With the imminent onset of the Spring Training baseball season, I couldn’t help but think about America’s favorite past-time. I started to realize that there are quite a few life lessons that can be taken from the classic sport and I started to compile a list. Here are the 9 that stood out to me the most:

1) Don’t Argue Balls and Strikes - …Even if you are 100% sure that it was bad call. Try not to blow up in the umpire’s face; it can only result in an even worse outcome. Take the good with the bad and trust that the law of averages will eventually be on your side. Basically, don’t sweat the small stuff.

2) 3 Strikes, You’re Out - But you’ll always have another at-bat. It’s okay to get discouraged when you just can’t get that clutch hit or squeeze out that bunt, but remember that there is always next time.

3) Not Every Pitcher Is An Ace - Many would like to be the best and to work with the best, but we can’t all be the best! Remember that everyone has specific skill sets and learning how to make the most of one’s own skills as well as others can have a profound effect on the outcome of a venture.

4) Team Practice Works - Getting to know your fellow team members, their habits, strengths, and weaknesses can serve to develop a solid core of trust and communication. Take the time to really get to know your partners for not only what they can do for you, but what they can do overall.

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Face it. The next time you walk into a room with new people, assumptions about you will be made.

Within the first few seconds of meeting a new person, he or she will form an opinion about you based on your appearance, mannerisms, and body language.

These opinions are often difficult to overcome or undo, making these first encounters extremely significant.

Luckily, there are some things you can do to ensure that these assumptions and opinions are positive. Here are 10:

1. Be Punctual - Not much is more detrimental to one’s opinion of you than tardiness. A person you are meeting for the very first time will not care to listen to your excuses, despite how “real” or “good” they are. Plan for delays in traffic or other impeding events and remember that arriving early is much better than arriving late.
2. Neat and Tidy - You won’t make it far without the ability to present yourself in an organized manner. Take care to make sure you look your best. Make sure your hair is cut and your fingernails are trimmed. Is your attire appropriate for the occasion? Is it a business meeting? A casual setting? Be sure to iron and remove any stains from your clothes. This is perhaps the most important tip. Failing to present yourself in an orderly way can cost you greatly.

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We’ve all heard of the many benefits of controlling your body language. It’s been flaunted as one of the many ways to move up through your company, get that girl or guy you’ve been eyeing from across the room, and just increase your overall mood.

What body language really comes down to though, is communication. Sure there are many other benefits of understanding and controlling your body language, but at their hearts, the benefits come from good communication.

This can be attributed to Albert Mehrabian’s 7%-38%-55% Rule of communication. In this rule, words account for 7%, tone of voice counts for 38%, and body language accounts for 55%. 55%! That means that more than half of communication is done through body language!

Here are my favorite tips to enhance the control of your body language and be a better communicator:

1. Eye Contact - To write about all the subtleties and benefits of good eye contact would be enough for its own post entirely. For now, keep in mind the basics: maintain eye contact, but do not stare. This may seem difficult or peculiar at first, but after a few days of consistency, you’ll realize your eyes are one of the best ways to convey emotion, feeling, and to communicate effectively.
2. Arms - Arms are clues to how receptive a person currently is to interaction. Let your arms rest at your sides or move them behind you. Try to refrain from crossing your arm as this is usually perceived as a defensive sign. However, arms work both ways. If you are talking with someone who just said the wrong thing, don’t hesitate to cross your arms and let them know.

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Everything is going great. You’re driving down the highway we call life and your projects are moving along swimmingly, your goals are approaching faster and faster as you press down on the accelerator.

Suddenly, the engine stutters, there seems to be a loss of power. You glance down at the dashboard and see that the fuel gauge is pointing to E. You’ve run out of gas.

Sound familiar? If so, then this post is for you.

We’ve all been hit by the sporadic slump. When it feels like your drive for success has faltered. You just don’t want to do anything. We don’t know why or when exactly it happened, but it did happen and now we are stuck in it. Here are 10 ways to avoid falling into a slump and how to recover when you’ve run out of gas.

1. Focus – Many slips into a slump are the result of being overwhelmed with just too many things going on at the same time. This feeling can be canceled out with a string of small achievements. Just make a list of the things you need to get done, prioritize the list, and then focus on completing one thing at a time. Crossing off items from a to-do list is a great way to get motivated again. Once again, I highly recommend the Three Lists of Three method as it allows for deeper focus on a specific task without the risk of an overflowing list.
2. Exercise – I’ve written about the productivity increasing benefits of exercise before in 5 Lifestyle Changes To Make You Feel Great and Be More Productive and 11 Solid Ways to Enhance Your Memory. Here is another opportunity. Whenever I fall out of my exercise routine, I see myself fall out of other routines in my life as well. Exercise is a great way to uplift your mood. Exercise has a positive effect on four of the main chemicals of the brain the effect mood: Serotonin, Epinephrine, Dopamine, and Endorphin. So get up, go for a walk or run. Lift some weights. Go bowling. You’ll get a mood-boost and feel much better. This is one of the best ways to break out of a slump and you won’t regret it. Read all »