I am no sports buff but as my kids get to an age where they want to explore multiple sports (read: anything and everything available to them), I have become a quick study. Swimming season just kicked off and it adds a level of regimen to the family. Minimum of three practices a week, “dry land” training at least once a month, and marathon meets on the weekends. Track comes later in the spring, but the premise is the same.
Like any busy family, we struggle to meet the expectations of the team and balance those demands with work, homework, family, and a healthy dose of fun stuff, too. It takes a good deal of planning as well as discipline. What I have learned to love about the swim season and that regimen is that each athlete is not just competing as a team. They are training constantly, timing themselves, making strategic alterations in stroke and turn, all of it to improve their individual performance. Moderate adjustments and disciplined practice yield great individual improvements. And those improvements build upward momentum, creating a stronger team as a whole.
When was the last time you competed against yourself? Planned out your schedule, gained additional training and resources, and set your sights on a new personal goal? What we do not plan simply does not happen. Personal and professional improvement come out of hard work, investment in yourself, and yes, sometimes a little luck too. That extra push from a mentor, supervisor, or colleague.
Name your target, and carve your path to get there – CAPP, APO (Accredited Parking Organization), CGG (Certified Green Garage), maybe your MBA or another advanced degree. Maybe it’s the decision to read The Parking Professional cover-to-cover each month or submit a new article under your own byline. Take an online or in-person training course. Compete against your personal best, and let us help you get there. (By the way, your success can help your team improve too.)
Possibilities abound. If you want to chat about it, you can find me at the pool, marveling at the inspiring young athletes in the water.