear to their heart. These simple things will sustain our lives many years and bring you eternal prosperity. This is the kind of prosperity that lasts for generations to come, that’s my legacy………

One Mann’s View

I’ve played sports my entire life and have enjoyed it immensely. Competition is what it’s all about! And when you get that rare opportunity to play at the professional level and get paid, it makes it all that much sweeter. But life moves on and there are too many of us out there that can’t get beyond our playing days to regular life.

What I mean by regular life is, going to work 40-hours a week or starting your own company as I did. It’s important to not live in the past; there is a reason why the Rear View Mirror is so small and the Windshield of a car is so large. The object is to see where you’re going, not focus on where you’ve been. The Rear View Mirror has its place, but it shouldn’t be the focus.

Life is about progressing, moving forward not standing still. Professional athletes need to move on and show the way to those athletes coming up behind them. As a former professional athlete, I get the privilege of leading by example my peers as well as the next generation of high level athletes. I demonstrate to them how the platform of professional athletics can catapult them to levels never seen by their own extended families or peer groups.

If a professional athlete would be forward looking through his or her short career, enjoying the moments, but not dwelling on them like it will last forever, then there will be significant opportunities for advancement in one’s educational interests or in new found interests as the athlete matures into the person he/she will become in the near future.

While playing the sport, this athlete will be interacting with some of the most significant entrepreneurs and businessmen that they will ever get a chance to meet. These athletes need to leverage those relationships to carry them over into the next phase of life. Remember, it’s not how you start in life, but how you finish. Finish strong!