Guide To Identify Your Core Skills And Successfully Transition From Sports

Sports careers are often accompanied by a great deal of passion, dedication, and hard work. Athletes spend years honing their skills, committing themselves to rigorous training regimes and pushing their bodies to the limit. However, for many athletes, there comes a time when transitioning from sports becomes a necessity. Whether it's due to age, injury, or simply a desire for a new challenge, understanding and identifying your core skills can greatly facilitate a successful transition.

Recognizing the Value of Transferable Skills

When transitioning from sports, it's important to realize that the skills developed in the athletic realm can be transferred to various other professions. While the transition may seem daunting at first, recognizing the value of transferable skills can open doors to exciting new opportunities.

One way to assess your core skills is by reflecting on the specific talents and abilities that have contributed to your success in sports. Are you an excellent team player? Do you have exceptional leadership skills? Are you a calculated strategist? Identifying these skills will allow you to leverage them in your future career.

The Next Shift: A Guide to Identify Your Core Skills and Successfully Transition from Sports

by Judi Gilbert(Kindle Edition)

4.6 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	3645 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	136 pages
Lending	:	Enabled

FREE

Self-Reflection and Assessment

Effective self-reflection is essential when identifying your core skills. Begin by making a list of all your accomplishments and experiences in the sports world. Consider the qualities and strengths that have helped you achieve those successes. These may include discipline, perseverance, determination, and resilience, among others.

Next, analyze how these qualities can be applied to different industries or professions. For example, discipline and determination are highly valued in fields such as business, entrepreneurship, and even healthcare.

Seeking Guidance and Career Exploration

Transitioning from sports is undoubtedly a significant life change. It can be extremely beneficial to seek guidance from professionals who specialize in career transitions. Career coaches, mentors, and career development programs can provide valuable insights and support as you navigate this new chapter.

Additionally, it's crucial to explore different career options that align with your core skills. Research industries that resonate with your interests and strengths. Consider internships, volunteering, or job shadowing opportunities to gain firsthand experience and determine if a particular field is the right fit for you.

Developing New Skills

While identifying and leveraging your core skills is important, it's equally vital to develop new skills that will complement and enhance your existing abilities. Take the time to assess the skills required in your desired career path and invest in professional development opportunities to acquire them.

Utilize online courses, workshops, seminars, and networking events to expand your skill set. By demonstrating a willingness to learn and adapt, you'll increase your chances of a successful transition.

Networking and Building Connections

Building a strong network of professional connections is invaluable when transitioning from sports. Networking allows you to tap into hidden job markets, gain insights from industry experts, and discover new opportunities.

Attend industry events, join professional organizations, and actively engage in online communities related to your desired field. Reach out to individuals who have successfully made a similar transition and seek their advice and guidance.

Maintaining a Positive Mindset and Embracing the Transition

Transitioning from sports can be emotionally challenging. It's natural to feel a sense of loss or uncertainty about the future. However, maintaining a positive mindset and embracing the transition are vital for success.

Remember that your athletic career has equipped you with a variety of valuable skills and traits that can be applied in numerous other domains. Believe in your ability to adapt and thrive in your new career path.

, transitioning from sports can be an exciting opportunity for personal growth and professional development. By identifying your core skills, reflecting on your experiences, seeking guidance, developing new skills, networking, and maintaining a positive mindset, you can successfully transition into a fulfilling new chapter of your life.

The Next Shift: A Guide to Identify Your Core Skills and Successfully Transition from Sports

by Judi Gilbert(Kindle Edition)

4.6 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	3645 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	136 pages
Lending	:	Enabled

FREE

Let’s Be Honest. We Aren’t Athletes Forever.

The Next Shift: A Guide to Identify Your Core Skills and Successfully Transition from Sports is a unique and moving handbook for all athletes who wonder and sometimes struggle with transitioning successfully from sport to their Next Shift. As a young athlete, Judi Gilbert didn’t know what sport had given her, and it wasn’t until after she left competitive sports that she started to think more about it.

Hear from Judi and other athletes who have successfully transitioned from sport to another career. Share their journey and anecdotes and discover the skills and experiences they acquired to transition effectively from sports.

As a former varsity athlete with over thirty years of training and management experience, Judi helps other athletes implement the steps necessary to answer the questions all athletes want and need to know.

• What is a transferable skill, and how do I identify my skills?
• Why is my personal brand important?
• How does my reputation impact my success?
• How can networking support my transition?
• How do I use the skills I acquired in sport to enhance my job search?

As athletes, we often compartmentalize our skills. We often think the skills we have developed in sport and the experiences we have accumulated are only good for sports, but that isn’t true. We must recognize that skills we acquired in sport help us to be successful outside of sport.

In Praise of The Next Shift: A Guide to Identify Your Core Skills and Successfully Transition from Sports

One to remember… A book for all athletes and parents too! Judi is to be commended for her ability to take the reader on a journey of personal reflection as they begin to think about their transition from sport to their Next Shift.

As a former professional athlete, I was fortunate to develop many of the skills that my niece Judi speaks about. All athletes must identify the skills they acquired from sport and know how to use them to their advantage when they are no longer able to compete. This book will do that!

Well done, Judi!

Bobby Hull, The Golden Jet, Hockey Hall of Fame Inductee, 1983

Being a young athlete and reading the stories in this book is both inspiring and relatable to me. Learning how I can use the skills that I’ve acquired from a young age and how to transfer them to a working environment is key to helping me grow my resume and confidence and to get to the next level.

Brady Allen, Hockey Player, U18 AA

Judi Gilbert has written a must-read book for anyone who understands the role that sports and competition play in our lives from early childhood, through adulthood and into parenthood. Her journey in competitive sports from a young age gives her a unique perspective and a credible voice on how to navigate the world as a competitor, a parent of an athlete, a mentor, and a coach. Whether she is writing about self-worth, self-doubt, or self-confidence, she guides you effortlessly through the challenges to find your voice and develop your personal brand. I circled and highlighted so many parts of this book and I look forward to using these tools to maximize my performance as a business consultant and as a basketball coach. But most importantly, this book gave me a renewed excitement to be a better supporter of my children’s athletic endeavours.

Linda Martindale, Business Consultant and Lincoln-Sudbury High School Boys Varsity basketball coach. Former NCAA Division 1 college basketball player. Parent of a college basketball player, a college beach volleyball player, a high school soccer player and a high school lacrosse player.