Would You Wear the Ring?

As football season comes to a a close, I am reminded of a debate of sorts that I have often pondered.  This is the time of year where championship games are played.  With those championships comes awards, a trophy, and then later a ring.

Now, these rings are usually beautifully crafted filled with stones.  The carvings have the individual player's name, team name, season record, etc.  A lot of hard work goes into making these lovely awards of art that have been crafted to show they world that the person who wears this ring is a champion.
However, many times you see these players selling their hard-earned ring on eBay.  Others times they just keep the ring in a safe and never wear it.  Then on the flip side there are players who wear their ring all the time showing their pride for the accomplishment.
As these two polar opposites hit me, my thoughts go to what I would do.  Would I wear the ring?  Would I hide it away?  Would I sell it (I don't get this one at all)?  So I started looking at the answers these athletes give for NOT wearing their hard earned bling and I am intrigued by their statements.  Here are a few:
1 - "I don't want to wear it because then it's like I've accomplished everything and I have nothing left to attain to".  I like this answer the best.  It shows the hard work and determination that the person feels compelled to continue on producing.  They feel the ring is a stopping point and might make them complacent as they spend more time looking at their sparkly ring than working for the next or working to better themselves.
2 - "It's just too big and gaudy and it hurts my hand".  Well, I can see this one too.  Have you seen those things?  Many of these rings are so heavy and so large that the knuckle it's worn next to is just in pain to even support it.  I'm not sure who decided to make these rings bigger and brighter with each year.  Look at the first Super Bowl ring.  Now that was a sensible ring that a player who wanted to wear it could.
3 - "I don't want to show off".  I kind of like this answer too.  The humility it takes to "dial it down" after winning "the big one" takes a strong person.  Many times as accolades are heaped upon us we tend to get a little proud.  We puff out our peacock feathers for the world to see instead of remembering all the hard work and determination it took to get where you wanted to be.
4 - "I don't deserve to wear it".  This usually comes from the player who didn't play much to get the team to being champions.  While they may have practiced hard and been available to play, they never got their chance to show what they could do.  They never got their jersey dirty.  To them, just being a part of the team is not enough.  They feel they had to do more to earn the right to wear the ring.
Now, let's look at ourselves.  Would you wear the ring?  How would it effect you?  Many times in life we are given something we know we earned.  We put in the time and the effort to make it happen and awards day arrives and we get the ring (so to speak).  What happens next?  The key is to balance earning something great to never resting so more can be accomplished.  The thing with life is that it's never over until we take our last breath.  We may have gotten the ring for today, but how much more can we accomplish long after that ring has lost it's shine?
I personally like seeing people wear their championship rings.  I know what went into making those things and I know what went into earning it.  What I like the most is seeing that they can wear it as a reminder of where they have been, what they have done, and what they need to do to be worthy to keep on wearing it.
Every group I am able to help and every person I am able to answer a need for is like a ring to me.  I'd consider it an honor to earn a ring from you as well.
Step into my office...
Now, for a funny video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mO1F3er-jDk&NR=1