The Offseason
Sure, you may not be a professional athlete. You may not make millions of dollars or be recognized by almost anyone.
But you are still a professional. A teacher. A driver. A warehouse worker or working on an assembly line. You may be a lawyer, accountant, engineer or chef. Whatever you do, do it like a professional. Because you are. And like a professional there is a way to carry yourself on the job and a way to do the job.
Like a professional athlete, there is an off season. A time to recover. A time to make adjustments. There is time to study. And a moment to step away from the workplace—the field or the court. For some professionals these are easier to identify. As a teacher your students go away on break. As an accountant you may have a slower season.
So for you, whether it’s the weekend, a vacation or leave of absence if you need it, take the time in for the off season. So you can step away from the job in front of you. Sit with a book and develop a new skill or way of going about things. Attend a conference or continuing education. Get another certificate or additional training on the other machinery in the shop.
Take time to improve your skills and training so when you return, you are better than when you left. Afterall, being a professional, this is part of the job. Providing value as an employee is true professionalism.
Do your job!
The off season is not to sit and do nothing. We’ve read the stories of the star athletes that did not take the off season seriously and keep themselves away from the game they love.
You may not love your job now. And that’s ok. You’re still a professional. Maybe you have to support yourself and/or your family. You may have a sick relative depending on you. This is incredibly noble and selfless.
Use the off season for you. To rest, recharge and reinvent yourself to be better. Get more training. Check out books from the library. Learn something new. Exercise. Step away from the day-to-day work and work on other parts of your game. Be a professional.
What are your thoughts on this blog? Comment below…
Thought Provoking Questions : When and where is your off season? What can you improve on?
Daily I write and release a daily meditation. A quick read. Sharing wisdom and asking thought-provoking questions. Influenced by the obstacles, success and failures in my life and of others. Using history, books, current events, philosophy, and ancient wisdom. These writings are actionable, thought-provoking, designed to make your life better.
These writings are not to push a way of thinking on the reader or to force you into a certain philosophy or methodology. Rather to give you practical and real ways to handle life. This is an added tool. My writing is simply a discussion, a discourse, with all the material I read, watch, hear and consume.