by Sunny Simon
Well, it’s official. My favorite season is upon us. No, not Spring, I’m talking major league baseball. All my life I’ve had a love affair with the game. Growing up in a large city suburb, I could walk down the street and hear the score of an evening game drifting from house to house. All season long neighbors relaxed on their front porches listening to radio announcers giving a play-by-play account of each inning’s activity. One of the highlights of my youth was collecting baseball trading cards packaged with the bonus slice of bubble gum, but nothing beat witnessing the live action in the stadium. Whenever possible I cashed in my allowance and purchased a seat in the bleachers.
It should probably come as no surprise that my first date with my husband took place at a baseball game. That fateful night when the Detroit Tigers battled the Oakland A’s is one of my favorite memories. As the competition extended into extra innings I consumed one ice-cold beer, two hot dogs, a bag of peanuts and coincidently fell completely in love with my date.
Baseball always brings out the optimist in me. Think about a tie game narrowed down to the bottom of the ninth with the bases loaded. The final pitch can end in a win, a loss, or a second chance for either team to make a comeback. It’s like that in life. There are times when we feel the odds are stacked against us and we know we could pull it off if we could just catch a break. It’s that second chance I find so alluring. Each new day is another opportunity to come from behind and knock one out of the ballpark.
Ever feel like you’re the bat boy rather than the staring slugger? You don’t have to remain in that position. Shift your focus. Adopt an optimistic philosophy and devise a plan that will get you batting 400. Many baseball greats have come from behind. Baseball Hall of Famer Al Kaline, dubbed “Mr. Tiger” had difficulty getting through high school, Mickey Mantle once battled osteomyelitis a potential crippling disease and we all know how Jackie Robinson persevered a flagrant discriminatory atmosphere in order to play in the big leagues.
So, the next time your are teetering on the edge, struggling to find the sweet spot to propel you into a grand slam victory, remember the words of Yogi Berra who got it right when he said, “It ain’t over, ‘till it’s over.”
Sunny Simon is the owner of Raise the Bar High Life and Career Coaching. More about Sunny at www.raisethebarhigh.com
