When I was a kid in the summer I would get up early and leave my house with a bat, some baseballs, and a glove in my bike basket. I would ride to the town park to find no one. I would then throw the ball in the air, or hit balls out of my hand, run the bases and then collect the balls. Finally someone would show up and we would have a catch, then another kid would show up and we took batting practice. And then a little while later a few more kids showed up and we would choose up sides for a game. We played baseball the entire day. Did we all get along; of course not? Were there fights and arguments, you bet. And, were there bullies present, there were. But when fights, and arguments, and bullying took place, no one left because we all wanted to play. We solved our own problems, and realized that there was a pecking order in terms of abilities and attitudes and we accepted it for what it was and were even friends with the kids that we didn’t agree with or maybe even like. In our own way we understood conflict and we left just enough space between us to disagree. We became resilient and realized that we were all there for one reason, to have fun. There were no play dates, and there wasn’t any adult supervision, we did it all on our own.
During that time in my life I did a lot of things on my own. My home was rather inconsistent; my parents owned a bar which we lived over and I think at times they may have forgotten that they had kids. I had two sisters who were much older than I was and they had their own life. So as a young boy I was always trying to find ways to play and entertain myself. That to me is a good thing. Kids today have trouble when their friends are away, or they have to be alone for any length of time. Their entertainment comes from their phone or some other form of technology which can produce a rather sedentary life style. When I was a kid we were almost forced outside and we stayed there for long periods of time. Baseball was something that I took to and I just enjoyed every aspect of the game. Watching it, playing it, going to games, it was all good, NO IT WAS GREAT.
When I was playing the game of baseball I didn’t think about what I was learning in the process, I was just there to have fun. But, in reality every step I took during the game brought me to another life lesson that I could learn from. Baseball is just one of those sports that just seemed to scream at me when I was playing, saying; “remember this one you’ll need it later.” There are so many things to learn but, baseball had its way with me and through osmosis I moved through life with the memories and the lessons that I learned from what seemed like a well healed teacher. Here are just a few.
The Third Time May Not Be A Charm
Very few things in life allow for continued mistakes. Baseball is one of them. You come to bat, and you can swing and miss twice, but swing and miss the third time and it is strike three you are out. Now unless you are playing tee ball and the coaches are being benevolent you are going to take a seat. I mean if you want to continue to make the same mistake over and over again you will spend more time sitting and watching than playing. The game of life is very similar; you can only swing and miss three times before people start to wonder if you are incapable or do you have a character flaw. Relationships, on the job, raising kids are just a few venues for our faux pas. So the third time is not a charm; it could get you fired, divorced, or have your kids hating you.Lesson Learned: Mistakes are okay, but keep them to a minimum like two.
Life Is Not Win-Win
Everyone has heard the line “Think Win-Win” right? So let me ask you, how many World Series champs do we have? Or how many Super Bowl champions are there? Who won that last Presidential election? There is no win-win, somebody has to win and somebody has to lose. Baseball taught me this both as an individual and as a team member. I strike out, the pitcher beat me, a great play is made in the field and I get robbed of a hit, and I got beat again. On a team level, one team wins and one team loses. To insist on this mentality with kids involved with team sports especially at a young level seems to be unfair. Somewhere in their young life someone has to introduce the word lost or failed into their vocabulary and their life. This is the only way kids will learn how to handle disappointments.. It’s not so much about the loss; it’s about being a graceful loser. Lesson Learned: Always tip my hat to those that did a great job even if they were the competition.
Consistency Is The Hallmark Of Greatness
I was a working stiff for 30 years. I usually got up at about 5 a.m. When I retired I still got up at 5 a.m. I have my preferences, I don’t judge, and I set boundaries. You usually can tell time by me because if I tell you I’ll be there by 3 o’clock I’m on time. Believe it or not I learned this quality by playing the game of baseball. The only way you can be successful in the game of baseball is by being consistent in the way you throw, hit, run, and swing the bat. Doing the same thing over and over again until my mental memory is so fine tuned that it is the only way it knows how to do certain things. Developing consistency and remaining consistent can do wonders for the way you think and for your emotional state of mind as well. Even if you waver a bit from time to time you always have the soft pillow to fall back on that reminds you who you are and what you represent. When you reach down into the chambers of your own soul when stress and problems hit you don’t come up empty you have some answers to the questions that life throws at you. What I learned is that standing your ground when everyone seems to have a better solution to a problem strengthened my heart and soul and helped me to develop confidence in my decision making skills. Lesson Learned: Get up early, no matter what you are doing.
Learn To Make In Game Adjustments
Let’s face it a professional baseball player can hit a fastball 500 feet if he squares it up and his timing is good. But suppose he is ready for that 95 mile an hour fastball and he gets the curve or the change up? Can he make the adjustment? The difference between a major league baseball player and a minor league player is really infinitesimal. The biggest difference is that major league players have the ability to make in game adjustments. When they’re at the plate and are facing the pitcher for the third time and have already been struck out twice, they know how the pitcher is trying to get them out and can adjust on the fly and be ready for the curve. In reality life throws us curve balls all the time. We’re all good at handling the events associated with daily living, but how do we handle stress, illness, unruly kids, emotional battles, and relationship issues? Sure we have to remain consistent as mentioned before but we have to adjust when it’s called for by reading the tea leaves or by understanding how you were pitched the two prior at bats. Lesson learned: We all should always hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. So, let’s hope for the heater, but be ready for the curve.
Practice Makes Perfect and Permanent
Baseball players may take two hundred swings during batting practice or field one hundred ground balls during infield drills. This is all done to not only to insure perfection during the game but to also make sure that they maintain the muscle memory associated with their swing or their position in the field. These players have to be ready every day to do the same thing over and over again. They realize that the season is a marathon not a sprint and they don’t want their skills to erode because of exhaustion. The game of life is very similar it’s a marathon and continued practice and experience helps us to improve day after day and year after year. In baseball the young seeks out the old for advice and direction about how to play the game. In life we look to the more experienced older and wiser folks who will help us navigate through a difficult situation. When it’s all said and done we then become the one with the hoary head that is there for those that are trying to perfect the game of life and who are working to permanently cement the right thoughts, words, actions, and attitudes into their being. Lesson learned: Life requires practice.
