(Excerpt from John Lankford's book Superstar for Life, The Next Chapter, published by Elite Pro Coaching Group LLC)
It’s 5:14 in the afternoon. You’ve just finished practice. You shower as usual and, just as you finish dressing, the coach calls you in and says, “Come on in, I’d like to talk to you…Close the door.”
It’s that dreaded conversation. Time has just stopped.
Are you prepared for the conversation that’s about to take place? Are you ready for the next 30 years of your life?
Of course, the conversation can happen in other ways, too. Perhaps you get injured and can’t play anymore. Perhaps you decide you have had enough of professional sports, or that you would prefer to retire while you are playing well rather than later when you are on that downward slope.
One thing is certain: Sooner or later, whether by your own choice or not, your playing days will end.
I’ve done a lot of research about career transitions for athletes, and found that there are two, and only two, types: those who are prepared for what comes after their playing days end; and those who are not. There is no grey area here, no black and white. You are either prepared or you are not.
The ones who have thought about their career after professional sports have a much easier time during the transition. While playing, they have already accepted that they won’t be able to play for ever. They have started thinking about their future and started doing things to prepare. For instance, NBA all-star Dave Bing worked seven years during his off seasons for two different corporations, in procurement, finance, and marketing roles. That way, he had some transferable skills after his athletic days ended.
Similarly, as I write this, professional golfer Annika Sorenstam has announced her retirement at age 37. She already has a number of ventures in the works: a golf academy, a foundation, golf-course design projects, corporate relationships, clothing lines and hosting golf tournaments. She also plans to make her family life more of a priority.
At the other end of the spectrum, too many athletes are not ready for the end of their playing days. Mentally, they still believe that the phone will ring for them with one more offer to play on one more team. When the phone doesn’t ring, they are not prepared, whether their dream is to start their own business and be an entrepreneur (e.g., using their fame to start a restaurant chain or night club), or to land a leadership role in a company that someone else owns.
I feel bad for these athletes, because they are in for some very challenging times. I hope you are not one of them, and I have written this book to encourage you to be more like Dave Bing, Annika Sorenstam, and many other examples you will read about soon.
Which category are you in? Are you prepared for the inevitable transition you will one day have to make? Do you understand the magnitude of this transition? Do you really understand the scope of the gap between how you have been treated as a professional athlete -- with the parties, limousines, and people treating you like royalty -- to now having to go earn the right to compete, let alone be successful, in an entirely new world?
Even if you have enough money to be set for life (and there are fewer professional athletes out there who are financially set than you might think) you still have 40 or 50 years of productive life left in you. Therefore, you still have to understand what you want and what your real purpose is – beyond being a professional athlete. What is the next stage of your life? Is it about parenting? Is it about working in a different capacity? Will you continue to compete, but shift your competitive focus to business? Do you want to take on a leadership responsibility in a philanthropic way? Do you want to get more involved in your community, for instance with Big Brothers/Big Sisters or Boys Clubs/Girls Clubs?
Research shows that people who retire, and especially those who retire young, get bored within about six months. While you may not believe this now, recreational golf gets dull when you play every single day. Do you want to be an amoeba and just hang out for the next 40 or 50 years of your life, or do you really want to control your destiny and move on to new and bigger dreams?
NOW is the time to start thinking about that dreaded conversation and what you are going to do when it happens.
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