After he was picked by the Indianapolis Colts, Peyton was asked, "What are you going to do with all that money?" Peyton's answer was...
I often talk about people with a strong work ethic. Have you ever really thought about what work ethic truly means? Do you think you have work ethic?
I recently attended a keynote presentation by former NFL quarterback Peyton Manning. A great storyteller, Peyton kept the audience fully engaged, but what stayed with me most was a story he told about an experience at the NFL draft. After he was picked by the Indianapolis Colts, Peyton was asked, “What are you going to do with all that money?” Peyton’s answer was, “I’m going to earn it.”
We all know people who are willing to work for “it” and those that think they are just deserving of “it” whatever “it” maybe. Success comes from a mixture of skills and knowledge – but how do you get more of both? By working at “it”, of course.
In the book “Outliers” Malcolm Gladwell describes many stories of success, and at the root of many of those success stories is what he describes as the 10,000-hour rule. Those that want to succeed, spend at least 10,000 hours practicing – whether it’s computer programming or playing the piano, or the fundamentals of football.
Peyton also highlighted that even with or without a winning record in the NFL, every summer he and his brother would return to his college coach to practice the fundamentals. Peyton always wanted to be the one most prepared. He wanted to earn his money.
Striving to always be better no matter how good you already are…that’s earning your money. Even after you’ve accomplished something great, you don’t stop there. You keep learning; you keep stretching; and you keep earning “it”.
At the end of the day… is an expression meaning an assessment of essential facts and truths. It’s a summation of the pros and cons of any situation and a straightforward statement of what really matters. It’s also the title of this blog series by Brenda Hodge, Nuance Healthcare’s Chief Marketing Officer, with insights about leadership, empathetic customer relationships, and marketing techniques.
