Rogers, the quarterback of the champion GreenBay Packers and the Super Bowl MVP last night, put on a great show, completing 24 of 39 passes for 309 yards, 3 TDs and 0 interceptions. (For those non-football fans this is about as solid a performance as you can get). What's more impressive is knowing a little bit about Rodgers' back story. It is also, as is usually the case, where the lessons can be learned.
Last night Aaron Rodgers won a Super Bowl and was named Most Valuable Player of the game. The pinnacle for any football player. He is living every professional athlete's dream right now. But it hasn't always been roses for Rodgers.
Rodgers' career has been full of disappointments and set backs. Out of high school, he wasn't selected to a division 1 college like most NFL players. He only got one offer, and declined it, instead choosing to play junior college. After doing well there, he moved up and played well for UofC Berkley and by the time the 2005 NFL draft came along he was one of the favourites to go high, maybe even 1st overall some thought. Great turnaround right? He was picked 24th.
After being selected by the Packers, despite his great credentials, Rodgers didn't step into a starting job. He spent the first two years of his professional career in the shadow of Green Bay's storied quarterback Brett Favre. He thought he'd get his break when Favre announced his retirement in 2006, but Favre later changed his mind, relegating Rodgers to back-up status for another year. In 2007, Favre did the same thing and again Rodgers spent most of his season on the bench. On top of that, he broke his foot and spent lots of time not even being able to practice. Not exactly the story legends are made of.
But through all of the setbacks Rodgers was getting ready. He was studying film, learning from Favre, training, practicing, and preparing for when he would get the opportunity to show the world what he could really do. And last, night, in front of the biggest in-person crowd in Super Bowl history (an estimated 100,000+ saw the game live in Dallas) and certainly the biggest TV crowd he's ever played for, Rodgers played the game of his life. His team are Super Bowl champs and he is the MVP. It doesn't get better than that.
So what's the lesson for us? Never give up? Keep on believing? Sure. But the real lesson is what Rodgers did before he had the chance to start in the SuperBowl. In a world of professional sports when many spoiled athletes would have been insulted to be drafted 24th when some thought he'd be 1st, when many would have refused to spend two or three years as a back-up when they were as good as he was, and when many would have asked to be traded, or not shown up to training camp because he wasn't getting the "credit" he deserved, Rodgers stayed. He worked. He studied. He prepared. He didn't say, "why me?". He didn't complain that he wasn't getting his due. He just went to work, did his best, committed to constant improvement and waited for his chance. And when it showed up, he stepped up. Big!
So what are you doing to prepare? Are you in a job you don't love? Is there a promotion you think you deserve? Are you being over-looked, under paid and under valued? Don't waste time complaining and sulking and wishing things were different. Prepare. Study. Learn. Get better. And wait for your opportunity to come. Then, when it does, you'll be ready. And just like Rodgers, you'll step up and show people what you can really do.
1 comment:
Wow! That will preach. Great article and you made some fantastic life lesson points. I didn't watch the game but now wish I had. Dan M.
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