Motivation Monday: Take Initiative

A common theme many people hear when seeking career advice in a field that they aspire to be in is, “oh, I just kind of… fell into it,” –which is true to an extent… but not completely.

One of the most important aspects of our day-to-day lives that we all too often forget is that we have a lot of control over what direction we are trying to head or what type of life we are trying to lead. We get caught up in daily tasks or a routine that makes us go through the motions and society can put us on a fast track to forgetting what it is we really want to do with our lives—whether it be career, relationships, or life in general.

This is why it is important to take initiative in your life—and for purposes of this blog—in your career or job search.

Many people, when getting caught up in going through the motions, forget that opportunity isn’t going to just fall in your lap without some form of due diligence. If you find something you love and know that you want to do, don’t sit around and wait on it to happen because—unfortunately—it’s not going to happen.

While, yes, opportunity does come in different forms and can seemingly come from nowhere, those opportunities cannot be capitalized on without some self-preparation. You must do your part in making an opportunity come to fruition. After all, success only comes available when hard work meets opportunity.

For example, in my search for a career and in my journey in trying to gain knowledge in sports law and within the sports industry, I could not have gained the limited amount of knowledge I have now without making sure I networked with the right people, asked the right questions, and sought out advice (I am learning something new every day and know I will continue to expand my knowledge—mainly because I am taking initiative and pursuing it). None of which would I have if I had decided to sit around by myself without taking any initiative in trying to seek out advice or meet new people with similar interests or find opportunities within the sports law world.

Whether assisting my classmates in starting our own Sports & Entertainment Law Society in Memphis, traveling to Oregon for sports law classes, or finding competitions like the one available at Tulane— I have taken initiative and sought out opportunities. I didn’t wait around for someone to tell me what to do. I just… did it. And the beautiful thing about that is this: you can do it too. I’m no genius… I just realized that the only person holding me back (in most cases) is me—which should give you even more confidence in pursuing your dreams on your own too. All it takes is you deciding that “hey, I think I’m going to go network today (or insert any other form of taking initiative).”

After my torts professor told us one day in class during my 1L year that we should seek out opportunity in a career area that we love, I haven’t looked back—and I plan on continuing to move forward with my pursuit of a career in what I love—sports. I know this only comes with me taking initiative, figuring things out as best I can on my own, and seeking out advice from those that are experts in the field and that are willing to mentor aspiring sports law professionals.

The last thing I will leave you with on this Motivation Monday is this: Take initiative and take control over your own life to the extent you can. Make good decisions, do your part, and passionately pursue whatever it is that makes you happy—after all, no one else is going to do it—only you can. The last thing you want to be asking yourself five, ten, or fifty years down the road is “what if?” because by then, it’s too late. Just do it—you won’t regret it. Make the leap and Take initiative.

 

I hope that this post has provided some sort of a motivation. All feedback is appreciated and I hope you feel like sharing this post, as many could use words of encouragement and motivation on any given day—especially Mondays. As always, if you ever have any questions or want to know more about me, the blog, or want to discuss sports law, don’t hesitate to message me.

Thank you for reading and God Bless!

“Your actions today hold the key to your future. If you want to predict your future, look at the things that you are focusing on today.”

—Dale Hutcherson