Tim Tebow and the 5 Professional Athletes We Can All Learn Something From

Sure, the world of professional athletes is filled with huge salaries, outlandish egos and selfish personalities.  But not every athlete fits that mold.

There are professional athletes like Tim Tebow who use their abilities and talents as a platform to inspire, motivate and encourage growth in those around him.

Whether it is through their personal life stories and struggles, religious beliefs or just outright good will, it is refreshing to see professional athletes who are focused on inspiring and cultivating change in the world.  

You can give people all the money and wealth in the world, but what really makes a difference is whether you teach people how to be better than they currently are. 

Here is a list of professional athletes who we all can learn something from in hopes of being more authentic people.   

Derrick Rose: Humility in Success

Derrick Rose stands out in the NBA because he's a truly elite talent, but also because of the person he is.  Rose is a soft-spoken, hardworking and inspirational leader who leads with absolute humility.

The NBA is full of players that love to draw attention to themselves and tell the world how great they are.  I'm not saying those players don't have the right to do that, but just because you have the right doesn't mean you need to, and Derrick Rose is a living example of that.

After winning the 2011 MVP and taking his team to the 2011 Eastern Conference Finals, Derrick Rose was rewarded with a 5-year $94 million dollar contract.  "No one from Englewood has ever been in my position," Rose said, "so sometimes I think, 'Why me?  I'm just going to make sure I can take care of others.'"

Watching a professional athlete lead with so much humility is nothing short of inspiring.  We can all learn from Derrick Rose that humility and dignity, especially in success, speaks louder than any words ever can.       

Joe Mauer: Value Of Loyalty

Joe Mauer is a Minnesota native, playing his high school baseball at Saint Paul's Cretin-Derham High School. And instead of accepting a football scholarship to play at Florida State University, Mauer went the route of the MLB Draft.

I'm sure it could have been coincidence, but his hometown Minnesota Twins had the 1st pick in the 2001 MLB Draft.  The Twins drafted Mauer 1st overall and he's been in Minnesota ever since.

The most impressive part about Mauer's career isn't the All-Star appearances, batting championships or golden gloves, it's the fact that he turned down more money and a more solid chance at a World Series title to stay with his roots, something that we don't see often in professional sports (ahem, LeBron James).

Sure, it's easy to exemplify loyalty when turning down more money results in an 8-year $184 million dollar contract, but it's still impressive that Mauer chose loyalty over more money.  In a world where value is placed on getting more for yourself no matter what the cost, it's refreshing to see someone value loyalty more than cash.  

We can all learn from Mauer that sometimes loyalty is a more valuable asset than financial gain, because it takes true character to choose loyalty over a lot of things in life.  

Aaron Rodgers: Excellence Takes Time

Aaron Rodgers is arguably the best quarterback in the NFL.  He won Super Bowl XLV and earned the Super Bowl XLV MVP trophy, and he helped the Green Bay Packers quickly forget about their living legend, Brett Favre.  In the public's eyes, Rodgers' rise to fame has been faster than Usain Bolt, but his attaining of that excellence has taken much longer to develop.

Rodgers was drafted out of the University of California in 2005 with the 24th overall pick.  Rodgers sat behind Brett Favre for three years before getting the chance to become the Packers starter, and during that time he never complained about not getting the starting opportunity he deserved.  Rodgers didn't ask for a trade to a team that would make him their starter like Kevin Kolb.  He patiently waited, developing his passing ability into the excellent skill it is today.

Rodgers exemplified professionalism with his handling of his early years in Green Bay.  Rodgers' handling of the first three years of his professional career showed the world that excellence isn't just handed out, it's earned through hard work and patience.

We can all learn from Rodgers that excellence doesn't come to fruition overnight.  True excellence takes time, patience, hard work and determination to develop.  So when your back's against the wall, don't give up. Be patient and continue to work hard—excellence is right around the corner.  

Josh Hamilton: Redemption Is Found In Responsibility

Josh Hamilton hasn't had the easiest life.  He's been very open with his life struggle with drugs and alcohol, and while he has found redemption, he's very honest that his recovery and healing isn't an easy process.

Hamilton is very open and vocal about his reliance on faith when it comes to overcoming his addictions.  He's written a book titled Beyond Belief that details not only his recovery from addiction, but also the horrors he fought and still fights as a result of his past addictions to cocaine and alcohol. 

After being released in 2009, Hamilton relapsed after four self-proclaimed years of sobriety.  Hamilton spent a night in a bar in Tempe, AZ that ended up being documented via photographs on deadspin.com.  

While the photographs never showed Hamilton drinking or using drugs, it raised a lot of concern.  Instead of denying the validity of those photos and trying to make excuses for himself, Hamilton did what we all need to learn, and took responsibility for that night.

“I’m not perfect," Hamilton said. "It’s an ongoing struggle, and it’s real. It’s amazing how these things can creep back in. But I am human and I have struggles. I’m embarrassed about it for my wife Katie, for my kids and for the organization.”  Hamilton did what is so often hard to do: he took responsibility for his actions without making excuses or blaming anyone else.

We can all learn a lesson from Josh Hamilton, a lesson in how to take responsibility for who we are and what our lives have become, instead of blaming the world around us.   

Tim Tebow: Authenticity and Integrity Are Priceless

Whether you love Tim Tebow or hate him, there is no denying the fact that he is absolutely genuine.  What you see is what you get with Tebow.  He doesn't say one thing and do another.  Tebow leads on and off the football field with authenticity that is rooted in who he is.

Tebow has never been quiet about his faith, and that is a polarizing thing for some people.  Some see Tebow's proclamation of his faith as over-the-top, while others are inspired by his dedication.  

Either way, the one thing that you can't deny is that Tebow is authentic in who he is, what he says and what he does.  Tebow is authentic in a world full of fakes, and we are seeing just how powerful that can be this year with Tebow in the spotlight.

What Tebow lacks as a quarterback he makes up for by being true to who he is and what he believes in, leading first and foremost with integrity, something most of us need a lesson in. At least I know I do.

In a world marred by falsity in appearance, action and character, we need to take a page out of the Tim Tebow handbook and move toward a place of authenticity within our beliefs, and integrity in our actions.

Tim Tebow as a football player is a polarizing personality, but there is no denying that we all can learn a lot from who he is as a person, and that begins with becoming more authentic people.