Andrew Luck Has Something Few People Will Ever Have
I was as shocked as everyone else this past weekend when I heard the news that Andrew Luck was retiring from football. Retirement for a professional athlete is difficult even when a player has fulfilled all of their goals. I can only imagine how arduous this decision must have been for him to make at this time.
I believe it is the right decision for him, and that the way he has lived his life up to this point will facilitate a soft landing for him. I like to say ‘preparation isn’t everything; it’s the only thing.’ I’m reasonably certain that this would have been a much harder decision for Luck had he not prepared for his life after football so well already.
I was sickened by the chorus of boo’s he received leaving the field once the announcement was leaked. But I was even more disgusted that someone leaked the info, and that a reporter selfishly shared the info before Andrew wanted it made public. A me-first attitude has ruined many a sports team and I certainly hope that evening’s display of selfishness is not indicative of what is to come for our society at-large.
I often tell others ‘I have something most billionaires, star-athletes and movie-stars will never have… Enough!’ Once you have this, and more importantly realize you have this, can you begin to lose your tendency toward selfishness. Only then you can begin to devote yourself to things more important than yourself. Things that actually bring you more happiness than what most people perceive will, like money, fame and power.
I have worked with many people who have plenty of money, fame and power and I have seen firsthand the false allure of shiny things. Far too many people find themselves on the treadmill of acquiring things, searching for happiness in all the wrong places. I tell most of my clients, ‘The happiest people I know, are not the ones who have the most, but rather the ones who need the least.’
So, the thing I referred to in the title of this article that Andrew Luck has that few people will ever have is…. ENOUGH.
Most people will push themselves into oblivion working to get themselves more (and the more they get, they more they will want), but the enlightened are those who realize there is more to living a happy and successful life than self-aggrandizement. Those select few who transition from getting more to living more are the ultimate winners in life.
I believe Andrew Luck has traded the road to Canton (Home of the Pro Footbal HOF), for the road to Shangri-La (Home of Bliss); a road we all have the power to take.
You can follow Sam on Twitter @SuperTaoInc
