CAREER RUSH: WHERE DOES SPORTS COME IN?

Are you suffering from burnout at work? Are you suffering from the writer’s block? Do you despair because you find it hard coping with your academics? Does it seem like your goals for the year are not achievable? Here is a little story about how sports can change all these for you. But it all starts with changing your mindset about sports.

Changing your mindset

Bekky is a newly-recruited marketer at the Banking sector. With the set target of winning multiple accounts for her bank and her continual failure at it, it is no wonder that she comes home dejected everyday. It didn’t help that she had more responsibilities to meet. The commission from securing those accounts in addition to her salary could go a long way in getting the treatment her mother needed.

For Bekky who was slim and shapely, Sports was a word with the ability to make her cringe. It signified something strenuous, joyless and something done for a particular purpose such as lossing weight or belly fat. Her slim figure made her feel lucky that she didn’t need to exert herself in the name of sports. But that morning that Debbie, her closest friend insisted they go for a run began the change in her mindset about sports.

Benefits

She came back with her heart racing, her blood pumping, her problems forgotten and as she took a quick shower in preparation for work, she felt better than she had ever felt in ages. Downing a quick cup of tea, she grabbed the bowl of fruit salad that she had prepared earlier and went to work wearing a cheerful disposition. On her way, she noticed the little girl that needed help crossing the street, even thanked the taxi driver that took her to work, and generally kept aware of her surroundings.

Career Life

At work, she carried out her administrative duties efficiently. She thought up ways of securing those accounts, jotted down points that she thought might be useful in securing them, remembered those dreams that she had long despaired of working on and broke them down into steps that she could work on daily. It seemed she was oozing with boundless energy. She truly felt she was reborn.

The next day, Bekky was already prepared and tapping her foot impatiently when Debbie arrived for their run. Her day at work went even more smoothly. At the brief general meeting that afternoon, unlike her nature, Bekky made an input in the topic of discussion, a vital one that made the manager to acknowledge her. Bekky was over the moon. As they descended down the stairs to their respective cubicles and she discussed with her colleague, the young lady tripped on her own foot. Bekky displayed quick response to stimuli, and righted the young lady while holding on to her stack of files. Everyone was amazed at her quick reaction. Even she was surprised at herself. This couldn’t all be a coincidence, she reasoned.

That evening, she promptly made a decision and went with Debbie to register for a month at the nearest gym. Her first day at the gym came that weekend on Saturday and while working out, she freely conversed with a few other people around. Her second week at the gym was a big hit. Bekky secured her first multimillion account. One of the persons she converses with on her gym days was the CEO of a major firm. Her cheerful disposition and intelligence convinced him to open a 50 million naira account with her bank through her. Bekky laughed through tears that day.

Conclusion

Sports are one thing that cuts across several facets of our lives and career, maintaining an almost-linear relationship with both. The derivable benefits are endless and supercede the human imagination, cutting across gender, age, and time confines. So, next time you think of a mutually-beneficial fun way of rewarding your employees or colleagues, think of organizing a simple group sports.

Meanwhile, Bekky never again neglected sports. She had reaped the full benefits of sports. And she continued to reap it in the future, as she enjoyed good health of mind and body.