Success -- sports and politics thrive on it, and so can you.

If you’re concerned about government and politics, you probably have a favorite candidate. If your favorite sports team does well, you can be the ultimate fan – cheer them on.

Then, if your favorite candidate does well, you can be really proud. If your team is successful – maybe advances through the NCAA playoffs, then you can be really proud.

But wait, that’s second-hand success. You’re pouring your passion into rooting somebody on from the sidelines when you can do more. You can dive in, become an active fan, part of an active fan club. You can volunteer to campaign for a candidate – make calls, distribute information, go door-to-door.

Why would you want to do these things? First, to play a part – doing something first hand, rather than sitting back and watching. And second, to help you develop the “soft skills” that you’ll need to keep your career moving.

Employers talk about soft skills all the time, and expect job-seekers to have them, and to grow them as time goes along. Soft skills can encompass a lot of things, but the basics include:

• Communication skills (both written and verbal)
• Teamwork
• Organized, able to manage projects
• Problem solvers
• Willing to show initiative and take risks

Sports and politics can be the perfect settings to develop these – to try them out, learn from others -- you could call it not-on-the-job training.



Photo by csitscenter