Business Lessons Leanrned When Gabe Gets Hit With a Baseball
Gabriel, my ten-year-old son was hit by a baseball during batting practice the other day. There was a red mark on his arm but nothing too bad.
After the incident though, he lost his grip on practice and was swinging to the wind, not hitting one ball.
His coach came over to him and said, “Son, what it takes to succeed in baseball is only five inches, the distance between your ears- this game is 95% mental, and 5% technique- your batting technique has nothing to do with it, it’s your attitude”
Gabriel looked puzzled and annoyed at all the metaphoric talk; he just wanted to end practice and go home.
Gabe then yells to the coach, “you hit me hard with the ball coach!” and it hurts. That’s why I can’t hit the ball”
Coach answered, “I guarantee you’ll get hit a thousand more times in your baseball career so take a sip of water and get over it”
Gabe went to the dugout, took a drink of water, and went back into the field.
After a few minutes, he was swinging the bat and hitting to left field.
How ironic is it that what kept Gabriel from continued growth was a distance of only five inches. Too short to be a problem don’t you think?
Given what happened at the field, here is my suggestion for you (and me):
Be ok with the idea that the ball WILL hit you. Sometimes it will hurt more than others times, but you will be fine. Getting hit will give you a batting advantage as you are now aware of what could happen and can react before it hits.
Shake it off. Go into the dugout, drink some water, take a moment to feel angry if you need to and then get over it. There’s a bucket filled with baseballs waiting for you.
Don’t let it define you. The ball hits in a second, it marks the skin in another second and only hurts for a few seconds. After a few minutes, that moment has passed and practice goes on. It’s up to you not to waste 2 hours with what occurred in just a few seconds.
The growth of any business is a long baseball practice. Therefore, don’t give up, but give in and grow, you will be a better person for it or in this case, a better batter.
