- The Edge of Greatness Newsletter
- Posts
- The Game of Life
Special Opportunity
Today’s Quote
One of the hardest things in life to accept is a called third strike.
Behind the Pillars
Baseball teaches greatness
I love baseball because of how much it relates to life.
But it also relates to greatness.
Baseball is a perfect example of the 7 pillars and their connectedness.
Purpose:
To make the play-offs and win a championship.
We all need a purpose, and in baseball this is no different.
Each year teams set their motto, vision, purpose and set out to attack it.
We should also be assessing and re-assessing our purpose on a regular basis.
Make sure we’re living to it in a way we want.
Mindset:
Baseball is all about mindset.
Learning how to move on past failure.
Creating routines and habits that keep us engaged.
Things like prep steps and the way we get into the batter’s box.
Not to mention, learning to play the game in your mind.
To know where the ball is going to go on defense before it’s hit.
Seeing the at bat play out while you’re on deck.
As Yogi would say, “Baseball is 90% mental, the other half is physical.”
Resilience:
Baseball is the ultimate game of failure.
Seven out of ten at bats will result in a bad outcome.
But it will also result with you in the Hall of Fame.
The best teams ever lost 30% of their games.
The best team records of all time still had 46 losses.
Perfection is unattainable, so resilience is required.
Commitment:
You must commit to showing up every day.
It’s a long-term commitment that is tested.
When the days get long, the summer gets hot, and you’re battling a slump.
You still have to find a way to show up.
The commitment to yourself, your teammates, your process is tested, every day.
Discipline:
Much like commitment, your discipline will be tested as well.
The person who is disciplined to their process can find success over 162 games.
The discipline to do things a certain way, over and over again.
You can’t win by showing up just once.
You have to show up every game, for 162 opportunities.
It’s a test of discipline.
Courage:
There are many moments of courage in baseball.
It takes courage to step in the box against someone throwing almost 100mph.
It takes courage to take a ball off your chest to keep it in front of you.
It takes courage to come back after a bad play or game.
It takes courage to step up to the box in front of thousands of fans after going 0 for 4 in your previous at bats with the game on the line.
You may not be ready to step back in the box, but when your spot in the line up comes around, you’ve got to get ready.
You may not be ready for the ball to be hit at you in the big moment.
Baseball forces the courage out of you.
People:
Baseball is the ultimate individual sport that requires your teammates.
Every single moment is entirely on you, but without the help your teammates you’ll still lose.
You learn quickly that a perfect throw that isn’t caught is still an error.
You learn that you hitting a home run with nobody on base is still just one run.
You learn that without a full team behind you your individual performance means nothing.
There will be days when you carry your team.
There will be days when they carry you.
Baseball teaches you the value of the people you choose to surround yourself with.
There is no other sport that teaches you as much about life as baseball.
It’s probably because I’m bias, but still.
Learning the game of baseball is learning the game of life.
Find a way to play life like baseball and you’re going to find success.
Coaches Corner
Live Life Like a Ballplayer
I live my life like a ballplayer.
What does that mean?
I live in the moment, with an understanding of the long-term objective.
One game, One error, One at bat, One pitch isn’t going to determine my season.
Here are three things you can do today to start living life like a ballplayer.
Daily Processes
Make Adjustments
It’s a Long Season
Daily Process:
By bringing big picture goals into smaller daily processes you create an ability to stay on task.
When we set daily goals, a bad pitch (moment) can ruin everything.
The closer you are to the moment you’re in, the less control you have over the outcome.
In a moment, things happen that we can’t do anything about.
The umpire can make a bad call.
The pitcher can throw a pitch you didn’t expect.
The defender can make a spectacular play.
Similarly, you could have a power outage last night and sleep through your alarm.
Your kid could get sick on the bus on his way to school.
You could make an amazing pitch only for someone else to propose a better price.
Life is full of moments that aren’t fair.
Which is why we need to focus each game (daily) on our process.
I’ve learned that if I live my life with a process, eventually, the bounces will go my way.
Make Adjustments:
Adjustments are a big part of the game of baseball.
We make adjustments on almost every pitch.
The key, however, is to make sure that we’re not changing everything.
Small adjustments go a long way.
