In days gone by the nature of things for professional athletes was to take the off-season, well, off. The players would relax and pursue other things. Training camp was the time you focused on getting in to shape for the season ahead.
Things have changed however. While there is some time devoted to rest and relaxation, there is currently significant emphasis put on using the off-season to work on skills, address deficiencies, stay in shape, and generally prepare for the up-coming season.
For many, 2015 probably felt like something of an ‘off- season’ and there is a sense that 2016 might be more of the same. This wasn’t true for everyone of course, there were plenty of things going on that kept people busy and it will most likely continue that way into this next year. But overall the slow down in our economy has had an impact.
I wonder if there is an opportunity here to borrow a page from the sporting world. It’s not exactly the same to be sure, but while things are slower maybe now is the time to do some off-season training. This might be the time to do some extra work on those things that get pushed to the back burner when life is really busy. Perhaps it’s a review of your processes. Maybe it‘s some time spent building the skills your team needs to succeed. Or, this could be an opportunity to address some ‘big picture’ themes that just need extra time to develop and work through.
I do realize this sounds rather self-serving since I am in the professional development business, so let me comment further. If that kind of training is not a reality for you at this point, perhaps now is the time for some personal development. If reading is your thing, there are many great books to choose from – I would be happy to make some suggestions. Or maybe there is a continuing education course that you have been thinking about taking but never had the time. Or perhaps you could take a class that is not directly related to what you do for a living, but is just something you are interested in. And finally, but perhaps most importantly, maybe this is an opportunity to spend a little more time with family and friends – those relationships that are so much a part of a meaningful life. If this is an off-season for you, maybe it can be a season of investing in yourself.
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on Sunday, January 10th, 2016 at 11:18 pm and is filed under Comments.
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Off Season Training
Things have changed however. While there is some time devoted to rest and relaxation, there is currently significant emphasis put on using the off-season to work on skills, address deficiencies, stay in shape, and generally prepare for the up-coming season.
For many, 2015 probably felt like something of an ‘off- season’ and there is a sense that 2016 might be more of the same. This wasn’t true for everyone of course, there were plenty of things going on that kept people busy and it will most likely continue that way into this next year. But overall the slow down in our economy has had an impact.
I wonder if there is an opportunity here to borrow a page from the sporting world. It’s not exactly the same to be sure, but while things are slower maybe now is the time to do some off-season training. This might be the time to do some extra work on those things that get pushed to the back burner when life is really busy. Perhaps it’s a review of your processes. Maybe it‘s some time spent building the skills your team needs to succeed. Or, this could be an opportunity to address some ‘big picture’ themes that just need extra time to develop and work through.
I do realize this sounds rather self-serving since I am in the professional development business, so let me comment further. If that kind of training is not a reality for you at this point, perhaps now is the time for some personal development. If reading is your thing, there are many great books to choose from – I would be happy to make some suggestions. Or maybe there is a continuing education course that you have been thinking about taking but never had the time. Or perhaps you could take a class that is not directly related to what you do for a living, but is just something you are interested in. And finally, but perhaps most importantly, maybe this is an opportunity to spend a little more time with family and friends – those relationships that are so much a part of a meaningful life. If this is an off-season for you, maybe it can be a season of investing in yourself.
This entry was posted on Sunday, January 10th, 2016 at 11:18 pm and is filed under Comments. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.