Understanding Your Athlete DNA

Inside the book and game of CareerBall: DNA is often compared to a set of blueprints, a recipe, or a code since it contains the instructions needed to construct who you are. To become a highly competitive athlete, it’s safe to say you have terrific physical DNA that equips you with attributes like speed, quickness, intelligence, strength, etc. But what about your mental DNA… the stuff inside your head that makes you coachable, competitive, accountable, and a natural leader? Believe it or not, understanding what’s made you successful on the field will help you become successful in your career.

As with sports, the better you understand your unique genetic gifts, the more likely you can choose a satisfying and successful career. People are happiest when they combine their strongest abilities in a career that makes full use of all or most of them. The further people stray from using their natural gifts, the greater the chance they will be dissatisfied with their careers.

The following number of posts will take a closer look at the athlete DNA and why you need to understand just what makes you tick.

Get it together!

Inside the book and game of CareerBall:  Many competitive athletes make job or career transitions by accident. They do little other than take advantage of opportunities that may arise unexpectedly. If you truly believe you can find a job simply by leveraging your athletic experience and contacts, please think again… this is a myth, my friend!

We live in a post-industrial, high-tech society which requires employees to demonstrate both intelligence and concrete work skills—not just athletic accomplishments or a recommendation from important alumni. Lacking the necessary skills and mobility required for getting jobs in such high-tech, growth-oriented communities will be tough obstacles to overcome if all you have to show on your resume is a long history of touchdowns and team spirit.

Ultimately, you, like all student-athletes, will reach the point where your competitive collegiate career will draw to an end. Some will be ready for this transition, and others will not. If you want to be one of those who is on a happy path, plan in advance to make this transition a positive one.

Retirement from a full-time commitment for athletics does not have to be a depressing event. But it is important to acknowledge the occasional and growing unhappy path of athletes ending their sports careers, where depression is becoming more widespread because people have not developed additional outlets of expression and performance that they can continue throughout their lives. If you only participated in sports, you may be suffering from tunnel vision, and you simply must remember and constantly tell yourself that sports are really only a temporary obsession in the big-world picture.

It’s Time to Plan Ahead

Inside the book and game of CareerBall: Try as we may to control our destiny, life is often tough, unpredictable, and serendipitous. What, for example, will your work life be like in another twelve or twenty-four months… or even five years from now? The old days when you can expect to work for one company most of your life have nearly vanished. Most people in today’s job market can realistically expect to undergo three to five career changes and hold more than fifteen different jobs during their lifetime. Long-term loyalty to a single employer is no longer expected, since many people change jobs and employers within a few years.

Athletes are accustomed to performing well. Sometimes they carry the standard of excellence with them into career exploration. Athletes may look at only jobs that they are familiar with or are confident about, usually careers in athletics. They’re confident in their ability to coach, for example, but less sure about careers in which they have no experience. It’s easy to forget that developing a career is really just like beginning a new sport; it requires practice, and the new steps may feel awkward at first.

Your goal is to find a job based on your strengths rather than your needs. Searching for a job is never fun, and if you’re fortunate, you’ll never have to search for many jobs in your life. But if you’re not experienced at looking for work or even thinking about work, the planning and search process can be arduous at best.