This stems from Can’t Hurt Me and I encourage you all to read.  All our organization’s foundational pillars are built on our commitment to being resilient, prepared and the ultimate competitors for the teams, challenges and obstacles that we encounter.  Our goal is to win them all knowing that goal cannot be achieved.  One of the major principles in David Goggins’ book is “perspective”.  Choosing the paradigm of  “What do I need to do in order to win now (after each speed bump, obstacle, etc.)” instead of the paradigm of “Well, I ran into a wall and couldn’t do it” is PARAMOUNT.  There is a quote that I ran across recently that says: “Hard times create strong (wo)men, strong (wo)men create good times, good times create weak (wo)men, and weak (wo)men create hard times.”

90% of what we do is what most other clubs do.  This means our organization is always in a critical cycle.  We are always being challenged.  There is always someone popping up trying to replicate what we have done.  There is someone trying to beat and knock us off all the time.  We have a lot of infrastructure, tools, success, track record, legacy, passion, talent and great players/coaches/families, but we also run into objections, adversity, questions and doubt.  It is a balancing act.  There is no magic potion for what we do.  We cannot buy our success at a store.  It is not on sale or on discount.  It is the little things that we do and the culture we create that differentiates us from others.

Which paradigm are we each going to choose?  Our success depends on each one of us focusing on our own personal controllables and commitment.  What you do today determines our success.  Period.  That starts with The Paradigm.  Our greatest wins and toughest losses have all come as a result of paradigm choice.  “Where your focus goes, your energy flows.”  What are you personally focusing on and is that where you want to go?  Are you doing extra?  Are you out working and out-preparing others?  Are you practicing scared?  We all owe it to ourselves and our teammates to look into our accountability mirrors and be honest with them and ourselves.  Are we settling for what is comfortable, or are we pushing as hard as we can to get to and through the adversity that brings growth & greatness?  Are we stepping outside the comfort zone?  Are we insisting on team and organizational success, or expecting it to just happen then placing blame for the crutches that we have decided to lean on and whatever results fall in our lap?  The reality is that it is our choice and your choice.  Our choice to win or lose.  Our choice to see achieving the goal as minimum expectation, or accept the excuses all around you to make competitive failure “ok”.  It is our choice to take action in the face of uncertainty and tough situations, the fear of not “making it”, or choose the paradigm of entitlement, blame those around you and bring those choices to a new situation where inevitably the same ending awaits so the cycle can begin again and again.

 

We always say we teach more than just softball here.  This is an example of that.  “The only easy day was yesterday”, and tomorrow is not certain or guaranteed, so what we do TODAY is what matters.  We can have all the tools, training and motivational speeches in the world to utilize to achieve success, and we can also have all the excuses in the world to allow us to accept mediocrity or failure.  The bottom line is that it all comes down to each of us.  We are judged in the aggregate and not individually.  Who will you allow yourself to be?  We have chosen to be great and to commit to what it takes to be that.  Will you?

Posted in General Announcements, Parents

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