I’ll never forget the first few days after my college season ended. I didn’t want to play professionally so I was officially done with organized ball and had so many questions:
- When will I workout?
- What will my new routine look like?
- How will I get a job?
- How much will my first job pay?
- Where will I live after I move out of my dorm?
- Will I still have my well-defined abs!? 😊
As a former DI women’s basketball player, I realized the biggest difference between me being successful in life vs. being a typical former athlete was to hold myself accountable. Now that I didn’t have teachers, coaches or advisors telling me what to do, I had to find ways to exceed my personal goals. Why was it important that I held myself accountable? Here are a few reasons:
- Without the support of my team, a coach yelling at me, or a trainer that was constantly pushing me, accountability helped me transfer my athletic work ethic into the corporate world.
- I needed to catch up. Since I played before NIL was a thing, I couldn’t secure paid internships or a paying job- I wasn’t permitted to make money while playing DI ball. Holding myself accountable helped me exceed goals to catch up to my peers at work.
- I could identify what I wanted. Now that my focus wasn’t staying eligible, winning games or staying injury-free, holding myself accountable meant I was creating the goals and expectations of myself that would help me for a lifetime. This was super important to me
- Not being on a team schedule meant I needed to be mindful of time. I quickly learned that time was one of my most valuable assets, and that being accountable helped me max out the most of each day.
Here are a few ways athlete after school.
How Accountability Can Bring Athletes Success After Sports
Set goals. Many athletes might find themselves needing to catch up to coworkers in terms of skill development. When I had my first internship and first full-time job working in the NBA, there was so much I had to learn, teach myself, and observe to get to the level of my peers. Setting personal goals is a great way for athletes to hold themselves accountable.
Create a schedule. Just like you had as an athlete, create a schedule that fits your new life. As an athlete, my schedule included workouts, classes, study hall hours and down time. Your new schedule should include your work hours, breaks, your new workout routine and other items. Your schedule will help you be super efficient with your time.
Track your progress. Keeping track of your progress is so important to help former athletes stay motivated. After graduation there were times I had no idea what I was doing at work! Keeping track of my progress helped me stay motivated and adjust my strategy if need be. I’d write down anytime I secured a new job with higher pay, anytime I got promoted, anytime I learned a new skill, basically anything that kept me on track and motivated.
Find an accountability partner. Having a family member, friend or trusted-coworker keep you focused and on track is huge. This can be anybody, including a former teammate who understands your work ethic and your goals for the future. This partner can also give you feedback to help you improve along each step of the way.
Celebrate your wins. Celebrate your successes along the way. Achieving short term goals might mean treating yourself to a night out your your favorite dessert. A big accomplishment after achieving a long term goal might mean treating yourself to a vacation or a nice piece of jewelry.
Don’t get discouraged. Don’t let a lack of job experience prevent you from holding yourself accountable. After almost two decades of playing basketball, it was hard for me to admit I was new or bad at something. Instead, remind yourself that you have so many transferable skills as an athlete that you can apply to your new role.
Remember, the skills you learned as a college athlete can be applied to any job. Communication, teamwork, hustle, grit, leadership, time-management, and so many other skills can help you get your foot in the door, and then applied to help you move up any ladder.