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After a lifelong career dedicated to excelling in one sport, what will that person’s future look like without it? Eddie George spent the majority of his life dedicated to football, never truly worrying about this question until toward the end of his NFL career.

Growing up in Philadelphia in a single-parent household, Eddie George learned quickly the desire and sacrifice it took to achieve any goal. Having watched his mother work as a flight attendant, production manager at Ford Aerospace and even as a fashion model, George has a different worldview than most.

“She always encourages us to step outside of our comfort zones and try new things”. Through every action in Eddie George’s life, this concept of stepping outside his comfort zone has allowed for him to find success and happiness in every area of his life.

After rushing for 1,442 yards and 12 touchdowns his junior season, Eddie George’s senior campaign had high hopes for himself and his team. Finishing the year with 24 touchdowns and 1.927 yards, George took home the Heisman Award for the 1995 season and was drafted 14^th overall by the Houston Oilers in the 1996 NFL Draft.

In 2003, Eddie George sat on a table after one of his games and thought about what life after football would be like. The thoughts about his future began to trouble him, especially not knowing the definite toll a career in the NFL would have on his body. Later that year George used his landscape architecture degree earned at OSU to co-found and build EDGE. EDGE provides design solutions for architects, engineers and other clients across the United States.

With an incredible career in his hindsight, a mediocre 2004 season marked the end of Eddie George’s NFL career. Despite the uncertainty of his future dreams and aspirations, George leaned on EDGE as one of the factors in his new life that he drew stability from. Having sat down in meetings with clients during the 2003 and 2004 season, George realized that football as a whole is not a completely transferrable skill to the business world.

Needing to brush up on business savvy skills like accounting, marketing and best common practices, George turned to the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University to receive his executive MBA. Following graduate school, Eddie George partnered with friend, Greg Eastman, to create Edward George Wealth Management Group, a licensed investment advisory group.

Eddie George had enough money to live a sustainable life at the end of his career, but he wasn’t happy with just that. He didn’t want to continue lamenting over never playing football again. He wanted to continue to work and push himself as a person, not a football player. “I wanted to create my best self”. Eddie George was not consumed by financial gain or fame. Everything he gave his time and effort into was because it was something that he loved doing. George enjoyed pushing himself to be the best on the football field, but now it was time to push himself to be the best he can outside of it.

Every athlete at some point in their career, just like Eddie George, will hit a point in their life where they must put their playing days behind them and look to the future. What George did that was so vital to his success was that he hit this point of revelation  before his career was over.

Some athletes get to a point where they can no longer play their sport, and an anxiety or panic sets in because they are now faced with the immediate issue of trying to find a job. This feeling takes place because an athlete has not taken the time to prepare for their life after their sport.

Not every athlete will have a job offer coming out of college and that is normal. Before graduation, an athlete should have taken the time to reach out to any entity they know that will help them find a job and finalized their resume and LinkedIn.

If you or an athlete you know are nearing the end of your playing days and looking for a job, we are assuming you don’t have the financial resources to start your own company like Eddie George. We would like to instead, take the time to connect with you and discuss your future. We’d love the opportunity to place you into the right position with one of our client companies.

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Original Article Can Be Found Here: https://www.investors.com/news/management/leaders-and-success/for-former-running-back-eddie-george-its-about-forward-progress/