Balancing in Cleats and Books

Practice, classes, lift, meetings, study table, homework... all too familiar to student-athletes. Whether you're in college, high school, middle school or even younger- trying to juggle life in cleats and with the books is an endless struggle. Student-athletes go through such a straneous process, mentally and physically. They test their bodies in the physical practices they have... they exhaust their mental capacity by learning so many new things throughout class and even in meetings for their sport!

One football player from Dordt College captured an amazing documentary of what a glimpse of his life looks like behind closed doors, in which you can appreciate the hard labor these student-athletes are exuberating!

You might be a parent of a child who is starting to play sports... or you might be a student-athlete yourself. Whichever the case, there are a few things that you can start to practice that might help overcome some obstacles during these difficult years:

1. Master TIME MANAGEMENT
You just might feel like there's something to do every waking minute. To be honest, this is a great lesson for what's to come once you start working in your career field! Every day presents itself with the same number of minutes and hours. It all lies in how you utilize those minutes and where you want to spend that time in order to fulfill the best YOU. If you have scheduled meetings or classes, make the best of those minutes and find a moment to seek happiness in what you're doing. Here's more to say about managing your time in this J&BT post.

2. NETWORK
There are so many students in the same boat as you that surround you day in and day out (aka your teammates). BUT, if you are able to grab a quick coffee or lunch with someone from your classroom, you can start to build relationships that can steer you in a specific direction for life after sports. Check out this J&BT post for more happs in networking, or this J&BT post for some ideas for convo starters.

3. Get plenty of REST
Sleep is such a sacred thing. Some of us cherish it, while others abuse it. Our bodies and brains recharge at it's best when we rest as much as we can. Put away those cell phones, turn off that tv, and lie in bed with a clear mind. Try not to think about what you have to do the next day, or what you didn't do earlier throughout the day. Just BE... and allow yourself 6-8 hours of beauty rest so you can rejuvinate yourself for practice and school (or work)!

I also recommend a great article titled, "8 Tips for Being a Great Sports Parent" written on Changing the Game Project. He talks about some great insights we can appreciate as parents to support our children who play sports.

The truth of the matter is that you will always have to balance in life. Cleats and books... work and family... time and happiness... children and career... on and on and on. The best thing we can do for ourselves and others is to be as present as we possibly can to whatever it is we are doing in the moment.

How do you balance?

FIVE Benefits of Membership

Once upon a time, I used to be brand new. Brand new to my graduate degree... brand new to the workforce... brand new to networking... brand new to the professional world. I remember thinking, "now what??" There I was ready to start talking to people that spoke the same language, but where would I meet such people?

A professor once told me that I was going to have to invest a bit of money into annual fees of professional memberships. What is such a thing... [so glad you asked!]?

Whatever your specialty of work is, or the field you earned your degree in, most likely exists professional groups or organizations that you can become a member of. These types of organizations can provide SO much... as much as you want to put into it or get out of it! Some of these things include:

1.  Free subscriptions to journal articles, including recent research studies
2.  Access to job search banks
3.  Networking events
4.  Monthly meetings [where you can meet others in your field!]
5.  Discounts on annual conferences

I've been a member of multiple organizations within my field that have really helped me become part of a community, no matter where I reside! I love the fact that I can meet new people and start new relationships with others in my field, especially having moved to Nebraska. You never know who you will meet and what he/she can bring to your life... or what YOU can bring to there life!

Need help finding a professional organization in your field? Email me and I'd be more than happy to help you out!

Best Places to Work

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Have you heard or read lately?... The Best Places to Work 2016 report was published by Glassdoor, revealing the top 50 companies voted by their own EMPLOYEES! I think this report is quite fascinating to follow. As a working professional, or even a college student, reading about market trends in particular companies can be beneficial for you as you seek for opportunities to better yourself in the workforce. Employees voiced their opinions about things such as leadership, satisfaction, salary and work-life balance. Glassdoor then used their own methodology to rank each company, incorporating whether or not employees would recommend their workplace to a friend.

You might ask, what tangible steps can I start to take knowing this information? Well I can certainly share with you what I have done thus far to ensure I stay active with these top companies:

// FOLLOW ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Start adding some of the most interesting companies to your social media accounts (particularly LinkedIN) so that you can stay apprised with updates and trends in the organization. You can even start to reach out to employees in related fields to ask for informational interviews.

// RESEARCH COMPANY WEBSITES
You may have perused through specific career websites for some of these companies, but perhaps you should start reading more about the organization and their history. Get to know the company like they are your long lost friend that you've been dying to catch up with. The more you know about things such as the history, mission, and values, the better sense you have on whether or not they align with your personal interests.

// COMPARE WITH SIMILAR INDUSTRIES
Now that these specific companies are revealed, it wouldn't hurt to compare some of them to your current company or others that are similar industries. It's always wise to stay on top of competing organizations, as some of the most inspirational ideas and motivation can come from each other. There's nothing wrong with benchmarking with your surroundings and sharing experiences to learn and grow from one another.