For example: If the pitcher is throwing hard, I need to get into my load faster and adjust my timing.
I don’t need to change my swing.
I don’t need to swing harder.
Learning what adjustments you can make without effecting your overall performance is crucial.
You can’t change a mechanical issue during the heat of the game, you can only make small adjustments to your approach.
This is true with life.
If you’re constantly overhauling your approach every time you get a strike against you, it’s going to be hard to have quality at bats.
I’ve made a rule that if I get a result I don’t like, it’s only strike one.
Is there a small adjustment I can make before the next pitch.
If I get three consecutive strikes, I can make a larger adjustment before my next at bat.
Small changes make a big difference in the moment.
Larger adjustments need to happen between games.
The biggest adjustments are saved for the off-season.
It’s a Long Season:
Don’t let one pitch ruin a game.
Don’t let one game ruin a series.
A bad series ruin a week, and a bad week carry into the remainder of the season.
Too often we let a moment in the day affect the entire day.
Each day is a new game.
Each moment is just an at bat in the game.
If something doesn’t go your way in a moment, you better get your head right, another moment is coming.
Too often I’ve seen a teammate have a bad at bat, only to let that one bad swing ruin their entire game.
Understanding that it’s a long season and you’re going to get another opportunity can help you reset.
There are going to be plenty of opportunities throughout the season.
Learning how to move past poor outcomes and remember there’s another pitch coming, another game, another series is powerful.
Living life like a ballplayer is a wonderful balancing act between in the moment action and long-term vision.
It’s learning how to stay present every day, letting moments roll off your shoulders, make small adjustments, and keep plodding along.
Here’s to another great season!
A World of Greatness
I recently stumbled across Dominique on IG. She is creating incredible visual art using photography and a series of poses to make it appear is if motion was taking place. Remember when someone used to make a stick figure walk and do things on the pages of a book? When you flipped through the pages the picture moved. Check out this video.
Art is an incredible skill. One that takes a lifetime to master. Clare has taken her skill to add a creative touch to photography. She takes photos and paints the world around them, blending the two together to create incredible pieces of art. Check out this video.
Check Out Our Sponsors
Check out Go Primal Fitness and Lifestyle Apparel.
Their message aligns with mine and focuses on creating a strong mindset.
Go Primal Lifestyle and Fitness Apparel wear the mindset to be the best for the ones that need you the most.
Use promo code BEGREAT at checkout and save 10%.
If you follow me on social media you’ve seen my new shorts/reels and clips.
These are made possible by OpusClip.
OpusClip is an A.I. generated clip creator with brand functionality that makes cutting longer form video extremely easy.
Our next sponsor is ASEA.
Their revolutionary cell signaling REDOX molecule is changing the way we can impact our health.
I’ve been using ASEA Redox now for a few months and have noticed improved sleep, focus, mood, and youthfulness.
Check out what ASEA and REDOX can do for you today.
Did you know?
I often forget to share all the ways you can connect and get involved with the Edge of Greatness project.
And since you’ve made it this far, perhaps you’re interested in more of what we do.
Free:
Paid:
Need a Coach?
As an athlete I always appreciated good coaching.
It often made the difference between a successful season and an average one.
When you’ve got big goal to compete at the highest level, it helps to have someone looking at the big picture, while you focus on the specific actions.
Have you got something big coming up?
Need someone to help organize the path forward?
Let me know what you’re working on and we’ll see if I’m the right fit.
I've spent the last 15 years working with clients as a personal trainer and coach helping them build healthy sustainable habits.
During this time I've learned the psychology of habit creation, the power of systems, and why simple works better.
I'd love to help you reach your goals.
I'm currently looking to add 2 new coaching clients to my roster.
If this sounds interesting to you, connect with me today and let's schedule a call to see if we're a good fit for each other.
Email me at [email protected]
Thanks for Stopping By
Thanks for coming by. If you enjoyed this issue, perhaps you’d consider buying me a coffee.
If you'd like more content before next Tuesday visit The Edge of Greatness Project.
If you're working on a project or just need some help, please don't hesitate to reach out. I'd love to help you get to your next milestone. Just reply to this email.
It'd be great if you shared this with a friend. See you guys next week.