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!
Tags: athletic consulting, charles mann, consulting, professional football
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