I am (like) Peyton Manning

Well, it's official.  NFL superstar quarterback, Peyton Manning is a Denver Bronco starting with the 2012 season.  I am not a huge NFL fan.  I've always followed the Lion's without getting too much into it.  And Chris LOVES the Dallas Cowboys.  And because the Lions are mostly terrible, I also like the Denver Broncos.  But I don't get upset when I miss a game.  It's not hockey.

I am really good at what I do.  Sure, there are people who do what I do and do it differently.  Some versions of different are better, some are not.  But I am an excellent bank marketer.  And I have the statistical numbers to prove it.

Peyton Manning is arguably one of the best NFL quarterbacks to have ever played the game.  Some QBs may be different, and that different maybe better, or not.  But like me, Peyton Manning is excellent at what he does.  So good, in fact, that he signed a 5-year, $96 million contract to play for the Denver Broncos.  That got me thinking...and calculating.

There are an average of 50 offensive plays per team per NFL game.  And there are exactly 16 games in the regular NFL season.  Let's say Peyton never gets us to the playoffs (Here's hoping I'm wrong on that one!).  That's approximately 800 times he will touch the ball in 2012.  He'll make $19.2 million per year.  That means that he will get paid $24,000 every time he takes a snap from his center, or more exactly, $1.2 million per game (regardless of the number of snaps he takes).

That $24,000 per snap is almost half of my annual salary.  In my world, there are a lucky few who do what I do and reach the C-level of a bank and will make a six-figure annual salary.  They are Peyton Manning's of bank marketing.  That is not my choice. I chose consulting.  I choose to work from home.  I choose to work for a small family company.  And do not regret my choices. I LOVE what I do.  Peyton Manning chose football, he chose to continue to play after a season-long injury.  He chose to play for a new team rather than bow out after 14 years in Indy.  And I can only assume he loves what he does.  The disparities in our excellence are not that far reaching.  It's only compensation that makes us different from one another.

In all honesty, I'd demand a raise if every time I stepped foot in my office a 300 pound dude was running at me full throttle with the main objective of knocking me flat on my you-know-what.  Do I wish I made millions? Sure.  But it wouldn't change who I am, what I do, my values, or the things that are most important to me.  I'd still give back to my community, only I'd give more in financial assistance to the things I love in addition to the time I give.  That's why Peyton Manning has a children's hospital named after him whereas I have a plaque on my wall for my dedication to Junior Achievement.  See.  We aren't so different at all.  He just has deeper pockets.  And I'm not famous. But we're nearly twins if you ask me.