Some individuals are really confident about their career and the direction they are heading in, while others are still 'soul searching' with their passions and interests. Whichever boat you are in, I highly encourage you to stay informed of these top voted companies to work for, as they may offer you something much more than a career... they might just hold your happiness.

Anyone work at any of these companies? Care to share some of the 'likes' you have working there?

Convo Starters

{The Mill Gourmet Coffee}

As school begins and college students are moving into dorms, there are probably tons of things going through your minds: What classes will I like? Which friends will be rushing with me? How is my schedule looking between classes and practice?

In hindsight, I wish I would have had focused more on my networking skills during college... networking with my colleagues and networking with professionals within my field of interest! Not just networking in general (click here for a thorough post on networking)... but quick and easy conversation starters would have been extremely useful. This can also be referred to as your elevator pitch... but for the sake of this post, I'll call them CONVO STARTERS.

Some of you may be keen to starting up conversations with questions such as, "How are you?" or "What do you do?" or "What's your major?" or even, "Where are you from?" These are all great for opening up dialogue, but there are other questions that can grasp attention in other ways that might just be unexpected from the person you are networking with! Here are a few of my favorites:

// What's the last book you read?
This may give you some insight as to what type of personality this person may have. If you find any commonalities with this person, you might just be interested in things he/she may be studying.

// Where do you see yourself in 4-5 years from now?
This question can open up an entire world of dreams and insights with the other person you speak to. They may walk you through their "masterplan" of how school or work is helping them get to where they ultimately want to be in life. You never know... your paths may cross again in 4-5 years from today!

// Are you a coffee-drinker or a tea-drinker?
May seem like a random question, but you'd be surprised as to how people open up with their love of hot drinks! You can also use their response to this question later down the road when you ask them if they would be interested in grabbing some coffee or team some time... where you can chat even further about school/work interests.

// Who do you look up to?
This response always surprises me... from hearing relatives... to hearing famous people. While sharing the person he/she looks up to, it's always even more interesting to hear the story behind it all!

As you embrace the new semester, try asking some of your peeps these questions and reflect on how they respond!

What are some convo starters you like to ask new peeps?

Networking is KEY!

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How many of you have been in a situation where you might be... job hunting?... Shopping around for mechanic?... Looking for advice with your new baby (ME!)?... basically anything that may cause you to seek advice or find referrals to someone or something that would benefit you?

You may think first thing to turn to is online searching. But if you think about it, it's much more than Google searching something online. It's about personally knowing if someone or something is worth it. How else might you find this personal info out?... PEOPLE! We typically ask around for personal references and experiences. We learn from others, and others actually learn from us! This is just one aspect of what we commonly call NETWORKING!

Networking can also help you in the professional world to market your expertise, interests and strengths. Being a student-athlete can be a full-time job, but if you don't start to make time to meet new people outside of your team and coaches, it may hinder you once you graduate college and are ready to start your career.

Here are some tips on networking that may help you begin at your stage in life right NOW:

// Attend CAREER FAIRS or CONFERENCES
Take advantage if you're a student and attend these types of events that should be completely free for you! And don't just attend these... but take business cards and approach the professionals at the booths and introduce yourself by offering your time and willingness to help them in any way (whether paid or not!). Also, be sure you collect business cards from professionals, and follow-up with an email saying that it was nice to meet them at the career fair/ conference.

// Connect on LINKED
If you haven't created an account on LinkedIN yet, DO SO TODAY! You won't regret it... it's a great way to stay connected with professionals, follow the latest news and updates on companies, and apply for jobs all over the world! They have a live feed (just like you would see on Facebook), which you can scroll through to see any new updates. Comment, like, and follow conversations that help you become more involved in any specific community.

// Ask for INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEWS
You may hear people frequently say, "We're not hiring now." Well, don't let that be your end all be all! Approach someone you may know that works at an organization, and ask if you can set up a half-hour to an hour-long informational interview. In these informational interviews, you can ask questions that help you gain more insight into the organization, department, and job role. Be sure that you spend some time preparing questions ahead of time so you drive the conversation and gain information that will help you in the long run. In addition, professionals remember these conversations, and when something does open up, most likely they would think of you!

// Send monthly EMAILS
Spend a few minutes of your day and send frequent emails to professionals you have met (in-person or virtually). Let them know that you wanted to check-in and see how things are going with them, and to let you know if they ever want to grab some coffee or lunch with you, or have a phone conversation. Meeting with people is a great way to just catch up and see what's going on. You never know how you may be of help with someone, or how they may be able to help you!

Utilize these tips to help you expand your networking circle (or begin one). Our fellow peeps are the greatest gift you can ever ask for, and you can also gift someone else with!

If you are also working on sprucing up your resume, see this post about including sports on your resume.

How do you network?