Retiring from your sport can be a heartbreaking, emotional and tough time. Something you’ve been so passionate about for a long time is coming to an end, yet you’ve got your whole life ahead of you. The uncertainty of transitioning into a new career, no matter who you are, can be scary and nerve-racking. However, here’s something to ease your nerves and create a little excitement around retirement – EMPLOYERS LOVE ATHLETES! Businesses want to work with you and be around you. Athletes are highly desirable and here’s why:

1. You know how to work within a team: Every business has teams of employees who have one common goal. Each employee in those teams is given a role to perform. What determines the success of a team is how well these employees can work together to reach that one common goal. Whether you were a pro athlete in a team sport or individual sport, no athlete can succeed or get ahead without working with their support teams. Business owners admire your “working in a team” experience and want your expertise.
2. Your time management skills are exceptional: Wake up, stretch, breakfast, training, physio, gym, community work, lunch, massage, 2nd training, media duties, team practice, dinner, study/work/read, stretch then bed. Repeat! Depends what sport you play, game day is obviously different. Being a pro athlete/student athlete is full on….being a successful business person is no different. Business owners know what you’ve been through and want that culture apart of their teams.
3. You’re resilient and battle through adversity: As an athlete you’ve lost and failed many times. You’ve been cut from teams, you’ve failed to reach milestones, you’ve missed many shots but that is the reason you succeed. You don’t take shit personal, you just keep going onto the next one. This mentality is highly desired by employers as you’ll fall many times in business too. It’s your ability to bounce back and fight that attracts hiring managers.
4. You’re coachable: As an athlete you must learn to listen and apply what you’ve learned in action. Business owners desire those who can listen, learn and apply what they’ve learned as promptly as possible.
5. Extraordinary work ethic: To become a professional athlete or a student athlete you must be in the 1 percentile in your field. There are literally millions of people who dream of being professional athletes and performing at elite levels. The percentages of becoming a pro athlete are extremely low. To become one you must work harder then millions of people. What business owner doesn’t want that work ethic in their business culture??

So retiring from your sport should also be exciting as doors to many opportunities will open up!