This is one of my favorite times of year. The Major League Baseball season is upon us. Spring Training is wrapping up for all 30 teams. I love the idea of spring training! It is a time for teams to prepare for a new season.

Training is essential for athletes

Isn’t it interesting that all major sports have some sort of training before they start their season? This training helps them improve and come together as a team to be ready to achieve peak performance. We all should do the same thing.

What kind of training did you do before the start of this new year? What training are you doing now? You may think that you do not need any kind of training or coaching because you already know what you need to know. But the enemy of growing is knowing.

Don’t you think that professional baseball players already know how to hit and throw a baseball? They have been doing it for years and they get paid a lot of money to do it. But they still never begin a season without Spring Training. They understand that you can always get better.

Lifelong learning is a key to their success and yours.

You may not have realized this yet, but the end of the first quarter of 2016 is this week. One whole quarter of the year is now over. Here are some important questions to reflect on:

• Are you making the progress you would like to make this year?
• Are you on track with your goals?
• Why have you not accomplished the goals you set yet?
• What obstacles have stood in the way of your goals?
• How have you invested in your own growth so far this year?
• How have you improved this year?

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result, so if you think you can continue to do what you have always done this year, you will be who you have always been. As leaders, we all called to continuous improvement, not the status quo (or apathy). If you have not had your own training for this year, then START TODAY. Invest in yourself because the return is huge and guaranteed.

One of the biggest struggles for a baseball player is hitting a curve ball. Many players spend lots of their training time working on this. They want to improve! In our lives, careers, and businesses we also have trouble with the many curve balls we face. The more time, energy, and money you invest in yourself, the more likely you will be able to handle those curve balls!

Regardless of where you are at this very moment, the year is still young. It is a year filled with possibilities. All of your goals CAN be within your reach this year if you commit to your own Spring Training and to lifelong learning. The choice is yours. What are you waiting for?