Everyone needs a break at some point in their life. Just a little time to step back, get recharged, rekindle the passion, and get ready to go again. There is an offseason in every person’s life. For athletes, it’s after the finals. For teachers and students, it’s summer. With others, it might be something simple, like the weekend. Most broadcasters experience their offseason at the same time as athletes: after the year is complete.
Typically my offseason is spent unwinding for a few weeks, celebrating birthdays and holidays, and then inevitably getting ready for college football season.
Still Searching
I just graduated from Iowa (again) and this offseason certainly feels less relaxing than those in the past. My unwinding time came in the middle of May. It lasted for maybe a week. My pursuit of a college broadcasting job has been valuable, although to this point, unsuccessful. And that is okay. I saw a short video the other day about rejection. It explained that every “No” actually brings you closer to where you belong. That perspective is the hard counter to getting discouraged and down when someone says “thanks, but no thanks”. I’ve never been one for settling and so I am believing in the message of that short video. I’ll end up where I belong and where I am meant to be.
You never know when something will be your last. My last broadcast was at the Big Ten Tournament. Iowa over Purdue. Champions. Was that my last radio broadcast? If it was, at least I went out on top of my own world. We all have visions of how we would like our future to look. Those visions can really hurt us if somehow they never come true. If someone said my last radio broadcast was meant to be Iowa’s championship over Purdue, how could I complain about that? It’s like that quote from The Office. Wishing we realized we were in the good old days before we actually left them. But I don’t believe that was the end for me. It just may be that my entry point into the profession isn’t where I thought. And again, that is okay.
Discovering My Purpose
I moved back to the Iowa City area two years ago. With confidence, I can say that these past couple of years have produced the greatest level of personal growth in my lifetime. I’ve made lifestyle changes and created my own habits for success. My friendships are much stronger. I am pleased with my development and commitment to radio broadcasting. I have determined that radio play-by-play is, in fact, my passion.
This offseason has given me a better understanding of purpose. During football season, I had game prep on Monday, the Coach Ferentz presser on Tuesday, audio cutting on Wednesday, final prep on Thursday, and the game on Saturday. Basketball was even tighter. Multiple games a week. Travel, audio cutting, execution of the broadcast. Along with being a Master’s student, that was my purpose for the last two years. The next step is finding what to do when that part of my year ends.
For broadcasters in the industry, I imagine their offseason is a good break. Football straight into basketball, some even add on baseball. Their break comes mid-June until August. But they know that football season is coming and there will be more games to call. I do not have the luxury to know if I have more games to call. That is, of course, the goal. And trust me, that would be my luxury. But despite feeling a lack of purpose and not having that certainty of “the next broadcast”, I find myself in good spirits regarding this offseason. Maybe my purpose this offseason was to perfect some crafts outside of the radio world. Was my purpose to take note of relationships that were slipping throughout my broadcasting season? Either way, my brief lack of purpose has amplified and motivated the desire for finding purpose.
It’s All Good
Everything happens for a reason. The man upstairs has the plan. Every “thanks, but no thanks” has taken me closer to where I belong. The search for my purpose in life has been magnified by the uncertainty of the future, something believe it or not, I am thankful for. One of my commitments this summer has been to avoid letting this waiting season become a wasted season. Although I haven’t had anything to broadcast, I’ve had a very productive offseason discovering my purpose.
It’s all good.
– John