If your goal for 2011 is to break into the sports industry, there are three things that will guarantee your success. (And it won’t cost you a dime!)

1. Write Down Your Goal

Breaking into sports doesn’t happen by accident. It happens on purpose. That’s why it’s crucial that you make it your number one goal in 2011. Goal-setting starts by writing down your goal.

Hall of Fame running back, Emmitt Smith, said it like this: “It’s only a dream until you write it down, then it becomes a goal.” Emmitt didn’t accidently become the NFL’s all-time leading rusher. He did it by starting with the simple act of writing.

Personal development expert, Brian Tracy says, “You can’t hit your target if you can’t see what you’re aiming for.” Written goals bring clarity and focus.

2. Establish a Time and a Place

The biggest reason people fail to reach their goals is because they don’t establish a time and a place to work on them. They think setting the goal is the key, but it’s not. That’s only the beginning.

Just like a college football player establishes a time and place to prepare for the NFL Combine, you must do the same thing. You don’t haphazardly go into the Combine. You work up to it. Likewise, you don’t haphazardly pursue a job with ESPN, or Nike. You train for it.

But instead of a weight room, your training ground is at the kitchen table. Or a coffee shop. Or the library. Anywhere you can turn off your phone and get locked in on what you’re trying to accomplish — that’s where you need to be. Same place. Same time. Each and every week.

3. Make a Promise to Yourself

In your quest to break into sports, you will face challenges. Doors will slam in your face. You will hear the word “No.” And your insecure friends might even make fun of you for pursuing such a lofty goal.

So, how do you prepare for such harsh reality? You become resilient! You develop fortitude. Mental toughness begins by making a promise to yourself that you will not give up, no matter what.

Successful people have mastered this mindset. When things get difficult, they don’t quit. They simply hang on just a few minutes longer than everyone else. Making a promise to yourself will give you the inner strength to persevere.

CHRIS’ KEYS: Guaranteed success comes from your unbroken promise. Anticipate the challenges. Stay focused. And finish.

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About Chris McKinney

Chris McKinney is the president of SPORTS LAUNCH™, a career services firm dedicated to helping college students and career-changers launch sports careers. Chris' new book, How to Land Your First Job in Sports: 7 Simple Steps can be found on www.SportsLaunch.net.

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It may sound cliché, but I think everyone in the New Year should set out to try a few new things.  Hopefully people haven’t already derailed their 2010 plans! One of my former colleagues sent me a tweet last week wanting to promote #ClicheWednesday on twitter that day.  It was random, but knowing his use of social media in his job, it was new to me and I thought, hey good for Brian (@GrouponBrianSA).

New Year resolutions are about as common as New Year ’s Day hangovers and football.  However, the essence of the motive is a great idea.  Typically it is the execution and follow through that turns these resolutions into clichés.

In preparing for a future in sports business I read a good deal of Jon Spoelstra works.  If you aren’t familiar, I definitely recommend “Ice to Eskimos and Marketing Outrageously” (forward by @mcuban).

After the 2008 Baseball season I was checking up on Jon’s happenings and came across another book of his.  At the time, our department was re-structuring and I was moving into a new role as New Business Development Executive. I found the book to set a good theme.  It was titled “Success Is Just One Wish Away : Make One Wish and Your Life Suddenly Changes. but Make Sure It’s the Right One”.

Spoelstra helps set a plan of action to accomplishing your goals.  He draws the focus to the short term in a way that makes achievement increasingly possible.  Recently on a call with Bill Guertin, the @800poundgorilla, he shared some great advice that paralleled Jon’s plan of action.   Bill told me that “whatever you do each and every day (good or bad) will lead you to the path you are on…”

In 2010 don’t have your goals or resolutions become a cliché.  Make a plan of execution, and do the little things each and every day needed to reach your objectives.  I still have my three goals I jotted down in the fall of 2008.  Those goals have now become daily or weekly habits in my routine.  As you move thorough 2010, find ways to improve your skill sets, daily activities and seek out success.  You’ll find if you work hard, the tasks you need to accomplish your goals will blend into your natural routine.  Once this happens, add new short term goals and you will find like Jon says, your Success can be just one wish away.

About Tyler Johnson

Tyler Johnson is an innovative thinker inspired by the likes of Bill Veeck, Jon Spoelstra, Pat Williams & Brooks Boyer. Currently working for Kroenke Sports & Entertainment as a Group Sales Account Executive for the Denver Nuggets. Prior he worked as the New Business Development Executive with the Chicago White Sox. Tyler has also worked directly with the inventor and creator of Arena football and also for Mike Ditka’s former Chicago AFL franchise. As a former collegiate athlete and business sensed individual Tyler ventured to combine his passions to get into the business side of sports.

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We hear it in sports business all the time. Passion. It seems to go hand in hand with sports and it’s paralleled in business.  You see it on resumes and ad campaigns.  Dictionary.com defines passion as a strong or extravagant fondness, enthusiasm, or desire; and though it’s a noun to be effective in your career it must be more of an adverb.  And by that I mean, it has to have action!

Everyone I know has a passion for something.  However, it is a lot easier to say than to perform.  I tend to believe passion is something to be seen and not heard.  Think of people you know who have a great passion for what they do, I’m guessing they don’t walk around talking about it much.  I try to surround myself with people who live a passion, and don’t just preach one.  It is much easier to learn from those who live a passion.  The details and what helped them achieve their successes will be prevalent.

As sports careers go, as in life, the roller coaster goes up and down.  At times I find people, me included, need to be analytical of what their passions are and what they have evolved into.  Having a better sense of your personal passions will lead to better communication, better time management and better opportunities.   As career paths change and new challenges arise, don’t loose focus of your core passions.  If they are true to you and the organization, these challenges will fall by the wayside.  Passion has no ceiling, and those who display it will be noticed, those who talk about it, probably won’t be.

Once your passions are defined, make a plan on how to set your path of passion on fire. True passions are near the very core of who we are, and when inspired those they can lead you to exceed expectations of yourself and your organization.  In your plan, make mental check points that keep you on track.  It is when you tap into your core energy and really know what your passions are, that you can live it and be known for it.  It is hard to convey passion by simply placing it on a resume.

A former teammate of mine had a saying that we used as our defensive motto in college. I feel it applies to passion for what we do as well.  “Don’t talk about it, be about it!”

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Image by Alex Pylyshyn

Image by Marcin.Biodrowski

About Tyler Johnson

Tyler Johnson is an innovative thinker inspired by the likes of Bill Veeck, Jon Spoelstra, Pat Williams & Brooks Boyer. Currently working for Kroenke Sports & Entertainment as a Group Sales Account Executive for the Denver Nuggets. Prior he worked as the New Business Development Executive with the Chicago White Sox. Tyler has also worked directly with the inventor and creator of Arena football and also for Mike Ditka’s former Chicago AFL franchise. As a former collegiate athlete and business sensed individual Tyler ventured to combine his passions to get into the business side of sports.

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