Think
of baseball as an example and then take a swing at      revitalizing your efforts while
“playing the game”.

Imagine at this time of year, as winter drifts slowly into spring, you begin
to hear comments such as: “Can’t wait for opening day”.

How has 2011 been going so far? Unbelievable as it seems, we’re already
facing the completion of the first quarter of 2011.

Have you been focused on self-improvement and bettering your game?

In baseball, there is such a tradition; it’s called spring training. Players
convene either in Arizona or Florida to get in shape for the upcoming
season. Management evaluates talent. Players focus on the fundamentals of their
game.

What emerges from such practices is are players that know what they do well
and what’s needed to improve, and for that reason those of us far from the
world of sports would do well to borrow a few lessons from the training regimen.
Here are three suggestions.

Reconnect.  You need
to know the role you’re expected to play in controlling your business. It is
also a time to consider what challenges lie ahead and how you’ll plan to
address them.

Reinforce fundamentals. Players come to spring training to
practice their craft. Many voice actors may find it necessary to learn new
skills. Maintaining the status quo skill-wise means you are falling behind.
What new things must you learn to stay current as well as to help your career
advance and success?

Reevaluate where you stand. For players, spring is a time
to consider how much work they need to do to get back into playing condition.
Similarly, we need to find time to measure our performance against last year.
How are your current actions helping you succeed? Revisit your goals, business
plan or New Years resolutions and look at your “batting average” on booking
auditions. Consider moving forward by getting some voice coaching.

The advantage is the opportunity to review where you’re at, and to put your energies
into improvement. We must not overlook something else that baseball, coming as
it does in the spring, perhaps does best: renew purpose. Ultimately, spring
training is all about hope. It is a time to focus on the “what might
be” scenarios, be it winning the next audition, booking a regional spot,
or even hitting the World Series with a national TV commercial.

Renewing purpose is an essential part of being and staying in business for
the long haul, so now’s the time to focus on the work but also celebrate the
possibilities. Every day is “Opening Day”.

Batter up!