Mixed reaction to Favre Retirement

I am reading, with some amusement, at the various opinions on the decision by NFL player, Brett Favre, to retire again. His actual decision was to 'remain' retired. After going through shoulder surgery there was some encouragement/pressure by his team, Minnesota Vikings, to keep playing to make all that rehabilitation worthwhile. Fortunately Favre didn't agree that was grounds for returning to the game.
According to ESPN's Ed Werner, troublesome ankles and left knee weighed alot in his decision, which wasn't an easy one judging by the number of people he was reported to have consulted.
Some think Favre back-and-forth act is 'selfish' and that he should just 'stay there' (retired). That he had retired a number of times before and had dared to show his emotions to a hungry press, did not work in Favre's favour for some fans. I say "give him a break".
Yes, he is done, as many care to share. The decision to retire is not an easy thing one - regardless of how many awards you have, how many years you have played, injured or not. It can be emotional when something you have devoted your whole life to, including childhood, is now over.
I align with the sentiments of loyal Packer Fan, Dr Jeff Cornwell, who in his blog 'asks' Favre to consider his identity has being more than that of a sports star. This is only what he does. Identity is a core issue for athletes to address in order to move on to greater success in life after sport.
Hopefully Favre will find a new passion and become more than a star athlete. There are many ways he can direct his energy to in a positive way in order to succeed beyond sport.

If at first you don't succeed, find out how

One of the biggest lessons I learnt over the years of striving for my goal was the power of persistence. On my journey towards playing for Australia in the 2000 Olympics, I never would have gotten over the setbacks of injuries and partnership changes without persistence.
It helps to have a clearly defined goal and remaining focused on it. My dream to be an Olympian was like a magnet pulling me through and gave me the courage to keep going for it. Along the way I would often reassess the goals, questioning them and determining if they were really what I wanted. In my heart I believed I was good enough to succeed at the international level and play at the Olympics – even if nobody else did!
Every champion has achieved their personal goal through persistence – persistence in training, persistence through the hard times and even persistence through the good times, striving to be even better.
Michael Jordan needed to call on the power of persistence early in his career. As a sophomore in high school, Jordan was initially cut from his high-school basketball team in Wilmington, N.C. Tis setback compelled him to work even harder. Every great athlete has had their fair share of setbacks and it is how you deal with these setbacks or obstacles that will determine your fate.
There is no such thing as failure, only feedback. One can learn the most from one’s failures – finding out what didn’t work and trying something different will, over time, ultimately lead to success. We do this from the very beginning of our lives learning new skills as a baby. Learning to sit-up, to crawl, to walk, etc. If we gave up on the first attempt at walking, we would all be stuck crawling around. We learn from each attempt, each mistake.
The more you fail the more you will succeed. Where has your failure turned to success?

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Show me the Money

In Jerry Maguire, Cuba Gooding Jr's charachter asks sporting agent Maguire "Show me the money". Well Forbes Magazine has done just that with it's lates Rich list. It has put out a list of the top-paid sports persons in 2009.
It's no surprise to see Tiger Woods at the top of the list. Michael Jordan sits tied at No. 2 with Kobe Bryant, both on $45million, even though MJ retired 6 years ago now and Bryant is still playing.
Jordan is doing well in 'retirement' with the Jordan Brand and is now considering purchasing a basketball team.
Motorcar racing, golf and basketball dominate the list with the two outsiders being David Beckham (soccer) and Manny Pacquiao (boxing). Beckham's precense in the list demonstrates that you don't have to be at the top of the game to earn the top money. Beckham has done well through endorsements and publicity and knows how to keep himself in the media spotlight.
How do you make money from a sporting career? As Beckham shows, it's not about being the best. Jordan is still making money when he has long finished playing basketball.
There are no females in the top 10 but a good friend of mine, Kerri Pottharst, knows something about leveraging one's athlete career. Since winning Gold in the 2000 Olympics in beach volleyball, she is a frequent guest speaker at Australian events, runs corporate events and has numerous media spots. She proves you don't have to come from a high-profile sport. It's how you leverage and promote yourself. Want to find out more? I'm interviewing Kerri in August. Find out more

Arrested development

I was just reading about the downfall of yet another Olympian, one less noted - US Ice Skater Nicole Bobek was arrested last week on drug charges. In an article by Nancy Armour, it discusses the challenge for ice skaters chasing perfection on ice in not only performance, but also aestheticness.
The thing that came through for me in this story is how, by being involved in sport at such an early age and that being the only life the athlete knows, that any social development is 'arrested'. This was a concept I became aware of during a talk at the IART Conference. Athletes development in areas other than sport are not specifically catered for.
This can occur in career development also. Kansas University has just launched a Hoops 2 Heels program to facilitate life after sport for it's basketball players. Many collegiate athletes are not aware of how to write a resume, let alone be in touch with what they want to do in a life focused away from sport.
Athletes need to consider for themselves how they can develop in a more balanced way and coaches/managers need to encourage this. I have heard that in some sport cultures, that any attention other than on sport, is discouraged. This attitude can have long-term repercussions on the athlete's life and will hopefully be replaced by more programs like that supported by KU.

Well done Mark Webber

How heartening to see Australian Mark Webber win the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Germany. Only the third Australian ever to win a prestigeous title in Formula 1 motor car racing, Webber has been on the world circuit since 2002. His Forumula 1 history not been a highly decorated with a best year-end ranking of 10th until 2009. Webber has also experienced many team-changes and last year suffered a broken leg.
However, still unable to run properly, Webber has had a turn-around in fortunes this year with a number of 2nd place finishes leading up to this breakthrough win in Germany.
It seems the stars have aligned for Webber, to allow his natural talent and speed to shine through. Unrest in teams and unreliability in cars has affected him in the past. Now ranked 3rd in the series, persistence is paying off.
In his win Webber acknowledged the support and encouragement of his team.
I'm a great fan of any athlete demonstrating persistence and self-belief and the willingness to do whatever it takes to achieve success. These same attributes will ensure success in any field, on the sporting field or beyond. Don't you agree?

You can help me

Hello there. I’m writing now because I need your help with something.
Before I get to that, I want to express my gratitude for being part of my mission to help others live the fulfilling and enriching life they desire and deserve. There's no question that retiring from sport can create uncertainty and doubt for many athletes and I'm thrilled to offer a way to overcome this and remind you of your own inner strength.
Right now, here's where I need your help. Will you please tell me what you think of my new membership site and the updates I have made.
http://winner.successbeyondsport.com

You see, I have been listening to feedback and heard that some felt an initial investment of $297 for the membership and course was risky or too much.
I asked myself – how can I reduce the risk, and how can I make it affordable for everyone to join? More importantly how I can add even more value to help athletes all over the world transition effectively out of sport?
When you go now you can join for just $1.00 to experience the monthly interview, a monthly masterclass, the forum, and bonus downloads. No risk.
Have a look and tell me what you think.
If you find it doesn’t give you the information and support you need to play a bigger game, then please tell me what else you need.
I would really like to hear your comments and find out what it is that you need to achieve your success. Go now to Success beyond Sport.

Reach your goals - do whatever it takes

Now that you have goals, what do you do to reach them. As an athlete you worked with a coach and/or a team to achieve goals. Who is helping you now?

Game Over! What do I do now?

You've retired from sport and there is still so much of your life ahead of you. What are you going to do? What is going to inspire and motivate you at the same level sport did?



Sign up for my free E-course at www.successbeyondsport.com to find out more. Please post your comments and questions here.